R. Ethan Braden, Willamette ’02

General Session and Leadership College

Ethan is the Vice President and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Texas A&M University, where he leads efforts to elevate the university’s brand and reputation. Reporting to President Mark Welsh (a retired four-star general and former member of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff), he has spearheaded a bold, values-driven branding strategy that has dramatically increased visibility—most notably, a 21,000% rise in YouTube views—and positioned Texas A&M as the #2 most recognized public university in the U.S. Previously, Ethan served as EVP and CMO at Purdue University and Purdue Global, where his leadership earned multiple “Brands That Matter” honors and helped Purdue top Fast Company’s list of Most Innovative Companies in education. His marketing work has been recognized by outlets like Ad Age and NPR, and he was named “Marketer of the Year” in higher education by the American Marketing Association. Before higher education, Ethan spent nearly a decade leading global marketing efforts at Eli Lilly. He holds a BA from Willamette University and an MBA from the University of Notre Dame. Ethan is a proud member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity, where he worked on the Administrative Office staff after graduation and has served in a variety of volunteer roles over the last 20+ years, including a six-year stint on the Foundation Board of Directors. He lives in College Station, Texas, with his wife and three children.

Dr. Mike McRee

Chapter President’s Leadership Academy

Mike is the Principal of The Whitespace Group, where he helps clients focus on what matters most through consulting, coaching, and facilitation. He has over 30 years of experience in organizational development, training, and executive leadership, including roles as faculty at the Federal Executive Institute and leadership instructor for the Air Force and Department of Defense. Previously, he served as COO of the North American Interfraternity Conference, an adjunct professor at the University of Indianapolis, and VP at LeaderShape where partnered with Fortune 500 companies and higher education institutions to teach leadership and ethics. Mike has keynoted or facilitated at over 250 events, co-founded a nationally delivered Facilitation School, and received numerous national awards for his contributions to leadership and the fraternal industry. He holds degrees from Kansas State University and the University of Illinois, including a Ph.D. in Human Resource Education. Mike lives in Huntersville, NC with his wife Kirstin and daughter Zoe.

Nicki Joiner

Leadership College

Nicki is an engaging and impactful speaker who equips students with the tools to confidently navigate their career paths. With a background in corporate recruiting and a Master’s degree in Student Affairs, she brings a unique blend of industry insight and higher education expertise to every talk. As a featured speaker for Leadership College, Nicki’s sessions cover résumé building, job search strategy, networking, and LinkedIn optimization, offering students practical skills they can apply immediately.

Dr. Eric Buller, Miami ’19

“My journey with Beta started here at Miami, so it’s apropos to be receiving it this year,” Brother Buller said, upon receiving the award at the 185th General Convention.

Eric has been a steadfast advisor at the Alpha Chapter for over a decade. His tenure started as a faculty advisor before transitioning to chapter counselor in 2016. A graduate of West Point, he first advised the chapter as a Friend of Beta. In 2019, the chapter welcomed him as a brother, initiating him into the chapter and penning him as No. 2886 on the official roll.

“What I had learned is that, when fraternity is done right, it’s incredibly powerful, and the research I had done at the time was that Beta does it right.”

His nominators said, “Eric’s extensive leadership development background and experience was instrumental in the successful return of our Alpha Chapter to Miami’s campus as once again one of the top fraternities on Miami’s campus.”

Brother Buller has shown what it means to earn his badge every day. Following his time as director of leadership and education at Beta’s Administrative Office, Eric continued to provide guidance to collegiate brothers across the domain by volunteering to facilitate at Keystone Leadership Conference and, most recently, at the John and Nellie Wooden Institute for Men of Principle.

“Award ceremonies aren’t really about the individual,” Brother Buller went on to say in his remarks. “We appreciate the work that they do, but award ceremonies are more about the organization because the organization has to stand up and recognize its own excellence within itself.”

The NIC to only named seven advisors among over 6,000 fraternity chapters across North America to receive the Advisor of Distinction Award in 2024.

Beta Omicron Chapter at The University of Texas at Austin

The Chapter of Distinction Award recognizes exceptional fraternity collegiate chapters demonstrating excellence in operations, involvement in their campus community and a commitment to a positive fraternity experience. The Texas chapter is one of only seven internationally to receive this award — among the 6,000 recognized by the NIC — and the 10th chapter of Beta Theta Pi to be recognized with an award of Distinction since 2004.

The Beta Omicron Chapter is well-recognized as a community builder. Within the city of Austin, the chapter has a tutoring partnership with Garza Independence High School. In terms of community health advocacy, it collaborated with NMDP (formerly Be The Match), Movember and “Texas 4000” in the fight against cancer. The 119 brothers in the chapter are quite active across campus activities, as well, including IFC, student government and more.

The brothers are highly engaged with the General Fraternity, some 40 have attended Beta’s leadership programs over the last three years including 11 graduates of the 2024 Wooden Institute. The chapter’s commitment to leadership culminated in two brothers named collegiate commissioners over the last two years: Max Gauger ’23, and Chris Cardenas ’24. Not to mention, the chapter received two consecutive Knox and Sisson Awards — and anticipate a third at the 185th General Convention.

TJ Sullivan is one of the best-known college leadership speakers in North America, having spoken to more than three million college students. His book, Motivating the Middle: Fighting Apathy in College Student Organizations, is used by more than 100 college and university leadership courses. As the featured speaker for Leadership College and Chapter Presidents Leadership Academy, TJ will focus on helping officers better engage their members, create an enjoyable chapter culture, and avoid burnout.

Dr. Emily Feuer serves on the consulting team for RISE Partnerships, LLC. Her passion for hazing prevention led her to research the way students and administrators frame hazing behaviors. As a facilitator for the Vice President of Education track, Emily will focus on creating safe new member programs that exhibit good design and properly engage members.

Dr. Gentry McCreary is the CEO and managing partner of Dyad Strategies. His award-winning research examines the psychology of hazing, the moral development of college students and the roots of brotherhood. As a facilitator for the Vice President of Education track, Gentry will focus on the application of the Beta Brotherhood Assessment results to create sense of belonging and inclusion for new members.

An outgoing trustee on the Fraternity’s Board, Justin will help provide a proper send off from the 184th General Convention as emcee for the Celebration Banquet. In addition to his service as a trustee, he is also an active advisor for brothers at the University of San Diego.

John has been a longtime volunteer for the Fraternity with almost 30 years of service since he graduated from Emory. His tenure includes a variety of volunteer positions, from district chief to General Fraternity House Corporation president. He currently serves the Fraternity in his role as General Secretary. He will be providing a “State of the Fraternity” address to those attending.

Brother Jonathan Brant then enjoyed his first opportunity to serve on Beta Theta Pi at the Administrative Office in Oxford, initially as administrative assistant and then serving as Administrative Secretary (now the chief executive officer) from 1977-1982. He later transitioned to the North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC) in Indianapolis, Indiana as their Executive Vice President. Jonathan returned to Oxford as Chief Fundraising Officer of the Beta Theta Pi Foundation, retiring in 2021. During his second stint on staff, Beta Theta Pi benefitted from more than $60 million in total gifts for the Beta Leadership Fund. Brant remains active in alumni activities in Central Indiana and serves as delegate at General Conventions for the Indianapolis Beta Alumni Association.

After serving in countless officer roles for his chapter, Scott Fussell joined the Administrative Office staff after graduation, serving as a chapter management consultant, now known as chapter development consultants. While on staff, he elevated our recruitment strategies and tactics while also leading the original draft of the Knox Award criteria. He also coordinated the Convention Model Initiation in 1995 and 1996, a ceremony he would continue to coordinate as a volunteer for roughly a decade. After his time on staff, Scott served as Assistant District Chief of District 18 (Tennessee). After moving to Indianapolis, he became a District Chief and was later appointed Regional Director. His contributions to the Fraternity earned him the Regional Director of the Year Award for 2002–2003. Professionally, Scott serves as the Director of Education for CSL Management, a facilities management firm focused on fraternity and sorority housing. He is also the co-founder of The Shift Initiative, a mental health and wellness nonprofit organization.

During his term on the Board of Trustees, Nick Sexton has served on the Performance Monitoring & Finance Committee and Stakeholder Engagement Committee. He also serves as the Chair of the Education Subcommittee for the Fraternity’s Commission on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Prior to his Board service, Nick volunteered in numerous roles for the General Fraternity including District Chief, Risk Management Advisor, Foundation Ambassador, and Lead Facilitator for programs such as Keystone Conferences and the Wooden Institute.

Joel Stern seeks his second term on the Board of Trustees. He previously joined the Administrative Office staff in Oxford upon graduation, first as a chapter management consultant (now known as a chapter development consultant) and then as director of expansion. He had the honor of consulting with new chapters and helped start the Truman State and Southern Illinois chapters, and the reestablish the Clemson and Washington in St. Louis chapters.