Alumni Memories

Malinda (Miller) Geisler

Agricultural Journalism, B.S., 1988; Professional Agriculture, 1993

Malinda (Miller)
Geisler

The fall of 1984, my mom drove me from the Iowa State Fairgrounds to Ames so that I could participate in sorority rush. I had spent the morning showing sheep with my best friend. I was still wearing blue jeans and a white 4-H T-shirt. I soon discovered I was not a match for any of the Panhellenic sororities.

A year later, I read an ad in the Daily publicizing an informational meeting for women interested in agriculture. I called my best friend Dana (Hamilton) Coale, PSA & Int’l. Ag ’88, and invited her to attend with me. That is when we learned about Sigma Alpha, a professional agricultural sorority that was founded in 1978 at The Ohio State University. We met weekly in the Oak-Elm library. Suzanne Klocke of Ag Studies/Farm Operations agreed to serve as adviser.

By spring, we had met all of the requirements set by the national board. On April 19, 1986, the Delta Chapter at ISU was chartered with 10 members during a ceremony in the Memorial Union. ISU was the fourth chapter activated following Ohio State, Purdue and Michigan State. We established the motto Women Excelling in Agriculture, which was soon adopted at the national level. In November 1988, Dana and I were elected to serve on the Sigma Alpha National Board.

We continue to pursue agricultural careers. In September 2004, Dana was appointed Deputy Administrator of Dairy Programs at USDA’s Ag Marketing Service. This office oversees the national dairy checkoff programs and Federal milk marketing orders.