Recognizing a lifetime of service and loyalty to the Fraternity, the Distinguished Service Award is the highest individual award a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon may receive. Their actions exhibit their understanding of the Fraternity’s teachings, adherence to Fraternity Laws, attention to promoting its welfare, and exemplary conduct that guards its honor and high standing.
The Fraternity has 355,000+ initiated members; only 156 have been recognized with the Distinguished Service Award. Gregory D. Brandt (Drake ‘84) is the most recent recipient, which was awarded on June 17, 2023, at Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s 167th Anniversary Convention.
Greg’s dedication to helping men achieve their full potential was recognized nationally, as he was named an Outstanding Chapter Advisor. He also served as a Province Archon for nearly a decade, culminating with being elected Chairman of the Council of Province Archons.
He served as faculty for several Province Leadership Schools and the John O. Moseley Leadership Schools. He also used his professional acumen for the betterment of SAE, giving his expertise on the Permanent Committee on Fraternity Laws, and served as its Chairman twice.
As a life-long tenant in the judicial system, truth is something that has been engrained within Greg. Following law school, he served as a law clerk and then an assistant county attorney, specializing in drug and gang prosecution. His professional demeanor followed the True Gentleman: he made it a point never to make anyone conscious of their poverty, obscurity, inferiority, or deformity. Greg was appointed as the District Associate Judge for the Fifth District of the State of Iowa in 1997, the youngest judge at the time.
After serving on the SAE Financial & Housing Corporation Board of Directors from 2007 – 2011, where he
served as Secretary, Greg’s commitment to our beloved Fraternity took leaps and bounds as he was elected to the Supreme Council in 2011, ultimately serving as our Eminent Supreme Archon from 2019 to 2021. The Fraternity has already honored him with the Order of the Lion and the Merit Key for his never-ending faithfulness.
Congratulations to Gregory D. Brandt, the 156th recipient of Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s Distinguished Service Award.
