The 86th National Leadership School officially began at the Marriott Chicago O’Hare Hotel on Thursday, January 9. A total of 419 attendees gathered in Chicago, IL, to kick off an inspiring weekend of leadership development and collaboration.

Event check-in kicked off on Thursday, featuring the exhibitor hall, where attendees visited each of our fantastic exhibitors: GreekBill, Movember, F&H, The SAE Foundation, Campus Classic/SAE Store, NMDP, and CMNH.

The first General Session followed, where Eminent Supreme Archon Mark McDonough (Youngstown State ‘98) warmly welcomed everyone and led the opening ritual. The Education Team — Dr. Spencer Long (Central Michigan ‘08), Hannah Blenden, and Noah Haddaway (Frostburg State ‘21) — outlined their expectations for the weekend and provided an overview of the agenda. Afterward, attendees were released to attend their first chapter meetings, focused on ‘Onboarding.’

Leadership School provides two tracks: a leadership track for general members and an executive track for chapter officers. The leadership track takes a big-picture look at fraternity leadership and a deeper dive into what it means to serve the Fraternity and our global community. It is an immersive learning experience in which collegiate brothers will focus on building the skills needed to serve in any leadership role and will build leadership competencies needed to lead within the Fraternity, their community, and their professional roles. The executive track focuses on increasing each officer’s understanding of their roles and responsibilities, team building, goal setting, strategy development, and implementation. We also focus on the crucial chapter and community issues paramount to success.

After the first chapter meeting wrapped up, dinner was served in the ballroom, and our new partnership with Birches Health was launched. Birches Health is a leading behavioral addiction treatment provider specializing in virtual care for compulsive behaviors. This partnership is another significant step to providing the evolving types of support needed in today’s world and for brothers of SAE.

Following this announcement was General Session 2, led by Gentry McCreary. He took the group through the Dyad Brotherhood Assessment. Chapter Meeting 2 then dove deeper into the SAE results. Later, the annual t-shirt swap took place, complete with popcorn for a light snack. To close out the evening, Kevin Gath (Western Carolina ‘14) hosted a fun and optional ‘SAE Stories/Myths/Legends’ session, bringing some lighthearted energy to the night.

On Friday, January 10, breakfast sandwiches were served to kick off the day! General Session 3, led by Dr. Spencer Long and Kevin Gath, followed. After the session, attendees had some free time before diving into Chapter Meeting 3. The afternoon began with everyone boarding buses to head to the beautiful Levere Memorial Temple.

Lunch in Nippert Hall featured the Chicago Native Potbelly Sandwich Shop, followed by Temple tours led by faculty and staff. General Session 4, ‘Discovering Your Purpose,’ was presented by Brother Dan Wenker (Penn State ’81). A group photo was taken in the Peace Chapel, and an unforgettable video inspired by college game day traditions was filmed. The video featured a walk-through of the peace chapel with attendees chanting “SAE” — an experience you definitely didn’t want to miss.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sigma Alpha Epsilon (ΣΑΕ) (@sigmaalphaepsilon)

Les Ireland (Towson ’86), Chairman of The SAE Foundation, delivered an inspiring session titled ‘College to Career.’ Afterward, attendees enjoyed a delicious dinner featuring Lou Malnati’s pizza before heading back to the hotel for an exciting game night. The night was packed with activities, including the Ohio State vs. Texas game on the big screen, blackjack and casino tables, cornhole, air hockey, basketball, Xbox, and more! To wrap up the evening, another ‘SAE Stories/Myths/Legends’ session took place.

Saturday was packed with four rotational sessions: a Service Project for Sleep in Heavenly Peace, ‘Recruitment’ led by Quinn Moran, ‘Entrepreneurship’ presented by Tom LaMontia (Arizona ‘87), and ‘Housing’ with the F&H team, including Greg Somers (Michigan State ‘98), JP Andrick (Frostburg State ‘97), and Jacob Showalter (Case Western Reserve ‘98). Afterward, attendees grabbed boxed lunches before diving into General Session 6, where Lianne Kowiak powerfully shared ‘The Truth’ — a mother’s heartbreaking story of losing her son to senseless hazing. Following that, the Risk Management Team — Steadman Boston (Winthrop ’17), Layne Smith (Winthrop ’19), John Hatfield (Arkansas-Little Rock ’77), and Madison Simmons — led a session on Health, Safety, and Accountability. 

On this day, we launched our partnership with RealResponse, a confidential platform designed to enhance safety and accountability by providing members and guests with an anonymous way to report emergencies, crises, or general concerns.

Dinner was accompanied by some exciting announcements. Our very own Director of Education, Hannah Blenden, was honored with The Order of the Violet Award in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the team. To celebrate, the gentlemen in the room sang Violets in her honor.

Tom Killian (Indiana State ‘99), President and CEO of the SAE Foundation, announced that the SAE Foundation raised an impressive $4,040 for the Annual Loyalty Fund from tabling at Leadership School. This fundraising initiative included donations from 129 new members of the Phi Alpha Club, an exclusive undergraduate giving society. Alex Pavic (Gettysburg) was the lucky winner of the vintage SAE Badge giveaway that was generously donated by Dave Griego (New Mexico ‘83). A big thank you to all the attendees who donated to be a part of this special effort.

Phi Alpha Club Honor Roll

(Collegians who joined at Leadership School)

The evening continued with Chapter Meeting 5, centered on the theme of ‘Communication.’ The evening then transitioned into a brief yet powerful ‘Goal Setting’ General Session, led by Dr. Anthony Mack (North Florida ’11) and Cullen Kerigan (Western Carolina ’22), before wrapping up with the final ‘Action Planning’ Chapter Meeting. To close out the night, we gathered for one last ‘SAE Stories/Myths/Legends’ session.

The final day of Leadership School began with breakfast and a powerful Closing Keynote address from Todd Buchanan (Southern Mississippi ’90), who shared how lessons from the Fraternity have shaped his career. Following the keynote, a few giveaways were held, and attendees celebrated their graduation from Leadership School. Mark McDonough wrapped up the event with a heartfelt closing ritual and SAE yells before everyone headed home, inspired and ready to put their new knowledge into action.

The 86th National Leadership School was a memorable one for the books. Songs were sung throughout the entire weekend, and the air was filled with a strong sense of brotherhood. We are already looking forward to next year’s event!

Download event photos through the link here.

Leadership School Testimonials

Calvin Lee (California State University – Northridge) [Leadership Track] — “The sessions answered a lot of questions and gave me a new web of brothers to reach out to; it also gave me a fresh perspective on SAE.”

Nic Poulos (Rutgers University) [Executive Track] — “The sessions were great. Great content and great speakers.”

Christian Doran (Depaul) [Leadership Track] — “I think I learned a lot of valuable ideas and met a lot of great people in doing so.”

Travis Camp (University of Central Florida) [Executive Track] — “The sessions provided me with a great understanding to take into our small group sessions.”

Jacob Mowat (University of South Alabama) [Leadership Track] — “I felt like everything I learned was new and engaging.”

Aidan Garvin (University of Cincinnati) [Executive Track] — “I gathered lots of good insight, and it was a very welcoming atmosphere.”