Dave Willmer (Akron 1992)

Dave Willmer has been an active volunteer for the Fraternity for over 25 years. He has served twice as Section Leader in central Ohio for Ohio, Ohio State and Ohio Wesleyan chapters, and has also served his Alpha Omicron Chapter on the Board of Chapter Advisors and House Corporation. One of his main goals as Section Leader is to help re-establish the Sigma Chapter at Wittenberg University and help his chapters reach a GPA above the all-men’s average on their respective campus. Dave was presented with the Fraternity’s Haynes Award in 2024 as its most outstanding Section Leader.

Dave has also volunteered for the Fraternity in other ways, including as an at-large member of the Executive Director Selection Committee in 2018-2019, Chairman of the Expansion Committee at the 2024 Ekklesia, and as a member of the Nominations Committee at past Ekklesiai (2000 and 2002). Prior to his volunteer work, he served the Fraternity as a Field Secretary and as Director of Programs on the Headquarters staff.

Outside of his volunteer work for Phi Gamma Delta, Dave also volunteers his time in and around the New Albany, Ohio area. He is actively involved with the New Albany Special Olympics, New Albany Buddy Up, and the Church of Resurrection 2023-2028 Capital Campaign. Professionally, Dave works for Robert Half, a global consulting and staffing firm, a company he has been with for 26 years. He serves as the Senior District President of their National Technology Accounts.

When asked why he continues to volunteer for the Fraternity, Dave said, “Since the day I was initiated, the Fraternity has given me so much; my time and effort as a volunteer is my attempt to pay back this enormous debt I owe to Phi Gamma Delta.”

Dave and his wife, Kelly, live in New Albany, Ohio, and they have a daughter, Tori (22), and son, Brady (21). He also has a Phi Gam brother, Dan (Akron 1993), who resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Gamma Deuteron at Knox held a philanthropy event to supporting a member’s biological brother, Chad, who was recently diagnosed with Acute T Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia, a rare and aggressive form of cancer. Currently, the Chapter raised over $5,000 for Chad, and they will continue to raise money at givebutter.com/helpchad.

On November 29, the Zeta Chapter at Indiana University (IU) and Lambda Iota Chapter at Purdue University (PU) held their inaugural Run the Ball (RtB) fundraiser. RtB, a student-run initiative, was created to raise $50,000 for Wheeler Mission (WM) and $50,000 for Lafayette Urban Ministries (LUM) , as well as increase awareness for homelessness and poverty in the chapters’ local communities.

The event began with the charity run at 5:00 am, where brothers from each chapter ran the game football from Lafayette to Bloomington, Indiana in conjunction with the IU vs. PU Old Oaken Bucket Game. During the football game, Indiana and Purdue brothers present their final donations to WM and LUM, respectively, during a special presentation.

Nick Friscge (Indiana 2026), the event president said RtB is a call to action, bringing students, alumni and community members together to tackle homelessness and uplift our neighbors.  For more information about the fundraiser, please visit https://runtheball.net/.

Wheeler Mission

WM is a nonprofit dedicated to serving the homeless and those in need in the community. With a mission to provide shelter, food and resources, WM aims to empower individuals to rebuild their lives.

Lafayette Urban Ministries

LUM is a Christian organization dedicated to uplifting those affected by poverty through acts of compassion, justice and social empowerment. Recognizing poverty as a force that robs individuals not only of basic needs but of hope and self-respect, LUM works to restore dignity and opportunity to those in need.

The Lambda Omicron Chapter at California State University San Luis Obispo chartered on October 19, 2024 with 45 brothers.

This November, Krisjanis Ule (Quinnipiac 2020) will be running the New York City Marathon to benefit the Release Recovery Foundation (RRF).

One out of four people in the United States suffer from substance use disorder and/or mental illness, and 90% of those suffering are not able to access treatment due to financial barriers. RRF, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, is dedicated to ensuring all who are ready and willing to seek professional treatment are able. RRF provides scholarships that unlock access to treatment at NAATP-vetted facilities across the country for individuals demonstrating financial need. The average scholarship granted for a single person’s recovery journey is $7,500.

Krisjanis has set a fundraising goal of at least $15,000 to support RRF, meaning by running the marathon, he would be able to provide two people with the life-saving care they would not otherwise be able to afford.

Click here to learn more about Krisjanis’ marathon journey.

In August, the Archons appointed Dan Mossop (Akron 1989) as the Fraternity’s Director of Volunteer Advancement & Engagement. In this new Appointed Volunteer Leader position, Dan advises the Archons and staff on the implementation of volunteer recruitment, support and training initiatives. He provides updates on the status and needs of volunteer Section Leaders and chapter-level advisors, and he coordinates efforts to develop initiatives with the Section Leader Executive Committee. Prior to Dan’s appointment, he served the Fraternity as Section Leader, from 2020-24, and as a BCA member for the Alpha Omicron Chapter, from 2006-10. Professionally, he has served Momentive Technologies as Vice President & Chief Information Officer since May. Previously, he served as the Global Director of IT Vendor Management for the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. He is also the District Deputy Grand Master of the 22nd Masonic District of Ohio.

The following list of Annual Award Winners only includes 1st place/winners. Click here to view a full list of the 2023 award winners (2nd, 3rd, Standout Performance, Academic Achievement, etc.) and award descriptions.

Graduate Chapter Awards

Brightman Awards

• Over 75 Members: Houston Texas Graduate Chapter
• Under 75 Members: Southeast Florida Graduate Chapter (Miami, FL)

Not for College Days Alone Awards

• Community Outreach & Involvement: Seattle Washington Graduate Chapter
• Events & Programming: Southeast Florida Graduate Chapter
• Recruitment & Outreach: Alberta Graduate Chapter (Edmonton, AB)
• Undergraduate Support: National Capital Fijis Graduate Chapter (Washington, DC)

Individual Awards

Graduate Advisors/Volunteers

• Coulter Cup: Daniel Best (Colorado 1986), Colorado
• Crowder Cup: Don Shelton (Idaho 1976), Idaho
• Durrance Award: Chris Hupe (Kansas State 1994), Kansas State
• Haynes Award: Dave Willmer (Akron 1992)

Undergraduate

• Wilkinson Award: Jose Garcia (Akron 2023)

Undergraduate Chapter Awards

• Cheney Cup: Gamma Tau at Georgia Tech
• Baker Cup: Mu Iota at Idaho
• Brightman Trophy: Sigma Tau at Washington
• Condon Cup: Gamma Tau at Georgia Tech
• Coon Plaque: Mu Iota at Idaho
• Jordan Bowl: Mu Iota at Idaho
• Owen Cup: Beta Mu at Johns Hopkins
• Zerman Trophy: Chi Eta at Western Kentucky
• Additional Awards: Certificate of Academic Achievement, Certificate of Superior Academic Achievement and John Templeton McCarty Chapter Proficiency Award

2024-26 Archonate

During the 176th Ekklesia, in Chicago, Illinois, the following brothers were elected Archon for the 2024-26 biennium:

• Archon President: Tim Kilduff (Kent State 1968)
• Archon Vice President: Matt Amend (Iowa 1987)
• Archon Treasurer: Kevin Haga (Jacksonville 1992)
• Archon Secretary: Robert Siedell (Mississippi State 1974)
• Archon Councilor: Nolan Balocco (Arizona State 2026), Michael Bass (Louisiana State 1982), Aaron Greve (Rose-Hulman 2025), James Neilson (Akron 1991) and Jon Yates (Texas A&M 1991)

To learn more about the Archons, read their bios here.

^ Pictured (L-R): Nolan Balocco, Aaron Greve , Matt Amend, Tim Kilduff, Michael Bass, Kevin Haga, Jon Yates, Robert Siedell and James Neilson.

This academic year, Delta Chi at California Davis continued their Adopt A Block community service tradition, where brothers meet on 3rd Street to clean and pick up trash every Saturday.

The Mu Sigma Chapter partnered with The Graduate Minneapolis and Boynton Health to fight food insecurity at the University of Minnesota (UM) by supporting Boynton Health’s Nutritious U Food Pantry. One in five UM students face food insecurity, which is why the Nutritious U initiative was dedicated to provide meal vouchers to students in need, who engage with their on-campus food pantry services.

For more information on the Nutrition U campaign and mission, click here.

This semester, Epsilon Alpha held a curling competition on the University of Alberta’s curling rink for their Work & Play Menu Experience, part of the Fraternity’s Built to Lead programming. The curling activity taught brothers that everyone has strengths and weaknesses, so by working together as a team, they can create the best opportunity for overall success. Clinton Nash (2023) and Zack Jansen (2023) led the activity and taught the brothers how to play, because some brothers had never curled before.

Jason Isbell (Memphis 2001), of Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, won two Grammy Awards for Best Americana Album, Weathervanes, and Best American Roots Song, Cast Iron Skillet.