On February 14th over 700+ brothers of Sigma Phi Epsilon from across the Midwest region gathered at the Westin hotel for the 2020 Carlson Leadership Academy. Attendees of the conference heard from esteemed keynote speakers, engaged in specific officer training sessions, and formed connections with brothers from across the region.
11 members of the Ohio Pi chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon made the long drive to Chicago, Illinois for this weekend long activity. Ohio Pi members present included all of the executive board, 2 graduating seniors, and chapter counselor Jeremy Keller.
One of the graduating seniors who attended the conference was former Ohio Pi chapter president, Bentley Peed. Peed attended the graduating senior track, a new installation at this year’s CLA. He described the track saying, “The 2020 Chicago Carlson Leadership Academy’s senior track was the first of its kind, and its success allowed myself and fellow seniors to continuously develop a plan to reach our life goals and work as a brotherhood to visualize a complete life of fulfillment.”
After hours of grueling training on Saturday morning in their respective leadership tracks, like the senior track Peed attended, brothers rejoined for a group recognition lunch. At this lunch, the Ohio Pi chapter as a whole was recognized for their participation in the Founder’s Day of Giving, with the 18th most donors nationwide. Brothers were asked to stand and were applauded for their generosity by the nearly full room.
The recognition lunch concluded and participates were sent back to finish their respective training sessions. In these sessions, brothers were instructed on how to effectively utilize the resources available to them from Sig Ep nationally, minimize risk in their respective chapters, and collaborate with brothers from neighboring schools.
This amazing weekend ended with an awards ceremony over dinner. Current brothers, volunteers, and exceptional alumni were all recognized at the ceremony. One of the members of Ohio Pi was recognized at this ceremony. Bentley Peed was awarded the Zollinger Senior Award. This award goes to a very small amount of brothers nationwide who have contributed greatly to Sigma Phi Epsilon and their university.
Among other things, Bentley was recognized for his dedication to sound body, term as chaplain, positive contributions to nursing and healthcare at Wright State and the Dayton community, and his 2 terms as Ohio Pi chapter president. Peed appeared surprised when he was being described as a winner of the award. He explained the feeling saying “Receiving the Zollinger Senior award was very humbling and served as an amazing reminder of what SigEp has done for me and how I have developed in just four years. More importantly though, the award stands as a challenge to see what I can accomplish as a SigEp brother in a lifetime”.
The weekend concluded with Ohio Pi brothers being able to spend time together and reflecting on what they had learn at such an incredible weekend. After receiving their training at Carlson, these leaders feel more comfortable in their respective roles and are excited to continue to lead our chapter and Greek community!