By Emilee Danielson Burke, Director of Programs

The Fall 2023 regional conferences have officially concluded and were a huge success! Over 350 brothers came together across five events to hear keynote speakers, learn in breakout sessions, and spend time with brothers from their regions and beyond. Each regional event was planned by the host chapter with support from Regional Directors, Central Office staff, and members of the Executive Council.

Regional conferences strive to provide a location for brothers to connect and learn in person. Host chapters are responsible for acquiring space for the conference, selecting meals, and planning educational programs. They also design the coveted regional swag (generally a t-shirt) available for purchase with an event ticket. Through events and speakers may differ region to region, each event includes an update from a national officer, keynote speaker, educational breakout sessions, and time for interacting with brothers from across the region over meals and activities. Thank you as well to all the attendees, board members, exhibitors, vendors, and speakers who came out to participate!

A strong planning committee is essential for a successful regional conference. Celeste Redalgo, Lambda Epsilon Chapter Regent, led the planning effort for the southwest regional conference said, “hosting the Southwest Regional Conference was a great learning opportunity for planning an event that fostered the engineering community and cultivated friendships within the brotherhood.”

She added, “I mainly enjoyed getting to know brothers from other chapters and seeing their custom matching gear.”

Sarah Mente (Pi Gamma,) Great Lakes Regional Director, shared “The planning for the Great Lakes regional conference was primarily done by our awesome active members at Delta Chapter. After all the talks about food, scheduling, and budget, the best part was meeting brothers from all around the region. There is something incredibly satisfying about walking into a room of strangers and leaving with 40 new brothers. As an RD the event laid a great foundation for the relationships I needed to build to feel like a successful leader. As a brother it was just a joy to spend time towards a common goal of education and fellowship with the best of people.

Grand Scribe Dan McConnell (Upsilon Gamma) attended the Southwest Regional Conference hosted by Lambda Upsilon (University of San Diego), “The Southwest Regional Conference had a strong turnout of around 100 student members from across the region. As someone that has only experienced regional conferences in the southeast region of the country, it was a change of pace to experience a more laid-back atmosphere that was still all business.”

THANK YOU host chapters!

  • Great Lakes – Delta (Case Western Reserve)
  • Northwest – Upsilon Epsilon (Case Western Reserve University)
  • Northeast Mid Atlantic (New York University)
  • Southwest – Lambda Epsilon (University of San Diego)
  • Atlantic – Theta Delta (Johns Hopkins University)

As we transition to a new year, planning is already underway for regional conferences taking place this spring. Brothers are encouraged to attend for the opportunity to make personal connections, participate in learning opportunities, and have a great time. All ten regions are represented over eight different events; dates and locations are listed below. Interested members should look for information in mid-January 2024 from the host chapter, their chapter regents, and regional directors.

Spring 2024 Regional Conferences:

  • Atlantic: April 6th – Gamma Beta, George Washington University
  • Central: March 2nd – Psi Beta, University of Texas, Austin
  • Great Lakes: February 25th – Omicron Beta, University of Michigan-Dearborn
  • Gulf: April 13th – Psi Epsilon, Florida Institute of Technology
  • Midwest: February 17th – Omicron, University of Iowa
  • Northeast/Mid-Atlantic (NEMA): February 25th – Rho Epsilon & Pi Epsilon, Drexel University
  • Southeast: February 10th – Iota Epsilon, University of Georgia
  • Western (Southwest/Northwest): February 25th – Sigma Delta, UC, Riverside