What do a senior analyst, registered nurse, global lead solutions engineer, former CEO/executive director, senior account manager, firm administrator and business development manager have in common? Besides all being brothers, they all served Delta Sigma Pi as an educational and leadership consultant (ELC).
Historically, ELCs spent the majority of their time visiting and offering guidance and training to our collegiate chapters. While the visiting has become mostly virtual this year, the sharing of information and advice remains central to the role. Other duties include corresponding to collegiate and alumni members, regalia inventory/repair, conducting
reviews of the Pledge Education Program/chapter bylaws/policies, giving office tours, helping manage conferences, maintaining and updating informational resources and handouts and assisting other Central Office staff members.
Michael Banks (2002-2003 – ELC) (2003-2010 – Director of Information Services)
Michael Banks, Georgia Southern, lives in Fayetteville, Ga. with wife Zakia and daughter ZaTéa. He currently serves on Delta Sigma Pi’s Privacy Policy task group. Banks’s favorite memory from his time on staff took place during Grand Chapter Congress in Washington, D.C. “That was a very challenging Congress because I’d recently ruptured my Achilles’ tendon and was in a hard cast with crutches. During the leadership outing to Mt. Vernon, there was a decent walk up to the home of George Washington. I’d been trying to talk different brothers into pushing my wheelchair and PGP Norm Kromberg took on the task! Brotherhood at its finest!” His favorite part of the job was meeting brothers.
After his time ended as an ELC in 2003, Brother Banks continued his work at the Central Office as the Director of Information Services. “I spent nearly seven years as the Director of Information Services,” says Michael. “During that time, I oversaw a complete overhaul of the website, supported the build of the first server room, lead the launch of many of Deltasig’s first entries into social media with the establishment of the official YouTube page, Facebook page, and LinkedIn group. I also spearheaded the launch of the first social media network (Deltasig inCircle) as well as supported the transition and development from CEI to CMP (see “Chapter Efficiency” article in this issue for more on that). I was also responsible for transitioning the staff from the primary use of computer towers to more mobile laptop usage.”
Michael currently works as a global lead solutions engineer with mGage, where a large portion of his day is spent being a subject matter expert and assisting enterprise clients with their mobile messaging needs. His favorite part of the job is “the opportunity to be creative and be able to take a pain point of a client and present a mobile solution.” His years as a consultant have proved quite valuable in his current role. “I lead a lot of product demonstrations and do a good bit of public speaking. Being a consultant was perfect practice. Time management was another valuable skill I gained. As a consultant, you host meetings throughout the day. Proper planning to navigate those, or even navigate having meetings in different cities (chapters), forced me to be more organized and be able to properly prioritize tasks,” says Banks.
Delta Sigma Pi is always looking for qualified alumni to serve as ELCs! If you’re looking for a fun way to give back to the Fraternity, travel the United States, and gain great professional experience, this program is for you! For more details, or to apply, contact Associate Director of Chapter Services Tyler Havens (
havens@dsp.org or 513-523-1907 x221).
By: Stacy Heyderhoff,
Cincinnati Alumni