By Daphne Higgins,
Contributing Writer,
“Hope lies in dreams, in imagination, and in the courage of those who dare to make dreams into reality.” Jonas Salk.
This is one of the quotes that motivated the newly elected International President and Chair of the National Board of Directors of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Cheryl W. Turner. Knowing in her early years as a member of the sorority that she wanted to be a leader who could make a difference, Turner began putting her dreams into action.
Elected to the highest position in Delta Sigma Theta Saturday, July 12, 2025, in the birthplace of the sorority, Washington, D.C.; the newly installed leader of the largest public service sorority in the world is a Mississippi born and current resident. Initiated through the Lambda Sigma Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss), she later maintained active membership through the Tupelo Alumnae, Oxford Alumnae and now Jackson (MS) Alumnae Chapters
Turner’s Delta footprint extends across decades of service. Prior to her election as International President, she served as the National First Vice President of the sorority. In this position, Turner served as a prominent conduit for organizational communication within the sorority. She worked tirelessly with key organizational stakeholders to ensure the proper execution of member and chapter operations of the sorority’s doctrine and expectations. She provided oversight for the establishment and enforcement of policies and procedures as Chair of the Sorority’s National Scholarship and Standards Committee. Prior to serving as National First Vice President, Turner served two terms as the Southern Regional Director of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. (2011 to 2016). The first and only Mississippian to be elected to this position since the inception of the Regional Conferences in 1926, She was responsible for overseeing and managing 215 established chapters and 25,000+ active members in the largest Region of the Sorority. Her ability to ensure the execution of impactful programming, member development, and social action initiatives within Delta created a wave of excitement across the sorority’s seven regions. During the spring of 2022, she joined a small class of former Regional Directors tapped to serve in the role of Interim Regional Director.
Positions she held prior to being elected National First Vice President include: Co-Chair of the 2021-2023 National Program Planning and Development Committee (PP&D) where she co-managed the alignment of the Sorority’s projects and programming with the National Strategic Plan. In 2018, she was appointed Chair of the Reclamation Project, a subcommittee of the National Membership Services Committee. During her tenure (2018-2023), the team surpassed the national reclamation goal by 30 percent. She also served in various local, state, and regional positions.
Although retired from her career as a State of MS employee with over 30 years of state government/healthcare senior-level administrative and managerial experience that included 200+ direct and indirect reports and the oversight of an annual budget of $5,000,000, Turner returned to the workforce in 2017 as Vice President of Client Acquisition and Development with Jefferson Stevens, LLC. Turner holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Forensic Chemistry and a Master of Public Administration Degree from the University of MS. She is a certified Public Manager and holds a Continuous Readiness Certification from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. Turner remains very active in her community. Her service entails: Co-Chair of the Risk Management Committee for the Fraternal Leadership and Learning Advisory Board at the University of Mississippi, Gun Violence Prevention Community Lead with MOM’s Demand Action for Gun Sense Legislation, Board Member of the Mid-South Board of Directors for the American Cancer Society and Board Member of the Farish Street Historic District Neighborhood Foundation.
Turner is an active member of Farish Street Baptist Church in Jackson, where she holds membership with the Missionary Society, the Usher Board, and Outreach Ministry. She is the mother of one son, Jared. He and his wife, Sharonda, have two children, daughter, Kaylen; and son, Ian.
Since its founding in 1913 Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. has clearly distinguished itself as a public service organization that boldly confronts the challenges of African Americans and, hence, all Americans. Over the years, a wide range of programs addressing education, health, international development, and strengthening of the African American family have evolved. In realizing its mission, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. provides an extensive array of public service initiatives through its Five-Point Programmatic Thrust
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