What better way to kick off the New Year than with brothers from all over the country?
From January 9-12, Phi Kappa Tau hosted Zenith Officer Institute at the Hilton Rosemont O’Hare in Chicago, Illinois. Now in its third year, this annual leadership summit brought together over 200 participants, including chapter Presidents, Treasurers, Membership Orientation Officers, and Recruitment Chairmen, for a weekend of leadership development, collaboration, and inspiration.
Participants played a very active role in the program.
For the first time, officer tracks were divided into smaller cohorts, creating intimate breakout sessions that allowed for tailored guidance and meaningful discussions. Attendees explored actionable strategies and gained tools to strengthen their chapters.
The Phi Kappa Tau Foundation played a critical role in making this program a success. The Foundation provided necessary funding to the program and aided the travel of many undergraduate participants. Their dedication ensured that the financial burden of attending was minimized, allowing more brothers to participate in this life-changing experience. Phi Kappa Tau extends its sincere gratitude to the Foundation for their unwavering support. Through the sale of “Badges of Honor and Credit”, small stickers participants can add to their name-tags to show alumni support, the Foundation instilled a meaningful spirit of philanthropy into the entire event.
Flores delivering his Keynote Address.
Guillermo Flores, Southern Illinois ’08, founder of the successful Fraternity marketing platform Fraternity Social Media, delivered the keynote address. His powerful insights encouraged brothers to embrace innovative storytelling techniques to better market their fraternity experience and amplify the impact of Phi Kappa Tau in their communities.
Michael Wheeler, Kentucky ’22, inspired attendees to continue their commitment to service, celebrating a remarkable 1000% increase in SeriousFun camp volunteerism last year. Wheeler emphasized the profound impact of serving children with serious illnesses, motivating brothers to take the next step in leadership through service.
Councilors were able to make strong connections with undergraduate participants.
With National President Mike McCrum, Texas State ’75, and CEO Matt Arnold, Southern Illinois ’24 ,delivering the opening and closing of the event – the men were primed to learn, and left feeling energized for the semester. As Gamma Mu at Bradley University shared on Instagram, “We look forward to having our officers share all the information and knowledge gained through this conference.” Similarly, Alpha Omega at Baldwin Wallace reflected, “It was inspiring to connect with brothers from other chapters.”
Phi Kappa Tau also extends a heartfelt thank-you to all the volunteers—both within and outside the organization—whose dedication and support made the weekend a success.
The Zenith Officer Institute 2025 exemplified the essence of Phi Kappa Tau: developing men of character into Men of Distinction.