OHIO STATE COALITION
NCNW's Leadership: National Chair (Current & Previous)
The National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) has been steered by visionary National Chairs who have dedicated their leadership to advancing the organization's mission. This section honors our current and previous National Chairs, recognizing their commitment, influence, and the lasting impact they have made. Through their guidance, NCNW continues to thrive, fostering empowerment and equality for women of African descent and their communities.
Dr. A. Lois Keith
National Chair
Dr. Keith has served as Executive Member-at-Large, member of the National Nominating Committee, member of the National Re-certification Committee, and National Assistant Secretary, co-chair of Membership and is a member of the President’s Circle. In her local DeKalb Section, she served as Chair of the Leadership Committee, President, 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President, Secretary, and Assistant Secretary of the DeKalb Section and she is a charter member of the DeKalb Pacesetters Life Guild.
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In addition to her service at NCNW, Dr. Keith is also a champion for equitable education. She is a graduate of Alabama A&M University where she received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Secondary Education with a major in Mathematics and a minor in General Science. She received her Master’s in Middle School Education from Georgia State University and she also studied at Mercer University. She had a stellar teaching career with the Henry County School System for 30 years, in addition to serving as the Math Department Chair and Beta Club Sponsor. Her many accolades include Teacher of the Year 1991-92 and 2000-2001, nomination to Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers, and the Principal’s Award 1995-1996.
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Over the course of her expansive work in community service and education, Dr. Keith has received several awards and accolades including a proclamation from the State of Georgia for her service to NCNW and the community. In 2014, she was honored to have been the keynote speaker at the dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony at the new and first public Dorothy I. Height Elementary School in the state of Georgia. In late 2014, the DeKalb Section honored Dr. Keith as the first recipient of the Lois Keith Trailblazer Award for Exemplary Community Service and award which was named in her honor. They also awarded her the Living the Legacy Award in 2014.
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In 2018, Dr. Keith received a Hidden Figure Award and she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate Degree from American Bible University. In 2020, she received the Vanguard Award of Excellence in Leadership Award from the National Women of Achievement, Inc., and on July 22, 2021, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Real Women Atlanta Magazine.
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Dr. Keith is a member of the Georgia and Henry County Retired Educators Association where she served as President. She is a chartered member of the East Metro Orchids, where she served as the chartering secretary and is currently serving as 2nd Vice President. She is a member of Xi Beta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. where she serves as chaplain. Dr. Keith is an active member of the Move of God Church in Atlanta, Georgia.
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She is a chartered member of the New Rock Chapter of Top Ladies of Distinction where she served as the chartering secretary, and she served as the Area IV NCNW Chair.
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She and her late husband, Lonnie, enjoyed more than forty-nine wonderful years of marriage. They have one son, Darius.
Dr. Keith is a Legacy Life Member and Bethune Achiever and has dedicated much of her life to NCNW’s mission. In 2016 at the NCNW’s 57th National Convention, she was honored to serve as co-chair of this event and she was elected to the position of National Vice President. She has served as the National Membership Chair at the pleasure of both Presidents Dr. Dorothy I. Height, and Ms. Ingrid Saunders Jones’s administration. In 2022, she was appointed to serve again as Vice President. Dr. Keith was a member of the NCNW Transition Team and was a co-chair of the 60th Biennial National Convention.
Dr. Thelma T. Daley
Previous National Chair
Dr. Thelma Thomas Daley is a renowned Counselor-Educator, organization leader, and Administrator with a distinguished career that includes directing counseling programs for Baltimore County Public Schools and serving as a professor at Loyola University (MD) and George Washington University. She has held prestigious leadership roles, such as the first African American president of the American School Counselor Association and the American Counseling Association, and has been a national president for Women In Community Service and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Dr. Daley's extensive board experience and her dedication to civil and human rights advocacy are complemented by numerous awards and recognitions, including her induction into the BGE and Baltimore Sun 2020 Business and Civic Hall of Fame. Widely celebrated for her organizational and leadership skills, she continues to inspire and empower through her training and motivational abilities.
Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole
Previous National Chair
During her childhood, Johnnetta Betsch Cole had the privilege of being mentored by Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune and worked closely with Dr. Dorothy Irene Height as a lifetime member of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW). Her commitment to NCNW is deeply rooted in her dedication to social justice and full equality for African American women. Dr. Cole is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, serving as co-chair of its National Arts and Letters Commission, and is also a member of the Links, Inc. She is a Principal Consultant with Cook Ross, Inc., a fellow of the American Anthropological Association, and a Senior Consulting Fellow at the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Notably, Dr. Cole is the only person to have served as president of both Spelman and Bennett Colleges, the two historically Black colleges for women in the U.S., and has also directed the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art. An accomplished author and editor, she has received numerous accolades, including the NCNW Uncommon Height Award and 68 honorary degrees.