International President
Norman M. Waas, Esq.
Alpha Omega (University of Miami)’82

What has been your most meaningful volunteer experience?

As Chapter Advisor to Alpha Omega at the University of Miami, I have witnessed a chapter grow from 30 brothers (with a chapter house half full) to a chapter of 80 brothers (with a full and updated) chapter house.  I have seen alumni reengage and now we are ready to celebrate our 70th continuous year as a chapter!

What do you hope to contribute as a director on the Supreme Council?

I want to help our brothers realize that ZBT goes beyond chapter borders.  We are all in this together.  I hope to encourage our brothers to get together for more than just Dover Days or at International Convention. Let’s show the Greek world what it means to be in a Brotherhood for a Lifetime.

What advice do you have to give to other ZBTs as it relates to maximizing their fraternity experience?

Engage. Get involved. Break down barriers between undergraduates and alumni and realize that our brotherhood commitment is for a lifetime. Get together with other chapters and truly appreciate all that ZBT has to offer.

What does Brotherhood for a Lifetime mean to you?

It means that I am now celebrating the 37th year of membership in the greatest fraternity!

International Vice President
Jonathan D. Frieden, Esq.
Phi Epsilon (University of Virginia) ’94

What has been your most meaningful volunteer experience?

My most meaningful recent volunteer experience was having the opportunity to co-facilitate the Fraternity’s commission on sexual assault prevention, as I believe that sexual assault and substance abuse are the two biggest threats to the existence of fraternities.

What do you hope to contribute as a director on the Supreme Council?

I hope to continue my work to ensure that our Fraternity is renowned for its diversity, inclusion, revolutionary stance on pledging and hazing and its commitment to ending the scourge of sexual assault and substance abuse.

What advice do you have to give to other ZBTs as it relates to maximizing their fraternity experience?

I would advise brothers to actively maintain the relationships they develop during their undergraduate years. Even more than two decades later, many of my closest friendships are with brothers I met in college.

What does Brotherhood for a Lifetime mean to you?

Brotherhood for a Lifetime means maintaining a connection with the Fraternity long after graduation, by supporting one’s undergraduate chapter, volunteering for the Fraternity, donating to the Zeta Beta Tau Foundation and maintaining and nurturing the relationships fostered as an undergraduate.

International Vice President
Bernard (Buddy) E. Weissman, Ph.D.
Xi (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) ’75

What has been your most meaningful volunteer experience?

Serving as Chapter Advisor for the Alpha Pi Chapter when it received its charter last year. I was very proud of the brothers for reaching this goal and humbled by the opportunity to play a small role in the process.

What do you hope to contribute as a director on the Supreme Council?

I want to keep the lines of communication open among the Supreme Councilors, the undergraduate brothers, alumni, parents and the ZBT International Headquarters staff. I also want ZBT to continue to set the standard for other fraternities through development of novel and rewarding programing.

What advice do you have to give to other ZBTs as it relates to maximizing their fraternity experience?

Stay involved with your chapter or colony. Take new roles within the brotherhood each semester. Be creative — attempt a brotherhood, philanthropy or social event that no one has tried. Leave a better and stronger chapter or colony when graduate.

What does Brotherhood for a Lifetime mean to you?

It means continuing to deepen the ties with the brothers I know, develop relationships with other alumni who I have not met and continue to improve the ZBT experience for the current undergraduate brothers.  Ultimately, it means honoring the vows we took at our initiation rituals for the rest of our lives.

International Treasurer
Craig J. Wild, CPA
Gamma Phi (Hofstra University) ’79

What has been your most meaningful volunteer experience?

I really enjoyed my time working with the Zeta Beta Tau Foundation Board of Directors. That service has allowed me to move forward and help in other ways. It was great to get to know brothers from all around the country and of all different ages.

What do you hope to contribute as a director on the Supreme Council?

I hope to bring my business skills to the table. As a CPA I have worked on many different businesses and non-profits and we always come across issues that challenge the entity. I hope to be able to serve and make recommendations.

What advice do you have to give to other ZBTs as it relates to maximizing their fraternity experience?

Take the time to get to know alumni that you meet and stay in contact with the brothers in your chapter. All along your life’s journey, ZBT will be there to help you and stand by your side

What does Brotherhood for a Lifetime mean to you?

Brothers that I can count on in the time of need.

International Secretary
Lee A. Schnitzer
Beta Delta (Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey) ’92

What has been your most meaningful volunteer experience?

Being an alumni volunteer for ZBT, I’ve had many meaningful experiences.  However, one that stands out as the most meaningful is one where I was on the receiving end. I had been volunteering as Chapter Advisor for the Epsilon Mu Chapter at the University of Kansas for about two years. I was regularly spending time with the Executive Board, chapter meetings, rituals, alumni events, etc. They got to know me, and I got to know them. A true bond of brotherhood. At the time, I was still playing rec league ice hockey, and one Sunday during a late afternoon game, about 25 active brothers showed up to the game during the first period.  I couldn’t believe it.  If you’ve ever been to an adult rec league game, we’re not known for having many fans.  However these guys cheered for me every time I got on the ice or made a play. During intermission, I skated over and asked what they were doing there. One of them simply said, “You always support us, so we’re supporting you.” It was a very meaningful and humbling experience.

What do you hope to contribute as a director on the Supreme Council?

I hope to contribute the growth and prosperity of the Fraternity as a whole. I think we have a great five-year plan and I look forward to making sure we achieve our goals. I like that the plan is inclusive of both undergraduate and alumni participation. I’d like to contribute to getting our older alumni involved again, and make sure our younger alumni stay involved. Lastly, I enjoy the way we work to make sure the Fraternity is engaged in new programming that keeps our undergrads well informed and educated so they can be the leaders of tomorrow.

What advice do you have to give to other ZBTs as it relates to maximizing their fraternity experience?

For undergrads, I would advise them to take advantage of all that ZBT offers. International offerings such as  Dover Day, the James E. Greer, Jr. Presidents’ Academy, Emerging Leaders Institute or International Convention and Leadership School offer tremendous value and experience for our undergraduates.  In addition, at the chapter level, get involved. Run for an office, lead a committee, run a program, perform community service, give to charities. There is plenty of work for everyone who wants it. The work is rewarding, and you can use those skills and experiences when getting internships and jobs. For alumni, get involved. If there is a chapter near you, reach out. Go to a meeting, a Ritual, a tailgate, a dinner. Just say hi. I’ve met undergrads from all around the country, they love meeting alumni, hearing your stories and getting to know you. Even if you are old enough to be their dad (or older), they are your brothers and the bond is real. Lastly, join one of our growing alumni associations. These groups meet regularly and you can meet alumni from all stages of life.

What does Brotherhood for a Lifetime mean to you?

Brotherhood for a lifetime is just that. For a lifetime. For most, it may be brothers they went to school with. And that’s fine, however, there are thousands of brothers out there. In my time as a volunteer on the international level, I have met brothers from all around the country, some old enough to be my dad, and most young enough to be my sons. And there was always that bond.  And you never know where you’ll meet them. Last spring I went to Florida to help my dad recover from surgery. Just for kicks, I brought a ZBT T-shirt, and thought I would wear it and see if I would meet any alumni. My dad’s best friend comes over one day, sees my shirt, and says “I was a ZBT in college,” I asked where, and he said Rutgers. Same as me. We smiled, shook hands and had a great talk about living in the same house. He in the early 60’s, me in the late 80s. And that’s what Brotherhood for a Lifetime means to me.

Supreme Councilor
Dr. Zachary P. Nahmias
Gamma Mu (University of Memphis) ’10

What has been your most meaningful volunteer experience?

Working with my home chapter as an Assistant Chapter Advisor for seven years, the same chapter I founded, has been very rewarding. I enjoy mentoring the young men who join Gamma Mu at Memphis and helping them with programming in particular.

What do you hope to contribute as a director on the Supreme Council?

My passion is for programming and the undergraduate experience. I hope to strengthen existing programs and make the undergraduate experience even more enriching than it was during my time as an active undergraduate.

What advice do you have to give to other ZBTs as it relates to maximizing their fraternity experience?

ZBT is a laboratory for life. It’s a place to make great and lifelong connections in brotherhood, and where you really have the chance to dive in and learn about functioning as an adult — in relationships with others, in job setting and in planning for the future.

What does Brotherhood for a Lifetime mean to you?

Brotherhood for a Lifetime means that once you’ve joined ZBT and finished your undergraduate days, it’s not the end of your ZBT experience. You are connected to ZBT for life and should engage as an alumnus just as much as you did as an undergraduate. Doing so rounds out the experience of ZBT and makes it full circle. Joining and then graduating college is just one part of the journey of a lifetime.

Supreme Councilor
Matthew I. Tobe
Beta Alpha Theta (University of Colorado Boulder) ’06

What has been your most meaningful volunteer experience?

Working with undergraduates and helping them with topics they care about is always very meaningful to me. Just last week I visited our University of Colorado Boulder chapter (my alma mater), and to see these guys light up when I was giving them advice on how to recruit more men means the world to me. I volunteer because of those Colorado men and so many others across the world.

What do you hope to contribute as a director on the Supreme Council?

I hope to help continue the wonderful growth our organization has seen in recent years. As we start new chapters and recruit more brothers into our existing chapters, these are all more men that get to have a wonderful fraternity experience like all of us.

What advice do you have to give to other ZBTs as it relates to maximizing their fraternity experience?

Take your time and look around and everything you are experiencing. Your undergraduate years will go so much faster than you will ever realize at this age. Enjoy every moment you can and realize your fraternity brothers will be standing in your wedding one day!

What does Brotherhood for a Lifetime mean to you?

Brotherhood for a Lifetime to me is the fact that no matter how young or old someone is, if they are a ZBT we have so much in common. I visit with undergrads and feel just as much in common as I do with men 40 years older then me because we have had a similar fraternity experience.

Supreme Councilor
Ronald A. Pardo
Alpha Omicron (University of Arizona) ’88

What has been your most meaningful volunteer experience?

Working as a Chapter Advisor and Trustee. It has the most on the ground impact on our Fraternity. It is great to see a new colony grow to become a housed chapter of ZBT.

What do you hope to contribute as a director on the Supreme Council?

I am the longest continuing member of the Council. This will be my last two-year term. I hope to take a diminished role and allow the newer members to increase their participation knowing that they can count on me to advise and guide them.

What advice do you have to give to other ZBTs as it relates to maximizing their fraternity experience?

I know it is a cliche, but you get what you give. There was nothing that compares to my undergraduate experience but volunteering for ZBT has given me lifelong friends from chapters all over the country. Like my undergraduate brothers, my alumni brothers have been there for me in good times and bad.

What does Brotherhood for a Lifetime mean to you?

See above. My wife’s mother just passed. The support from my ZBT brothers meant a great deal to my wife and I.

Supreme Councilor
Benjamin E. Novogroski
Delta Iota (University of Central Florida) ’09

What has been your most meaningful volunteer experience?

ZBT has provided me many meaningful volunteer experiences, ranging from volunteering at a children’s hospital to presently serving on the Supreme Council. However, the most meaningful experience came through ZBT helping me reconnect with my Jewish roots and traveling to Ukraine to assist the local Jewish community by providing basic necessities like food, water and housing. It put in perspective how fortunate many of us are in the United States to have these opportunities to give back.

What do you hope to contribute as a director on the Supreme Council?

As a director on the Supreme Council, I hope to contribute my time, talent and treasure to the betterment of ZBT. Specifically, I aspire to use my legal knowledge and experience as a charter member of the Delta Iota Chapter at UCF to help provide undergraduates with the best possible fraternity experience. However, part of that is the realization that membership does not stop at graduation. I hope to be an example of the type of involvement ZBTs can have in order to experience a true Brotherhood for a Lifetime.

What advice do you have to give to other ZBTs as it relates to maximizing their fraternity experience?

It’s simple: you get out what you put in. Put in the time and effort to not only better your fraternity, but to better yourself. Live our Ritual every day by helping a brother in need, being respectful to all guests of the Fraternity and by being a leader on campus.  If you take the time to do these things, the joys of the fraternity experience will be that much sweeter and will truly last a lifetime.

What does Brotherhood for a Lifetime mean to you?

To me, Brotherhood for a Lifetime means living the ZBT Ritual every day. It can be as simple as having integrity in all of your endeavors and treating people with respect. Or, you can be actively involved with a chapter or ZBT International by donating your time, talent or treasure. At its essence, Brotherhood for a Lifetime can be as unique as each individual but just remember, we are connected by the values that ZBT represents. Live them every day.

Undergraduate Supreme Councilor
Jacob M. Pardo
Theta (University of Pennsylvania) ’18

What has been your most meaningful volunteer experience?

My college a cappella group does a number of volunteer performances each year. We are a Jewish group, so many of these performances are at Jewish senior communities. You can tell that our music carries a special meaning to the elderly, and being able to brighten their days is incredibly meaningful to my group.

What do you hope to contribute as a director on the Supreme Council?

I’m looking forward to bringing the undergraduate perspective to the Council. I have personally seen how undergraduate interests and the interests of the international organization might not always line up. It is very important for the Supreme Council to have our voice in the room, even and especially when there is disagreement.

What advice do you have to give to other ZBTs as it relates to maximizing their fraternity experience?

Contribute. It’s very easy to slack off and reap the fruits of others’ labor. But the more you contribute, the more you will learn — about leadership, life, and how to be an adult — and your fraternity experience will be much richer.

What does Brotherhood for a Lifetime mean to you?

It means that this is much more than a four-year experience. There is something different about the bond I share with my ZBT brothers, that is unlike my relationship with other friends. I’ve made some lasting friendships through fraternity that will go on much longer than my time at Penn.

Undergraduate Supreme Councilor
Adrian J. Obleton
Mu (University of Georgia) ’17

What has been your most meaningful volunteer experience?

My most meaningful volunteer experience has been the annual food bank days with the Atlanta Area Alumni Association. It’s great to make a difference and meet tons of different alumni in the area.

What do you hope to contribute as a director on the Supreme Council?

I hope to share the perspective of undergraduate brothers.

What advice do you have to give to other ZBTs as it relates to maximizing their fraternity experience?

Try to participate in international programs. It widens your view of the Brotherhood.

What does Brotherhood for a Lifetime mean to you?

There will never be a time in my life when I am not a ZBT.

Undergraduate Supreme Councilor
Marc R. Schwartz
Psi (University of Alabama) ’17

What has been your most meaningful volunteer experience?

The most meaningful volunteer experience for me has been working with the West Alabama Food Bank to sort and pack food donations to help feed thousands of people in the state of Alabama. The organization covers nine counties in the state and works with local agencies and businesses to gather surplus food for impoverished families. As the ZBT Psi Chapter is committed to volunteering with the Food Bank, we find it to be an unbelievably enriching and valuable experience for all brothers. I believe that volunteering for an organization like the West Alabama Food Bank is meaningful for us all because of the good it does for the community.

What do you hope to contribute as a director on the Supreme Council?

As an Undergraduate Supreme Councilor, I hope to act as a true voice for all undergraduate brothers.  While serving, I believe that we can create new and innovative ways for alumni and undergraduate brothers to get involved with the organization and get the most out of their ZBT experience. It is my hope that during my term, I can bring forth positive growth in alumni and undergraduate relations that will ultimately create a stronger fraternity.

What advice do you have to give to other ZBTs as it relates to maximizing their fraternity experience?

As a brother of ZBT, I feel that you should get as involved as you can with the organization at both the international and chapter levels. If you have ideas that feel could be beneficial to other chapters and alumni, don’t be afraid to bring those to the international organization. In addition, the organization has so many resources for things like networking and career advancement that everyone should take advantage of. To maximize the fraternity experience, buy into the Credo and have as much involvement as possible.

What does Brotherhood for a Lifetime mean to you?

Brotherhood for a Lifetime means that the ZBT experience is not just the four years of college, but an eternal bond and commitment. Being a brother of ZBT means that we will always stand by our Credo and live every day with the principles that our Founding Fathers laid before us. Whether you are 18 years old or 75 years old, we all are part of the same lifelong brotherhood bond.

Undergraduate Supreme Councilor
Aidan J. Stowell
Iota (University of Denver) ’18

What has been your most meaningful volunteer experience?

During last spring break, I was given the opportunity to attend a Fraternity and Sorority life service trip with my girlfriend. Having only been in elementary school when Hurricane Katrina hit the southeast, I wasn’t fully knowledgeable about the true devastation in area. Working with Habitat Humanity, a small group of Greek Life students helped build a home down in Gulfport, Mississippi. The experience of talking to actual victims and non-profit partners who were directly impacted by the hurricane brought a sharp reality to my own life and how lucky I am.

What do you hope to contribute as a director on the Supreme Council?

I hope to be a solid representative for chapters across the country and serve brothers through transparency, open dialogue and a strong voice on the Supreme Council. I hope to help work on bridging the gap between Chapter Presidents and the Supreme Council by amping up communication and hosting honest discussions that confront real issues within the fraternity world.

What advice do you have to give to other ZBTs as it relates to maximizing their fraternity experience?

Get involved in leadership opportunities and be present. The leadership development that ZBT offers its brothers is beyond comparison with any other fraternity. I truly believe in taking responsibility within your chapter, in whatever role it may be. The ZBT experience can personally and professionally develop you as an individual and as a future leader after college.

What does Brotherhood for a Lifetime mean to you?

A family to pick you up when you fall in life. Brotherhood and lifelong relationships are built through mutual experiences and time. College is only four years, but the brothers you make will be with you in some of the biggest moments of your life. Brotherhood for a lifetime extends far beyond the time you spend in college, and it’s important to know that there are always brothers in your corner.

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