Who speaks with frankness, but always with sincerity and sympathy. You are a personification of this singular line from our guiding creed. Anyone that meets you knows of the passion you speak with, especially for things you care about. You’ve never been afraid to be the harbinger of truth, especially when it’s something people don’t want to hear. You have led by speaking with this conviction, but also with an equal amount of compassion, throughout your life.
As a collegiate, you served your chapter as Eminent Treasurer then Eminent Archon. No surprise that you made a career for yourself in finance. Your expertise in developing initiatives around raising funds and capital has defined your career, and you’ve ascended to serve as Chief Financial Officer for a number of companies. You’ve thrived in that role, holding strong to numbers while also leading with kindness and respect.
Like many times in your career, you were beckoned to use your financial acumen to help save something that otherwise would have drowned in debt. This time, it was your beloved chapter house. The same chapter house where you served as a treasurer, the launching point for your career. It could not have been anyone better. Someone with financial background that understands long-term sustainability for real estate properties.
You led the efforts to completely renovate your chapter’s house and its property. After a successful $500,000 fundraising campaign, you also personally arranged and guaranteed an additional $500,000 for the renovation. You wanted to ensure that the chapter, including the physical house, would be around for generations to come. It was a milestone moment when the renovation was finished some fifteen years later and you handed the House Corporation presidency to the next generation of leaders.
During this time, you also found yourself drawn back into giving back to the Fraternity in other ways than your own chapter. You served on the Alumni Services Committee for a few years and eventually found yourself on the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, ultimately serving as its Chairman from 2020-2023.
You concurrently were a Trustee for the University of Montana’s Foundation, and also served as its Treasurer. Most impressively, you are a six figure donor for both SAE and your school. For your unwavering spirit and continuous support, the Fraternity has already awarded you with the Order of Minerva and the Merit Key.
Accordingly, the Supreme Council of Sigma Alpha Epsilon awards you, James R. Mountain, the 167th Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor bestowed upon a member of our Beloved Fraternity, granted on the 20th day of June in the year 2025 and presented at Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s 169th Anniversary Convention.
