The Riley Society
Chapter & Alumni News
New alumni club aims to keep alumni connected.
The Riley Society was founded by recent graduates Joe Gammie (Georgia Tech), Tyler Elvin (West Virginia), and Tom Bymark (Minnesota). They conceived the idea after serving on the High Council as Collegiate Grand Councilmen. As they reflected on the relationships that were fostered while serving the Fraternity, the cohort wanted to create a channel for highly-engaged leaders like themselves to network with each other, remain connected to the Fraternity at the national level and provide support to the Fraternity. This idea, paired with a healthy dose of ambition, led them to establish the framework for the Riley Society for presentation to the High Council.
Upon the chartering of the Riley Society in September of 2014, Joe Gammie assumed the chairmanship, and Tyler Elvin and Tom Bymark took over as vice chairmen. The three brothers constructed the Riley Society to meet the needs of alumni across the nation and established three main objectives:
- To establish a permanent medium of connection between alumni committed to service, development, and leadership in the Fraternity
- To sustain and strengthen Society members’ connection with and commitment to the Fraternity and its founding principles
- To support the achievement of the Fraternity and Foundation’s strategic goals and imperatives
The application for membership can be found on sigmanu.org and will open this spring to interested graduates. Once the application has been completed, it is reviewed by General Fraternity staff and Riley Society leadership to confirm satisfaction of the membership requirements. Upon acceptance of the application, each brother will receive an orientation into the Riley Society.
An alumnus might ask, “Why should I get involved with The Riley Society?” There are numerous opportunities presented through Riley Society membership: networking, new business development, transferring of ideas, the opportunity to stay connected with the Fraternity as well as the chance to create lifelong bonds with brothers from across the country. “Think of it as a chapter without physical borders,” says Tyler Elvin. “The chance to interact with highly-engaged brothers of Sigma Nu in multiple industries is invaluable. As a group, we believe The Riley Society could set a precedent for other organizations to follow; it will strengthen engagement of alumni with each other and the national organization.”
Networking is an essential tool and is often times overlooked as a valuable asset. Within the Riley Society, members will have the opportunity to not only network with each other, but also leverage the proven leadership and success of our alumni base through access to the Society’s quarterly mentor programming. By introducing members of the Society to proven Sigma Nu alumni, new doors could be opened. “While serving on the High Council, we were lucky to learn from some of the top performers across all of Sigma Nu. It’s our hope that we can bring that opportunity to other Sigma Nu brothers in order to help unleash their potential,” said Gammie.
Tyler recently moved to a new area of the country and thought having a network of like-minded individuals would help to ease the transition of the move. “It’s always nice to know a few people in the area,” says Elvin, “If there are brothers in the area who are accessible through the Riley Society, you can quickly immerse yourself into the culture and gain some helpful tips in navigating your new home. It’s something so small yet can prove to be a difference maker in the grand scheme of things, especially if that one brother knows someone that can provide some benefit to your own career.”
The Society’s social media presence will serve as a catalyst to these processes. Tom discussed some of the logistics in terms of social media: “We plan on having a variety of ways members can connect. This includes all the typical social media platforms.
As The Riley Society serves alumni, it will also serve as a way for alumni to continue improving the strength of Sigma Nu’s collegiate chapters. “We hope that by connecting a diverse group of people within the Riley Society that the membership will communicate their best practices and experiences between their chapters and the national fraternity and continue to improve our leadership in the Greek community,” says Gammie. In an ever-changing culture like Greek life, the Riley Society will serve as a constant support network and conduit for positive growth.