A Message from Delta Lambda Phi's 13th Trustee

Dear Brothers, 

One week ago today I was installed as your 13th Trustee of the Board of Directors.  When I joined DLP, I never imagined my journey would lead me to serve on the Board of Directors, let alone become our Trustee. Yet, calls to serve are never what you expect them to be, nor where you expect them to come from. Still, once called, something stirs within us, and we rise to meet it. I can only hope that in answering it, I serve you and our Brotherhood well. 

I want to start my letter to you all by thanking several Brothers who have served DLP these last few years. To our outgoing Board Member Zendrix Bernt, Immediate Past Trustee Ben Schroff as well as former Board Members Linds Whittaker and Joe (Cam) Ventola: having served alongside each of you as Treasurer and Vice Chair of the Board, I know personally the dedication and hard work you did for this Fraternity. I only hope that in taking a step back you come to see what I see as your many accomplishments and deep love for this organization. Please take a well earned rest as you exit from the Board and know our Brotherhood owes you our deep and sincerest gratitude.

To our Immediate Past Trustee Brosnan Rhodes: while you served as Trustee for only a year term, you did so with grace, empathy, and compassion for our Brothers. It is rare to find a Brother who is both a fierce advocate while also a deeply compassionate one. As your new Trustee, I will be looking to you for guidance over the next three years in leading our Brothers. I feel blessed to not only have your counsel, but also your devoted friendship.

To our outgoing Executive Director Michael Long: all I can say is “wow.” In your short tenure as Executive Director, you took on a daunting and impossible task. Under your leadership, we were able to not only keep our Fraternity alive, but are now in a place where we can grow once more. As the recipient of this year’s Founder’s Award, I can think of no higher honor that what you have already been given. I hope you also take a much needed rest as you leave the Fraternity Office to pursue your next educational venture. Personally, I look forward to watching your next chapter in life as your Brother and Friend.

Finally, to Danny Dwaine, the Chicagoland Alumni Association, and all the Board Members and Office folks who made this year’s Convention possible. You threw one of the most intimate, fun, and intentional Conventions I have been to in a long time. This year’s Convention was so impactful for all who attended because it made Brotherhood the central purpose. From perhaps the shortest Business Meeting in DLP Convention history to the amazing social and recreational activities you planned, it was the perfect start to this next chapter for Delta Lambda Phi.

Which leads me to this: what is that chapter for us? Where does Delta Lambda Phi go from here? 

When I ran for Trustee, I was asked what I think the three biggest priorities should be in my term: (1) increasing our Active Members, both in our current Chapters as well as re-chartering Chapters that have closed; (2) turning from stabilizing our finances toward long-term financial growth and stability; and (3) bringing our disengaged and lost Alumnx brothers back home. These are lofty goals, but I believe that our Brotherhood is up to the challenge. And we are already getting started. 

Our new Executive Director, Br. Danny Dwaine Wells-Ehrisman, and I have already begun working on the planning of next year’s “No Place Like Home” Convention in Washington D.C., honoring the 40th Anniversary of our Founding. If you have taken a step back from DLP, next year’s Convention is your invitation to come home and join us once more. Not to donate your money or service (though we will gladly take it), but to bring you back into the deep and loving bonds of friendship which embody the true purpose of our Fraternity. We will be sharing a lot more information very soon, but needless to say, we are very excited for all we have planned already!

We also elected several amazing Board Members who are excited and ready to serve our Brotherhood. Please help me in welcoming to the Board of Directors Jody Koenig (Alumnx At-Large), Michael DeMoss (Alumnx At-Large), Cristian Maldonado (Alumnx At-Large), Ash Franco-Carrero (Active At-Large), and Owen Schwartz (Active At-Large) to the Board of Directors. While we are still coordinating this year’s Board schedule and finalizing our Strategic Plan, the excitement and enthusiasm of these folks gives me tremendous hope for all the work we are about to accomplish in making our Brotherhood strong once more. 

I would be remiss if I did not address the current political context which has and will have a direct impact on our Fraternity. As we are all too aware, the Trump Administration has made it clear it is targeting LGBTQIA+ organizations and those who support them. The case out of the University of Wyoming is the first of many examples of what we anticipate to face as an organization which initiates trans and nonbinary Brothers. What is even more disheartening is that the North America Interfraternity Conference (NIC), of which we are a member organization, has made it clear that any litigation or efforts we engage in to combat these attacks will be done without their support. 

In spite of that, I want to be abundantly clear. As long as I am your Trustee, Delta Lambda Phi will NEVER cede to any demand by any of our affiliate institutions or this Administration to cease, pause, or otherwise stop initiating trans and nonbinary Brothers. In one of my first acts as Trustee, I am curating an Ad Hoc Committee to develop contingency plans for our Chapters who may be facing serious pressure or threats from their affiliated institutions to end this practice or risk closure. Active Chapters will not face these threats alone, but with the full backing of the Fraternity Office and the Board of Directors. As our Life Members will tell you, this is not the first time DLP has been targeted for being a progressive fraternity for all men. We know what is coming and we will not be unprepared for what lies ahead.

I look forward to the work that lies ahead and serving you these next three years. I look forward to protecting and fighting for our Brotherhood. I am honored to be entrusted as your 13th Trustee of the Board of Directors. Thank you and I look forward to all that lies ahead for you, for me, and for our Fraternity. 

In the bond of Brotherhood, 

Jeff Devereaux, J.D. (he/him)

Beta Omicron Chapter – Bowling Green State University

13th Trustee of the Board of Directors

Delta Lambda Phi Social Fraternity, Inc.