At the 67th Biennial Convention in Denver, John Jenkins, Virginia ’84, was elected National President of Delta Sigma Phi. In his acceptance speech, Jenkins shared stories from his decades of brotherhood, honored the leaders and mentors who shaped his journey, and underscored the importance of relationships in building strong men and a stronger fraternity. With a clear call to action, he urged brothers to embrace the hard work ahead and commit to making the “Next Era” of Delta Sig its greatest yet.

Thank you to Tom Archer for his service. I’ve known Tom since grade school, and when he arrived at the University of Virginia as a freshman, I brought him over to the Delta Sig house just hours after he was dropped off. That started a lifelong friendship and brotherhood that has meant the world to me.

I also want to thank and recognize Jim Larson, whose term as Past President has come to a close. Jim’s decades of impact on the organization—and in particular, the generosity of Jim and his Epsilon Rho chapter brothers—have addressed the scourge of alcohol abuse. Jim and Greta’s investment in scholarships for our active duty, reserve, and veteran members, as well as his recent endowment of the growth initiatives to launch the Next Era Strategy, have left a lasting legacy.

I also want to express our collective deep gratitude for two giants of Delta Sigma Phi: Loren Mall and E. Allen James. For over five decades—essentially my lifetime—Loren has been not only the keeper and teller of our history but also the conscience of our great fraternity. It is fitting that, at his last convention, we’ve merged our ritual in a manner that is true to our values of culture, harmony, and friendship, and promotes the respect and well-being of the brotherhood.

And Allen James—for whom the Outstanding Undergraduate Member Award is named—has similarly served our great fraternity for over five decades, both as Executive Director and in many other roles as an alumni leader.

Thank you to the fellow board members, including those who serve on the Foundation, Grand Council, Title, and Housing. Thanks to each of you—those giving of your time, talent, and treasure to support our brotherhood. In particular, Michelle Edmonds and Bobbi Lutton for their time, and Chris Edmonds for his treasure, to take a creative approach in building self-confidence and professionalism for our young brothers.

Take a look around the room at these studly undergraduates sporting tuxedos—a truly impressive sight.

Thank you to the Fraternity staff and hotel for your leadership this weekend and for creating a wonderful weekend of events, in particular, Andrew Thomas and Diane Larson, for the planning and execution of Delta Sigma Phi’s best convention ever!

Thank you to my wife Karen, who didn’t realize she was joining a fraternity for a lifetime back at UVA in 1984.

You all are why I am so passionate about fraternity.

Something we in the room have subconsciously known for some time—and Richard Reeves highlighted earlier in this convention—is that relationships matter. More so now than ever before in a society that is becoming more fragmented and digitally directed than at any other point in history. Fraternity is all about the people who help you find your path in life, who are there for you in the good times and the bad. You can’t take those relationships for granted. They are real, genuine, and life-altering—if you put in the time and effort to commit to them.

I learned this firsthand in 1983 when I joined the Alpha Mu chapter at the University of Virginia. I joined for this very reason—relationships and community.

Back in the early ’80s, I went to a small boys’ school in Alexandria, VA—St. Stephen’s. Of our graduating class of 50 or so, over a quarter went to the University of Virginia. Friends from high school who wanted to maintain those relationships. And so, over a period of ten years, a pipeline of young men joined the upperclassmen at 517 Rugby Road—over a dozen, as I recall—to grow those relationships and expand our community.

The fraternity is where my passion for service began. This passion propelled me to law school and over a decade in the U.S. Navy, both as a line officer and Judge Advocate. Later, I became a practicing attorney and, for the last 13 years, have served as General Counsel of TE Connectivity, a global industrial technology company with over 80,000 employees and 130 factories around the world.

In the military, you develop and depend on 18 to 22-year-old men and women to execute the most important service of all—protecting this great country of ours. This validated my belief in brotherhood and the importance of what we do—impacting 18–22-year-old men to build a foundation, or—to steal a line from Phil and our Next Era Strategy—a launch pad, if you will, for men pursuing educational, professional, and civic greatness.

What Phil, his leadership team, and the collective boards of the Fraternity, Foundation, Housing, and Title teams have laid out over the last two days is remarkable.

During those formative years, putting in my time, effort, and work paid off in ways I never could have imagined. I am married to the love of my life, with two amazing children and two grandkids who keep me on my toes. I’ve had the opportunity to serve my country, to see the world, and to serve others through my work.

I have conviction that hard work and sticking to a set of beliefs will produce results. I’ve shared some stories with Phil before about the early years of my career, and I told him, “I may not be the smartest guy in the room, but I am the biggest grind.” Hard work yields success. And we are going to see success in the Next Era Strategy because we commit to doing the hard work together.

Persistence is the framework for success. I’m a Navy guy, and there is a saying in the Navy that “the only easy day was yesterday.” It is shorthand that emphasizes the constant need for improvement and the relentless pursuit of overcoming challenges.

We live in a world that seeks simple and quick fixes and easy outcomes. But that’s not what fraternity, brotherhood, and personal growth are all about.

A strategy and a vision can’t come to life without putting in the work. Building relationships, building stronger men, chapters, and a national fraternity can’t occur without putting in the time to invest in and trust one another.

Creating an organization that wants to eradicate hazing and empower young men to be stronger leaders requires investment in relationships, education, career, and service. The next generation of men needs what we offer.

Because of that need, you have my unwavering commitment to serve, my commitment to put in the work, and my commitment to supporting the Fraternity's mission.

Because the work we do matters. The relationships and bonds that this fraternity has given me matter.

I hope each of you walks out of here prouder than ever before to be a Delta Sig, and I hope you all are willing to put in the work. Because the next era of Delta Sig has the potential to be its greatest yet. So let’s get to work.

I am honored to gavel the 67th Biennial Convention in Denver, Colorado, and I look forward to seeing you all in Miami!