Meet Our Leadership

Gregory D. Brandt

Eminent Supreme Archon

Brandt pledged Iowa Delta at Drake University in the fall of 1983 and was initiated in the spring of 1984. As a pledge, he was elected Eminent Deputy Archon for the chapter. Brandt earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with majors in accounting and corporate finance. After graduation, Brandt attended Drake University Law School and was elected Student Body President. After law school, he served as a judicial law clerk for the 8th Judicial District for the State of Iowa. Brandt was an Assistant Polk County Attorney specializing in the area of drug and gang prosecution.

In 1995, he went into private practice in a general-litigation law firm and, three years later, was appointed as a District Associate Judge for the Fifth Judicial District of the State of Iowa. At the time, Brandt was the youngest District Associate Judge in the state. He is past Province Tau Archon, a position he held from 1999-2007. Brandt was the Chairman of the Council of Province Archons from 2001-2003. He has served on the Permanent Committee on Fraternity Laws for many years and as the chairman of the Convention Committee on Fraternity Laws twice. Brandt has served on faculty for the John O. Moseley and several province Leadership Schools. Furthermore, he has been Chapter Adviser for Iowa Delta for many years and has held several positions on the Iowa Delta Alumni Association and house corporation boards.

At the 2007 Convention in Washington D.C., Brandt was elected as a director for the Financial & Housing Corporation, where he served as the secretary for two-and-a-half years. Brandt is a Founder Member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Foundation. He is a two-time recipient of the Order of the Lion and has received both the Order of Minerva and the Merit Key Awards. In addition, Brandt was named an Outstanding Chapter Adviser.

He lives in Des Moines, Iowa, with his wife, Julie, and their two children: Nick and Katie.

Michael J. Corelli

Eminent Supreme Deputy Archon

Corelli pledged and was initiated into the Illinois Gamma chapter as part of its phoenix colony in 1998. He held many roles in the chapter, most notably three-term Eminent Archon. Corelli served the Fraternity on the national level as a Leadership School Staff Member, undergraduate representative on the Permanent Committee on the Fraternity Laws and undergraduate liaison of the Province Mu Council.

Corelli received his bachelor’s degree in health administration from Northern Illinois University in 2001 and, in 2009, he earned his master’s degree in education with a focus on college student personnel from Western Carolina University. Currently, Corelli serves as the Associate Director for Campus Activities and Leadership Programs at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina, where he oversees the operations of leadership programs, campus programming and student clubs and organizations and is directly responsible for teaching, advising and overall program coordination for the academic leadership minor.

He has been recognized by the school as Student Organization Advisor of the Year, Outstanding University Staff Member in the Division of Student Affairs and University Administrator Employee of the Year and is a member of the University’s Strategic Planning Committee. In addition, Corelli is part of the University’s re-accreditation committee and serves as a committee chairperson for its Quality Enhancement Plan, an initiative to enhance the learning and involvement opportunities for the university’s students and campus community.

In 2001, Corelli joined the Fraternity Service Center staff and aided in the growth of the organization and in chapter development for six years. As the Director of Extension and Chapter Development, he oversaw the addition of 54 new and phoenix colonies across the Realm as well as the overall chapter development, recruitment, risk management and expansion of the brotherhood. As an alumnus, Corelli served in various roles, including both Illinois Gamma and North Carolina Omega Chapter Adviser, faculty member for both province and regional Leadership Schools and faculty member for the John O. Moseley Leadership School since 2001. He also served as Province Omicron Archon, member of the National Education Advisory Council and chairman of the National Recruitment Committee.

Since joining the Fraternity, Corelli has been awarded the Outstanding Eminent Archon Award and is a recipient of both the Order of the Lion and Order of Minerva Awards and, in 2013, the Supreme Council awarded him with the Merit Key Award.

Corelli resides in Western North Carolina with his wife, Kimberly and their two daughters, Kaitlyn and Khloe.

Michael S. Rodgers

Eminent Supreme Warden

Rodgers pledged Virginia Kappa at The College of William & Mary in 1990. He served his chapter in several roles, including Eminent Deputy Archon and Special Events Chairman, and graduated in 1992, earning a bachelor of arts degree with honors in public policy. In 1996, he graduated from Emory University's School of Law with a juris doctorate degree.

He is a shareholder of Polsinelli, a full-service law firm with 22 U.S. offices. He leads his firm's real-estate practice in Atlanta, where he represents companies that develop, build and invest in commercial and residential real-estate projects. His practice also includes corporate law with a focus on charitable and non-profit organizations. Of interest, Rodgers is a certified Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt, which skills he leverages to drive process improvements in business and legal matters. Rodgers has served as an adjunct law professor at the University of Georgia's School of Law and frequently writes and lectures on legal topics, including as a guest speaker at more than 30 industry conferences. He is a member of the Urban Land Institute, where he serves on a national council that promotes best practices in the real-estate industry.

Rodgers’ alumnus service to the Fraternity spans 26 years. In 2015, he was elected to the Supreme Council as its Eminent Supreme Chronicler. Past positions include President and Director for SAE Financial & Housing Corporation, Province Epsilon-Alpha Archon, Province Epsilon Archon, Virginia Kappa Alumni Association President, Greater Atlanta Alumni Association Director and Georgia Phi Chapter Adviser. He has served as a faculty member at numerous national, regional and province Leadership Schools, including the John O. Moseley Leadership School, the Eminent Archon Institute and the Levere Leadership Institute. Furthermore, Rodgers has served on several Fraternity committees over two decades, including most recently for the Strategic Plan, Alumni Engagement, Awards and Program Evaluation. He has drafted numerous Fraternity laws and policies, including the law establishing the Fraternity’s reserve accounts, and co-authored the Good Samaritan Policy.

Rodgers is the recipient of the Merit Key, Order of Minerva and Order of the Lion Awards, and he has been recognized by the Supreme Council as Province Archon of the Year. He is also the recipient of the Bob Cousins Zeal Award for his sustained contributions to the Greater Atlanta Alumni Association. During his tenure as President, Virginia Kappa was bestowed with the Most Improved and the Most Outstanding Chapter Alumni Association Awards. Rodgers is an active supporter of the Foundation and is a member of its Phoenix Society.

Rodgers originally hails from Staunton, Virginia, and he resides in Atlanta, Georgia, with his wife, Merideth, and daughter, Harper.

Mark W. McDonough

Eminent Supreme Herald

McDonough, a legacy to his brother Matthew, was initiated at Ohio Alpha in January of 1993. During his time as an undergraduate, he served as Eminent Treasurer and two terms as Eminent Archon. Other roles held included Social Chairman, Sports Chairman, Recruitment Chairman, Eminent Chaplain and Eminent Preceptor. On campus, he served as a Student Government Representative and Executive Council Parliamentarian.

McDonough earned his degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Youngstown State University in 1998. While at Youngstown State, he was recognized as a YSU Centurion, was awarded the Arby’s Leadership Scholarship and was elected as Homecoming King. After working in his industry for some time, he earned a master’s degree in business administration in 2008.

Operating out of the Cleveland, Ohio, area, McDonough is a Geographic Discipline Leader for the engineering firm Maser Consulting P.A. During his career, he has spent his time dedicated to the telecommunication aspect of civil engineering, helping to build and deploy America’s biggest wireless networks and safety systems. In his community, he volunteers for the local school district as a Blue Ribbon Committee member dedicated to improving children's academic growth and serves on a team with his wife, Jennifer, in their church’s pre-marriage program, where they help to guide engaged couples. He is also a proud Eagle Scout.

McDonough’s volunteer work in Sigma Alpha Epsilon started at home with his Ohio Alpha chapter, serving as the Alumni Association Secretary and President as well as chapter adviser. He has been recognized with the Ohio Alpha Outstanding Alumnus honor twice. In 2006, McDonough began an 11-year period volunteering at the province level, where he was Alumni Secretary and the Province Archon for ten years, which culminated with a term as Chairman of the Council of Province Archons. During the same period, McDonough also served on the Alumni Services Committee and the Chicago Convention Finance Committee and was Chairman of the Alumni Recruitment and the Strategic Planning Committees. In addition, he has served on faculty for the John O. Moseley Leadership School three times. He was proud to initiate his father, Ralph, in 2014. He has been recognized with the Order of the Lion, the Order of Minerva and, most recently, the Merit Key Award in 2015.

McDonough resides in the Cleveland, Ohio, area with his wife, Jennifer; his daughter, Coraline; his son, Conor, and their dog, Ruby.

Ben Johnson II

Eminent Supreme Chronicler

As a founding father of the UC-Irvine chapter, Johnson was elected to serve as its Eminent Deputy Archon, leading the development of the colony to its successful chartering. He remained involved as a young alumnus serving as a chapter advisor for both his home chapter and neighboring UC-Riverside. Johnson also founded the Southern California Area Alumni Association and the Cal Psi Chapter Alumni Association. In addition to serving as Alumni Association President for 12 years, he was elected as Province Chi- Alpha Deputy Archon and mentored all chapters in Southern California for 7 years. He has been honored to serve the realm in numerous additional leadership roles as a faculty member of the John O. Moseley Leadership School and the Levere Leadership Institute; and as a member of the True Gentleman Task Force, the Eminent Supreme Recorder (ESR) Search Committee, the Strategic Plan Committee, and most proudly as the Chairman of the Diversity & Inclusion Committee. Johnson has been awarded the Order of the Lion, the Order of Minerva and The Merit Key. 

In addition to his service to the Fraternity, Johnson has created a legacy of community service in Southern California. He was elected to the Alvord Unified School District Board of Education to an unprecedented five consecutive terms, serving for a total of twenty-one years. In addition to his service as a school board member, he has also served in a variety of not-for-profit and professional leadership and service roles including as a member of the Board of Directors for Big Brothers & Big Sisters, a member of the Riverside Community Health Foundation, a member of the board of directors for the Youth Service Center and Director of Homeless Outreach, and Vice-Chairman of both the Human Relations Committee and the City of Riverside Charter Review.

Michael Sophir

Eminent Supreme Recorder

During his undergraduate tenure at Nebraska Lambda-Pi, Sophir served in numerous positions, including Eminent Deputy Archon, Recruitment Chairman and IFC Recruitment Chairman and was awarded Greek Man of the Year. As a member of the chapter, he co-founded Do It Sober, a campus- and community-based alcohol-awareness program that remains an SAE initiative today. He also served as an undergraduate member of the 50th Anniversary Leadership School Planning Committee. Sophir graduated from the University of Nebraska with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and with minors in history, English, speech and Portuguese.

Sophir first joined the Fraternity Service Center staff in 1986 as an Educational and Leadership Consultant. He was then promoted to Assistant Director of Chapter Development and, in 1989, to Director of Chapter Development, where he supervised all field staff, chapter operations and the supporting volunteer programs. He left staff in 1992 and has been focused on marketing, communications, strategic planning and fundraising development in his career for the past 25 years.

In addition, Sophir has worked for and has had significant roles on both the agency and client side of business in for-profit and nonprofit ventures. He has worked with major retailers, airlines, packaged goods, software and music artists as well as with major healthcare providers, education and advocacy organizations.