Here you will find stories showcasing our chapter, current news, and updates about our Fraternity, our brothers and our many supporters.
The SigEp Journal, the official magazine of the Fraternity, is a biannual print publication and serves as the online source for features stories, chapter news, alumni & volunteer news, commentary and more. View the SigEp Journal Archive.
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Dammeier, Washington State ’81, is on a mission to change how America eats. Dammeier, who launched Beecher’s Handmade Cheese in 2003 and runs several restaurants in the Seattle area, prides himself on producing “real food with absolutely zero artificial ingredients.” His Beecher’s Foundation equips kids with the knowledge to make healthy food choices. In 2026, his Food Detectives program marks 20 years of in-class workshops and five years of virtual programming that has reached classrooms in all 50 states.
Gridiron champIn just his second season as head coach, Mike Macdonald, Georgia ’10, led the Seattle Seahawks to the Super Bowl, clinching the 2026 NFL championship. Macdonald started his coaching career while he was still a student and member of Georgia Delta at the University of Georgia, first working with his old high school team and then becoming a student assistant and graduate assistant at UGA. In securing the Super Bowl LX win, Macdonald joins an elite group of head coaches (including Bill Belichick and Mike Tomlin) who’ve won the NFL championship in their second season. Macdonald also became the third youngest head coach to win a Super Bowl.
It’s always growing seasonKen Christianson, Washington State ’74, grew up on his family’s farm, which produced vegetable seeds, and joined the company after graduation. In 1990, Christianson launched his own agricultural company, Chrishaven Trees (chrishaventrees.com) in Burlington, Washington. The family-run company specializes in growing flowering and shade trees for the wholesale trade. A former member of the WSU Foundation Board of Trustees, Christianson and his wife and fellow WSU alum, Sue, are longtime supporters of the university’s agriculture and athletic initiatives. The couple co-funded the athletic department’s Champion’s Center, provided scholarships for agriculture students, and helped fund the university’s honey bee and pollinator research. A longtime SigEp volunteer, Christianson has served as a director of SigEp National Housing since 2014.
Business builderJay C. Ackley, Washington ’74, has spent more than 30 years developing profitable businesses. Through the business that bears his name, Ackley Capital, he acquires and invests in small to medium-sized companies that have high potential but require additional funding and operational expertise for long-term success. Ackley has amassed an impressive portfolio of companies across a wide variety of industries, including financial services, real estate, printing, food and beverage, and manufacturing. In recent years, the company has gained attention for acquisitions of businesses in the wine industry, held and managed under the Ackley Brands banner. Ackley volunteered as a member of the Washington Beta Building Board from 1974 to 1993, spending 15 years as president.
Legacies are built — sometimes with fanfare, but more often in the quiet, everyday moments that define meaningful relationships. Brother Kent B. Hickman, Colorado ’61, was the kind of man who put his brotherly love into action by investing in the young men around him.
For decades, he diligently built mentor relationships at Colorado Alpha and with chapters in his hometown of Washington, D.C., while always shying away from the spotlight. Even when SigEp sought to recognize the legacy he was clearly building through his significant financial investment, Hickman pushed the attention to SigEp’s future leaders.
Brother Hickman was set on ensuring SigEp would continue to invest in developing new chapter leaders long after he could personally mentor young men.
In 2018, Hickman formalized his commitment to the kind of support he’d long been providing for chapter leaders by joining the SigEp Legacy Society.
His estate plans generously included funding for two endowments designed to continue support for young men aspiring to lead their chapters:
Colorado Alpha Kent Hickman Scholarship Endowment, with a designation of $50,000 from his estate to support Colorado Alpha brothers attending national leadership programs like Grand Chapter Conclave and Carlson Leadership Academy.
Kent B. Hickman Rising Leaders Endowment, with a designation of $600,000 for an endowment that helps future leaders at Colorado Alpha, D.C. chapters and other chapters across the country attend Carlson before running for executive board positions.
After his passing in 2023, SigEp learned that Hickman’s generosity went even further. True to the selflessness that defined his life, Hickman’s estate included funding not only for his planned endowments, but also a percentage of the remainder of his estate, ultimately bringing his total bequest to nearly $1,200,000.
Hickman’s total bequest is among the largest posthumous estate gifts the Fraternity has received. Through Hickman’s thoughtful planning and foresight, he will continue to transform lives for generations to come.
His benevolence speaks to the charitable nature of Brother Hickman, who dedicated his life to serving humanity. His professional work through the United States Agency for International Development and his volunteerism through SigEp will continue to make a difference for years to come. He believed in the power of investing in young leaders as a way to give back for both the practical and intangible benefits SigEp gave him.
In 2014, Hickman emphasized SigEp’s impact on his life: “Throughout my career, I have constantly related my success and advancement to the skills I obtained and experiences I encountered while serving my Fraternity.”
His legacy lives on in the men whose lives he changed and the chapters they continue to lead and serve. He believed that early investment in undergraduate brothers would yield strong chapters with an engaged alumni base who will continue investing in generations of young men to come. His belief has been proven true.
Several brothers shared how they have been impacted by Kent Hickman’s mentorship and generosity:
“As an undergraduate, Brother Hickman’s support to attend Carlson acted as a charge for me to take it upon myself to do something more than just participate. I serve SigEp as a volunteer to pay forward the generosity Brother Hickman once showed me.” — Dan Alt, American ’12
“I want to sincerely thank Mr. Hickman for the opportunity to attend the 2019 Carlson Leadership Academy. I’ve had the chance to work a lot with my executive board and understand the inner workings of our Fraternity’s leadership. Fostering leadership development is so key to improving our national presence, and I hope that one day, as an alumnus and successful leader, I can be as valuable to my Fraternity as he has been.” — Brandon Hansen, Washington State ’22
“Because of his generous commitment, the Hickman Rising Leaders Endowment — a title he resisted because it was never about ‘him’ — will ensure that generations of SigEp’s future leaders will get critical training through our leadership events.
"His vision will live on forever. Slight in stature, but a giant of a man, he will always be my SigEp hero.” — Chris Bittman, Colorado ’85 (Past Grand President)