Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Kelly Jo Karnes will receive the Sue Kraft Fussell Distinguished Service Award from the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors (AFA) at its annual December meeting.
Karnes joined SIUE in July as its director for student involvement in the Kimmel Leadership Center. She shares the award with Florida State University alum Andre Fuller Cooper. The duo will be honored in Orlando, Fla., on Saturday, Dec. 7.
Prior to arriving at SIUE, Karnes held positions in Greek life at the University of Iowa, Old Dominion University and her alma mater, the University of Kansas. She served as the AFA president in 2012 and the AFA annual meeting chair in 2006.
In 1999, Karnes began volunteering with AFA. She is a member of Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority and currently serves as member of its National Panhellenic Conference delegation.
A Lawrence, Kan., native, Karnes has been a lead facilitator for LeaderShape Institute, Inc., since 2005. She has volunteered with the Association of Fraternal Leadership & Values (AFLV) since 2000. She has held the role as a National Black Greek Leadership Conference logistics coordinator since 2007.
Karnes came to SIUE from the University of Iowa where she served as the associate director for Student Involvement and Leadership.