Sigma Phi Epsilon Educational Foundation We need more Zar Toolans By DOUGLAS D. SCHEIBE, Kansas State ‘87, Executive Director, Sigma Phi Epsilon Educational Foundation
Foundation: How did SigEp change your life Foundation: What was your message at the as an undergraduate? 2012 CLA and 2012 Ruck keynote? Toolan: I had no interest in joining a fraternity based on the typical stereotypes. When I got to college, I realized there was something missing. We started the chapter at Columbia to fill a certain gap in our lives. We wanted to create something that would be a gathering place for successful individuals. What followed was an arena for “applied leadership” where we shared successes and failures from work in other student organizations to make our experience the best it could be. SigEp allowed me to develop a complementary skill set as a chapter officer that continues to serve me well. Foundation: What programs did you attend and how did they affect you?
Zar Toolan is a unique name. Zar Toolan, Columbia ’01, is a unique SigEp. You may say everyone is unique, but this brother is truly special. As you learn about all he has done for our Fraternity, consider that he has balanced it with a successful career, and is now a vice president and director, partnerships and business strategy at Wells Fargo Advisors. He is also a husband, father and triathlete. We all have a connection to SigEp. I hope this story inspires you to give back in your own way.
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Toolan: The Ruck Leadership Institute, Carlson Leadership Academy, Grand Chapter Conclave. Ruck allowed me the chance to interact with SigEp and campus leaders from across the country who inspired me to do more and to be more. I’m still close friends with several of the other SigEps who met that intense week and regularly make time to see them and their families. Ruck made me want to leave a legacy not just at my home chapter, but for SigEp as a whole. It inspired me to come to the SigEp staff as a regional director. Foundation: How is SigEp a part of your life as an alumnus? Toolan: I continue to be actively engaged with redefining and evolving our development programs nationally, including the next generation of the Balanced Man Program. I work locally with the Missouri Beta Chapter at Washington in St. Louis. I also facilitate and speak each year at the Ruck Leadership Institute. Many of my closest friends in St. Louis are SigEps. In the past month, I’ve gone to two weddings for SigEps I met while working for the Fraternity. There are eight other SigEps who work at Wells Fargo Advisors headquarters, and we not only collaborate but also socialize and volunteer with the local chapters and alumni groups. The Fraternity for me has transformed over time from “something you do” to “a value set for who you are.”
Toolan: “Finding your ‘WHY’ through balance.” Life is not about the stuff you do or the boxes you check, but rather about who you are as a human being and how many lives you positively impact along the way. The Balanced Man should be embraced as a framework for life, not simply as a program you go through as an undergraduate. At its core, the Balanced Man represents for me a continuous ebb and flow of Knowledge, Fitness, Service, People, and Perspective. With all of those in their appropriate “orbits” in your life, you can’t help but be successful and make a huge difference on the way we live, work, act, and experience life. Foundation: Why do you volunteer for SigEp?
Toolan: Volunteering for the Fraternity allows me to translate the lessons I’ve learned over the years to a new generation of SigEps. Hopefully those experiences will allow them to become better men and leave their chapters in even better shape. Foundation: Why do you give to the Foundation? Toolan: I have received so much out of my many experiences with Foundation-sponsored programs over the years, from the BMP to Ruck, CLA, and Conclave to the RD program. I feel it’s my duty to continue to give back so that a new generation of SigEps can have an even better experience with those programs and others. The life lessons I continue to gain are a direct corollary to my time as an undergraduate SigEp—time, talent, and treasure are vital to the success of any organization, and I give heavily of all three to SigEp because of what it has given me.
Give to the Foundation and join Brother Toolan in inspiring the next generation of SigEps. Visit www.sigep.org and click “Give.”