Alpha Kappa Alpha

Melody M. McDowell is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. She is past editor of the sorority's magazine, The Ivy Leaf. Alpha Kappa Alpha Shield

On July 15, 2006, she was appointed Chairman of the Communications Committee by the International President Barbara McKinzie. She served in this position from 2006-2010.

It is the first time in the Sorority's 100+ years that a Communications Committee was added to the AKA's Committee structure.

As testimony to the superb job the Committee did under her direction and leadership, Melody was reappointed by the International President Attorney Carolyn House Stewart, to serve in this same role for the term 2010-2014. In this capacity, she headed a committee charged with devising strategies for branding the Sorority's image and for generating stories about Alpha Kappa Alpha in the media.

Melody was also Chief Information Officer of Alpha Kappa Alpha. She served in this position from 2006-2010 and for the term 2010-2014. In this capacity, she worked with the International President to frame the AKA message and keep its many accomplishments in the media eye.

She also created a regional communications infrastructure through a team of Information Officers charged with interfacing with the various chapters to help them explore ways of getting the AKA message out as part of the bigger branding strategy. The CIO/IO schematic also identified stories that were archived for pitching to the media as part of the Centennial Celebration.

During the Centennial Celebration held in Washington, D.C., Melody led a team that crafted an aggressive media strategy that resulted AKA getting coverage in a wide spectrum of outlets including: (but not limited to): The Washington Post, CBS Early Show, Tom Joyner Morning Show, the New York Times, Essence, Black Enterprise, Ebony, Jet, ABC, NBC, CBS affiliates, CNN, trade publications, hundreds of African-American media outlets, blogs, Internet links and so many more. We secured a feature column in USA Today that ran in thousands of newspapers. The International president was interviewed by Michel Martin for the nationally-syndicated show, “Tell Me More,” and members were interviewed on “Al Sharpton's Show,” and many more. On July 12, 2008, Melody was interviewed by Lonnie Quinn on CBS where she promoted AKA's Centennial Convention and the Sorority's 100-year commitment to sisterhood and service. This effort yielded over $1 million in free coverage for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.

In addition, Melody oversaw the publication of a Media Guide. Using the ESP call letters, the Guide's title was “How to Enhance your Success with the Press.” Melody also conducted several media workshops for the Sorority on public relations including at the Leadership Conference in Anchorage, Alaska. Melody has succeeded in elevating AKA's media presence and in getting its message of sisterhood and service out to the media world.

During the Sorority's conference held in St. Louis in 2010, the team generated hundreds of “hits” and positive “impressions” that branded the Sorority's image as a premiere global organization whose mission is to “serve all mankind.”

All totaled, the Melody McDowell-led team has generated millions of dollars in free coverage for the Sorority.

Melody continued to elevate AKA's brand after she was appointed for former international president Attorney Carolyn House Stewart, whose administration's theme was: Global Leadership Through Timeless Service. During the Sorority's Founders' Day in Little Rock in January 2011, the Melody-led effort attracted coverage from every local network affiliate including from CBS, NBC, FOX and ABC. We also got a major hit with an extensive front-page feature story in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette. During the Boule in San Francisco in 2012, the firm attracted a lengthy article in the San Francisco Chronicle, the major newspapers, as well as extensive TV, radio, cable and social media coverage. The San Francisco Sun, one of the African-American newspapers, provided generous coverage in each of their editions, including front-page coverage.

The Melody-led PR offensive also yielded hundreds of thousands of dollars in free media exposure during the convention in Charlotte, North Carolina in July 2014. Stories ran in the major media outlets, and attracted generous visibility on television and radio. The social media hits from Facebook, Twitter and others were extensive. All of this generated pride and helped imprint AKA's global media presence.