ODK Holds Spring Initiation for W&L Honorees Dean Tamara Futrell addressed new members of ODK during their spring induction ceremony.

Office of Communications and Public Affairs
April 10, 2025

Washington and Lee University’s Alpha Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK), the national leadership honor society, welcomed 53 new members during its spring induction ceremony on April 4.

Tamara Futrell, dean of student engagement and leadership at W&L, delivered the keynote address. Futrell joined Washington and Lee in 2003 as assistant dean of students before quickly being promoted to dean of students and dean of seniors. In her current role, Futrell leads several areas within the division of Student Affairs, including student organizations, student activities and programs, outdoor education and recreation, health promotion, leadership development, cultural and affinity groups, religious and spiritual life and emergency needs support.

Futrell opened her address, titled “Leading Lives of Consequence: The Power of Purposeful Leadership,” by reflecting on the mission of W&L’s capital campaign, “Leading Lives of Consequence,” and how it impacts her work and her life. She explained that leadership takes many forms, but every leader lives a life of consequence that can be measured by their decisions, actions and words.

“Leadership is not defined by titles, positions or accolades, but by the way we inspire, influence and transform our surroundings,” Futrell said. “It is about recognizing that our reach extends beyond personal ambition, to shape the lives of others — our peers, our institution and our communities.”

Futrell emphasized to the initiates that leadership is “not about seeking power or prestige, but making a meaningful impact.” She encouraged them to think about the consequences of how they show up and engage with the world around them, and to understand that “leading a life of consequence is the outcome of leading with purpose.” While living a life of consequence is not always easy, Futrell emphasized that when you lead with purpose, the challenges don’t break you, but give you strength to keep moving forward.

Futrell closed her remarks by sharing a few words of advice with the initiates, including to lead with integrity, to never stop learning, to serve others selflessly, to embrace failure, to surround yourself with challenge and inspiration, to stay true to your values, to take responsibility for your actions, to be resilient and to invest in self-care.

Following a resounding round of applause, the ceremony continued with the induction of two honorary and 51 student initiates into ODK, representing leaders from across campus and the greater Lexington community.

35 undergraduate students from the Class of 2025 and Class of 2026 were tapped into ODK:

Class of 2025
• Melos Ambaye
• Lui Blomberg
• Alina de Zoysa
• Henry Haden
• Lauren Hollis
• Lilly Jordan
• Elena Lee
• Hannah Nolton
• Walt Phillips
• Shae Reinberg
• Emily Sansbury
• Tom Son
• Shannon Tozier
• Tara Trinley
• Liv Ullmann
• Michael Wang

Class of 2026
• William Bray
• Owen Burns
• Aliya Gibbons
• Meredith Harron
• Rebecca Hoffman
• William Joseph
• Brian Kim
• Joe Lee
• Colin Looby
• Brady Madden
• Claire Manning
• Jackson Maroon
• Courtney May
• Anshika Patel
• Max Patterson
• Sarp Sahin
• Kendall Schlueter
• Joyce Yoo
• Hamza Zia

16 law school students from the classes of 2025 and 2026 were also tapped into ODK:

Class of 2025
• Katherine Berman
• Yardley Borten
• Anneliese Burgess
• Samantha Ennis
• Jack Kellerman
• Arianna Kiaei
• Sydney Layne
• Will Stanley
• Kali Venable

Class of 2026
• Shelby Brown
• Justin Carter
• Nathan Heastie
• Sidney Johnson
• Guy Mannick
• Kate Risser
• Lilian Sampson

The honorary initiates include:

Aliaa Bassiouny
Bassiouny is the Lawrence Term Professor of Finance at Washington and Lee University, where she also serves as an affiliate faculty member in the Middle East and South Asia program and faculty adviser to the Williams Investment Society. Born and raised in Cairo, Egypt, Bassiouny holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Master of Business Administration, both with a concentration in finance, from the American University in Cairo (AUC). She earned her Master of Research and a Ph.D. in Management Sciences with a finance specialization from ESADE Business School in Barcelona, Spain.

At W&L, she teaches courses in managerial finance, investments and multinational business finance, and emphasizes an experiential learning pedagogy in her classes. Her research focuses on trading and investments in international financial markets, with publications in leading finance journals. She serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Multinational Financial Management and advises MOBILIST, a United Kingdom government initiative to support funding in emerging markets.

Before joining W&L, Bassiouny was a finance faculty member and chair of the management department at AUC. She has consulted for real estate and venture capital funds and led executive education programs in corporate finance, valuation and modeling. She has also trained entrepreneurs, including through the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women program at AUC.

Bassiouny is actively engaged in the local Lexington community. She designed and delivered lectures at W&L’s Alumni College and Kendal College and is currently a member of Lexington’s Ignorance Club.

Lori Turner
Turner is the executive director at the Community Foundation for Rockbridge, Bath and Alleghany. She also serves as the marketing director for CornerStone Bank and serves on many councils and local boards, including Rockbridge Recovery, Buena Vista Police Foundation, Lexington Police Foundation and Main Street Buena Vista. She was instrumental in building the region’s first-ever recovery housing, the HOPE House, located in Buena Vista.

Turner’s accomplishments include being named the Lexington-Rockbridge Chamber of Commerce Volunteer of the Year. She holds a bachelor’s degree in human resources and a master’s in public administration. Turner lives in Buena Vista with her husband Reggie, who serves as the Special Enforcement Officer for the Lexington Police Department.

~~~

In addition, ODK awarded the James G. Leyburn Award and the Rupert Latture Award at the 2025 induction ceremony.

The James G. Leyburn Award, given to a university or local organization that demonstrates outstanding community service, was presented to Tammy Dunn, the youth director for the City of Lexington. Serving for 35 years, Dunn has made a tremendous positive impact on the community through her care for children and their families. Going above and beyond her job description, Dunn has mentored and supported Washington and Lee student volunteers throughout the years. She was appointed to the Lexington School Board in 2019 and served as board chair in 2024. Dunn will retire at the end of this academic year.

The Rupert Latture Award recognizes a sophomore who has demonstrated outstanding leadership potential. This year, the award was presented to Morgan Shuckman ’27. Originally from Boonsboro, Maryland, Shuckman has integrated herself into the Lexington community through service to various local organizations such as Campus Kitchen, Rockbridge Area Relief Association and the Blue Ridge Mile Clinic.

Omicron Delta Kappa was founded in 1914 at W&L by 15 student and faculty leaders. The founders formulated the idea that leadership of exceptional quality and versatility in college should be recognized, that representatives in all phases of college life should cooperate in worthwhile endeavors, and that outstanding students, faculty and administrators should meet on the basis of mutual interest, understanding and helpfulness. Omicron Delta Kappa was the first college honor society of a national scope to honor meritorious leadership and service in extracurricular activities, and to encourage the development of general campus citizenship.