Kim Novak Announced as 2026 Durward W. Owen Interfraternity Award Recipient

Kim Novak is the 2026 recipient of the Durward W. Owen Interfraternity Award for Greek Service. This award is named in honor of Durward W. Owen, Xi (Roanoke), who served as executive director from 1959 until 1994. For his immeasurable impact, Owen was later named Pi Kappa Phi’s honorary fourth founder by the Supreme Chapter. Established in 1992, the award recognizes a nonmember of Pi Kappa Phi for exceptionally meritorious service in the Greek community. 

A longtime friend of Pi Kappa Phi, Novak is a nationally respected leader in campus safety, student risk management, student organization conduct and hazing prevention. She is the founder and CEO of NovakTalks, an independent consulting practice focused on helping students, campuses and organizations build safer, healthier communities. She also serves as Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity’s health and safety officer. Before founding NovakTalks, Novak held student affairs leadership roles at Arizona State University and Texas A&M University, where her work focused on risk management, student conduct, crisis response, advocacy services and organizational development. Her work in hazing prevention led to the development of the Novak Institute for Hazing Prevention, a successful program that later became the Interdisciplinary Institute for Hazing Prevention. Her exceptional contributions to the interfraternal community have earned her recognition from Alpha Omicron Pi Fraternity, Kappa Alpha Order and Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity, among others. 

Novak’s connection to Pi Kappa Phi is both professional and personal. A close friend of Durward W. Owen, Novak helped him participate in his final Supreme Chapter in 2022 despite significant health challenges, ensuring that one of Pi Kappa Phi’s most beloved leaders and brothers remained connected to the brotherhood and the event that meant so much to him. Jake Henderson, Pi Kappa Phi’s chief executive officer said, “Kim has spent her career helping the interfraternal world become safer, stronger and more worthy of the undergraduate brothers and alumni we serve. Her work has shaped the way fraternity and sorority professionals think about risk, accountability, prevention and education. For Pi Kappa Phi, this recognition is especially meaningful because Kim knew and cared for Durward personally. She represents the very best of interfraternal service, and we are proud to recognize her with this award that bears his name.”