In the last 5 years, SigEp alumnus Brent Osborn, Ohio State ’09, has facilitated 25 EDGE programs. Despite his busy career as a consultant with a successful web startup, he also finds time to serve as lieutenant district governor for Ohio, a chapter counselor, an AVC president and a mentor. He also supports EDGE financially as a Board of Governors donor to SigEp’s Educational Foundation. In this Q&A, he shares what keeps him coming to EDGE each year. 

Rob Jepson: Since graduating in 2009, you’ve had the chance to facilitate 25 EDGE programs across the U.S. From your perspective, what impact does EDGE have on our new members?

Brent Osborn: EDGE is all about preparing new members to make the most out of college, their SigEp experience and their lives. They get the chance to reflect on the big questions in their lives: Who am I? What’s my leadership style? What do I hope to get out of college? What do I have to do to make it happen? 

By the time they leave, they not only know how to lead their lives more effectively, they know how to hold each other accountable and keep their whole chapter moving forward.   

Jepson: Besides getting to serve undergraduate SigEps, what do you feel you get out of EDGE? 

Osborn: To be honest, I feel I get as much out of it as the undergraduates do. Besides getting to connect with teams of talented facilitators, I learn how to be a more effective chapter counselor and mentor, which makes volunteering more fun and fulfilling. EDGE keeps me feeling connected to the Fraternity, and the experience is more rewarding every time.

Jepson: In addition to facilitating each year, you support EDGE financially as a Board of Governors donor. What makes you continue to give at that level?

Osborn: I attribute a lot of my early career success to the growth and development SigEp provided me, and giving to the Educational Foundation ensures that others have the same opportunity I had. Without donors, programs like EDGE simply can’t work. I’m happy to give to the organization that helped me get where I am today.

Jepson: What would happen if we stopped funding EDGE?

Osborn: Besides seeing a huge rise in risky behavior and “chapter situations,” I think we’d lose the opportunity for men from different chapters to connect with each other, with alumni and with SigEp’s roots. One of the things that makes SigEp truly different is that we invest in the continuous, four-year development of our members. Without EDGE, we’d be missing a major portion of that development. I think we’d also see a huge drop in young alumni engaging with the Fraternity as volunteers after graduation—young alumni who are the future donors and future leaders of the Fraternity. 

Jepson: How do you measure your success as a volunteer with EDGE? 

Osborn: After an EDGE last fall I had the opportunity to talk with an undergraduate named Matt Davis, Ohio State ’17. I asked him about his experience and wrote down what he said because I thought it reflected the program so well:

“I walked away from EDGE having made friends with the men of both other chapters in attendance. I learned how to better articulate my values and my vision in order to stay oriented towards what I would now call my ‘True North.’ I learned that true, authentic leadership is uncommon in today’s world and that we have an opportunity, maybe even an obligation, to fill that leadership vacuum. I walked away having the chance to experience men talking about their failures and how they grew from them. Most importantly, I walked away having made connections with alumni.”

When EDGE continues to produce results like that, it’s easy to see that we’re making a difference. 

To learn more about the impact of EDGE, see the 2013-2014 EDGE Stakeholders Report.