alumni – Greek University

Eddie Francis: Leadership Requires Intentional Development

By admin on February 9, 2026

Leadership requires intentional development! A passionate NPHC speaker, Eddie began his leadership journey as president of his Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity chapter at Loyola University New Orleans, where he was also vice president of the Interfraternity Council. Because of his leadership, Eddie earned the Spirit of Loyola Award for Racial Understanding. He even choreographed a step routine that won second place at the ever-popular Bayou Classic Battle of the Bands and Greek Show! Eddie later served as an alumni chapter president and campus chapter advisor. Professionally, Eddie is a consultant who led marketing and communications at Southern University at New Orleans, Paul Quinn College, Dillard University, and Talladega College. He is an adjunct instructor for Southern New Hampshire University who has also taught at Tulane University and Dallas College. Additionally, Eddie’s diverse professional background includes mass media and talent acquisition.

In episode 638 of the Fraternity Foodie Podcast, we find out the biggest mistakes or struggles for Eddie that eventually shaped the D9 Leadership Blueprint, when he realized that leadership requires intentional development, why he chose to blend research, real-world leadership, and “D9 Old Head Wisdom”, how leaders move from survival mode to intentional leadership, what is a self-awareness exercise or mindset shift he would recommend, how Ubuntu show up practically in fraternity and sorority leadership, how understanding followership actually make someone a more effective leader, what is one concept from the D9 Leadership Blueprint that would create the biggest ripple effect, what role do alumni play in reinforcing intentional leadership instead of just critiquing from the sidelines, and how he helps young leaders understand legacy without overwhelming them. Enjoy!

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWoGJdrLK9E

Fraternity/Sorority

Dr. Ryan McKee: How can we start an alumni association for our Fraternity or Sorority?

By admin on October 4, 2023

Dr. Ryan McKee is the Assistant Professor of Instruction in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Temple University. In the past, he served as an adjunct instructor at William Patterson University of New Jersey, Widener University, Montclair State University, Kean University, and Fairleigh Dickinson University. He has his Doctorate in Human Sexuality Education from Widener University and is a brother of Sigma Chi Fraternity.

In episode 398 of the Fraternity Foodie Podcast, we find out what Dr. McKee thinks about the removal of deferred recruitment from his alma mater at Radford University, how he’s starting to build an alumni association in Philadelphia for Sigma Chi Fraternity, what the alumni needs are in his area, what types of events he sees in the future, how he’s reaching the alumni via social media and emails, and what his checklist looks like to build the alumni association.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnnPaC1BkBg

Fraternity/Sorority

Brian Bates: What is a comprehensive Alumni Relations program for fraternities & sororities?

By admin on July 24, 2022

[podcast src=”https://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/23840564/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/yes/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/191970/” height=”90″ width=”100%” placement=”top” theme=”custom”]Our next guest is Brian Bates, and he specializes in fraternity and sorority alumni communication programs and major capital campaigns for new houses, major renovations, and much more. He was the owner of The Laurus Group, founded in May. With over 50 years of fraternity experience, The Laurus Group team had conducted numerous feasibility studies, and through successfully executed capital campaigns and alumni communication programs, had helped clients raise in excess of $30 million. In March 2015 The Laurus Group acquired Stewart Howe Alumni Service in Ithaca, NY. In July 2015, they rebranded both companies under the new name “Elevate” to elevate your communications, your fundraising, and your members’ experience.

In episode 270 of the Fraternity Foodie Podcast, we find out why Brian chose Drake University for his undergraduate experience, what was special about TKE Fraternity on that campus, what it was like to serve as Regional Director for TKE, what is the secret to his success in communications and raising money from alumni, why they decided to merge two companies together to form Elevate, what are the steps to feasibility a study and why that’s important, what newsletters stand out from the crowd and are truly effective, what is a comprehensive Alumni Relations program, and how do we ensure that fraternity stays relevant for the next 100 years. Enjoy!

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBtGmcY-P1g

Fraternity/Sorority

Will Foran: What makes the NIC educational programs so successful?

By admin on November 23, 2020

[podcast src=”https://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/16919606/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/yes/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/191970/” height=”90″ width=”100%” placement=”top” theme=”custom”]Welcome to episode # 100 of Fraternity Foodie! We are celebrating this milestone of our 100th episode with a long time friend and a leader in the Fraternal world, Will Foran, Senior Vice President of Campus Operations for the North American Interfraternity Conference. Will leads NIC Campus operations and education initiatives, designed to increase alumni, undergraduate, and IFC effectiveness. He establishes relationships with campus professionals, as well as NIC stakeholders to coordinate a national education and advocacy strategy.

We find out why Will chose IUP for his undergraduate and Masters Degree, what makes Phi Mu Delta at IUP special, some of the differences between the campuses that he’s worked on (Carnegie Mellon, Mount Union, Western Illinois), what makes NIC educational programming so successful, the challenges of advocacy with so many different organizations in the NIC, the progress that has been made on the 3 Presidential Commissions (alcohol/hazing/sexual assault), recent research showing that fraternity and sorority members benefit from significantly more engagement, steps the NIC taken to address racism/intolerance/hate, what Will wants to accomplish as National President for Phi Mu Delta, and moments that stand out when Will was really proud of his students. Enjoy! Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BDaAuyaQhg

Fraternity/Sorority

Interview with Ron Browne on Alumni Involvement

By admin on April 1, 2019

[podcast src=”https://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/9224885/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/yes/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/191970/” height=”90″ width=”100%” placement=”top” theme=”custom”]Check out my interview on April Fool’s Day with Ron Browne (yes, there is an April Fool’s joke at the start of the interview), our 15th episode! Ron is a former Chapter Director for the Sigma Pi chapter at Central Michigan University, staying very involved to this day. We talk about what’s difficult and what’s rewarding about the Chapter Director position, how news is distributed to the alumni, mentoring between alumni and undergraduates, how the chapter got a beautiful chapter house, what to do when your chapter is dormant, successful alumni events, what needs to change about Fraternity, and what he’s doing at Northwood University. Enjoy!

Link: https://youtu.be/YbAbP7EHMXc