For nearly 125 years, Sigma Phi Epsilon has produced brothers whose ambition, bold leadership and talent have carried them to the highest levels of their professions. Their achievements remind us that the promise of our brotherhood extends far beyond college.

At the Fraternity’s 2025 Conclave, a new group of accomplished brothers received the Sigma Phi Epsilon Citation in recognition of decades of leadership as executives and entrepreneurs in their respective fields. Each of these men reflect the very best of our brotherhood:

They have not only achieved phenomenal professional success, but have also built an enduring legacy and demonstrated a lifelong commitment to our values.

Larry Connor, Ohio ’72

Larry Connor’s remarkable life has spanned boardrooms, racetracks, oceans and, incredibly, outer space. Connor joined SigEp’s Ohio Xi chapter at Ohio University. Planning events and learning about chapter operations and finances while serving as chapter president provided his first exposure to the inner workings of a successful organization.

He channeled those lessons into building a successful organization of his own. Launched with just one property, The Connor Group is a real estate investment firm now valued at $5 billion with properties in 17 markets.

Through the company’s nonprofit arm, Kids & Community Partners, Connor started Colin’s Lodge to support young adults with cognitive differences and established The Greater Dayton School, Ohio’s first private, non-religious school for underserved students. Combining academics, healthcare and life skills education under one roof, the school is focused on ensuring more kids have opportunities to succeed. Connor plans to take this concept nationwide.

An adventurer at heart, Connor became the first private astronaut to pilot a NASA/SpaceX mission to the International Space Station in 2022. He spent 17 days in orbit conducting research for the Cleveland Clinic and the Mayo Clinic.

A year before that, he descended over 36,000 feet to the bottom of the Mariana Trench — making him one of just a handful of people to explore space and the deepest part of the ocean. He also just happens to be a competitive auto racer and participated in a world record-breaking skydive that raised over $1 million for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.

But Connor’s greatest achievements can’t be measured in miles per hour, feet below sea level or even dollars in a portfolio. They’re measured in the lives he’s changed and the example he’s set for us all.

Mike Lincoln, Southeast Missouri State ’84

Mike Lincoln’s SigEp story begins with the Missouri Zeta chapter at Southeast Missouri State. SigEp wasn’t just a student organization; for Lincoln, it was family. His father helped found the chapter in 1953. Lincoln proudly carried on that legacy, serving as president of a dynamic 150- man chapter.

After graduation, Lincoln took to the road as a regional director for SigEp. He credits that experience with honing his emotional intelligence and ability to connect with others. These foundational lessons traveled with him to the University of Virginia School of Law, where he joined the board of the Virginia Law Review and earned a prestigious clerkship at the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago.

He then embarked on an impressive career in corporate law, starting at Latham & Watkins, then moving on to Hunton & Williams and ultimately Cooley LLP, where he’s practiced for the past 27 years.

In 1999, he cofounded the Silicon Valley-based firm’s first East Coast office and has since played a major role in Cooley’s expansion in the U.S., Asia and Europe. Today, he serves as the firm’s vice chair, leading its global strategy in venture capital, emerging companies, and mergers and acquisitions.

Lincoln’s firm has worked with some of the most transformative companies of our time, advising on the IPOs of global corporations like Nvidia, Zoom, Uber and Amgen. Lincoln’s influence doesn’t stop at the boardroom. In his nearly three decades as an adjunct professor at UVA Law, he’s taught and mentored more than 1,300 students.

Through it all, he’s remained committed to service. He sits on numerous nonprofit boards, including the Focused Ultrasound Foundation, which is bringing life-changing medical technology to patients worldwide. He also supports children’s healthcare, conservation, education and his local church community

Charlie McNeil, Colorado School of Mines ’71

During his tenure as vice president of SigEp’s Colorado Delta chapter, Charlie McNeil built community and brought brothers together through the social activities he organized. Being in a leadership position taught McNeil how to rally a group of men behind a shared goal. SigEp gave him brotherhood, leadership experience and a sense of purpose and helped shape the man he became.

A proud graduate of the Colorado School of Mines with a degree in mining engineering and a deeply rooted work ethic, McNeil’s career spans over five decades in the coal, oil and gas, mining, and power industries.

McNeil rose to become CEO of Kaiser Steel’s coal mining operations in his mid-thirties — an impressive feat by any measure. When the division’s parent company declared bankruptcy, McNeil faced a choice: accept a senior role with another established energy company, or risk it all and strike out on his own. Following his gut, he started his own company. In 1993, McNeil founded NexGen Resources Corporation, an energy-focused company that provides alternative fuels, installs carbon capture at power plants, produces oil and gas, and supplies all of Xcel Energy’s coal needs in Texas. The company has also developed a diversified real estate portfolio.

Behind his sharp business acumen lies a heart for service. A distinguished Eagle Scout, he established the McNeil Scout Ranch. He also helps the next generation of engineers develop real-world business experience through the McNeil Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at his alma mater.

McNeil is a member of the Colorado Business Hall of Fame and has a lengthy list of honors from organizations that include the Volunteers of America and the Children’s Diabetes Foundation. He was also awarded the Distinguished Achievement Medal from Colorado School of Mines.

Kevin O’Connor, Loras ’88

Kevin O’Connor began his journey at Loras College in Iowa, earning a degree in public relations. He’s since gone on to channel his experience as a student-athlete into a career in sports management, becoming a trusted advisor to some of the world’s top athletes.

As executive director of tennis at AEG, and later as president of Saddlebrook Properties, O’Connor oversaw high-performance training programs for world-ranked tennis players like 14-time grand slam champion Pete Sampras.

He then expanded the portfolio of the renowned Saddlebrook tennis academy to include baseball and football, in the process drawing talent like Derek Jeter and Sedrick Ellis. Under his leadership, Saddlebrook also partnered with the Tampa Bay Rowdies, giving the company a foothold in the growing U.S. professional soccer market.

Global agency Lagardère took notice of his rare combination of business acumen and ability to build trust with athletes and brought him onboard as a senior advisor. Today, O’Connor’s influence continues to shape the direction of sports representation and management at the highest levels.

For all his professional achievements, O’Connor never forgot his roots. Even while building a career that’s taken him to some of the most prestigious courts, arenas and fields of play, he volunteered with SigEp, serving as a district governor and chapter counselor in Florida and California and as a member of the National Leadership Committee. He also chaired the 2011 Conclave Task Force. He’s made an impact on SigEp across the country, sharing his wisdom, mentorship and commitment to help elevate the undergraduate experience.

O’Connor’s success is a result of his commitment to the very same values that shape our Fraternity — building a vision, striving for excellence and dedication to others.

Gov. Jim Pillen, Nebraska ’79

Jim Pillen grew up in Nebraska, the third son of tenant farmers who taught their children about the importance of hard work, belief in their abilities and in pursuing their dreams. When he left home to attend the University of Nebraska, those values remained foundational to Pillen’s life.

In college, Pillen was serious about his studies. But he didn’t just hit the books. He also hit the field, going from a walk-on to a starting defensive back for the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team. Pillen was named a two-time First Team All-Big Eight selection. In 2004, he was inducted into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame.

In addition to studies and football, another significant part of Pillen’s college career included membership in SigEp’s Nebraska Alpha chapter. He still fondly remembers Monday night chapter meetings and fraternity and sorority social functions. Many of the relationships forged back then through SigEp continue even today.

After earning his bachelor’s degree, Pillen went on to earn a doctorate in veterinary medicine from Kansas State University. With a desire to launch his own business and armed with a $10,000 loan, he opened a small-animal veterinary and swine consulting practice. In 1993, he launched Pillen Family Farms and a decade later, an animal genetics company. Together, these businesses employ over 1,100 team members.

In addition to growing a business and raising a family, Pillen has always looked for ways to serve his community. Membership on local boards and commissions gave way to becoming a University of Nebraska regent and then in November 2022, being elected Nebraska’s 41st governor. In both the private and public sectors, Pillen has created a life based on values that he first learned from his family and were reinforced by SigEp.

Kelcy Warren, Texas-Arlington ’78

At just 13, Kelcy Warren worked alongside his father as a welder’s helper at Sun Pipeline. Decades later, his professional life came full circle when he was named executive chairman of the company he cofounded, which now owns Sun.

Warren earned a degree in civil engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington. As a student there, he found something he didn’t even know he needed: connection. Joining SigEp’s Texas Kappa chapter gave him a sense of belonging and friendships that pulled the quiet young man out of his shell.

After college, he went to work as a pipeline design engineer with Lone Star Gas. Warren later joined the company’s commercial team. Understanding the engineering and commercial sides of the gas business served him well when he cofounded Energy Transfer, a small natural gas pipeline company with 200 miles of pipe and 20 employees, in 1996. A defining moment came following the 2001 Enron collapse. Acting quickly, Warren and his business partner secured assets that propelled Energy Transfer’s growth. Today, it’s one of the nation’s largest and most diversified energy firms, operating more than 140,000 miles of pipeline and infrastructure across 44 states.

While the energy industry built his fortune, his philanthropic interests reveal his heart. Warren not only made the largest gift in the history of his alma mater’s engineering program, he also cofounded the Cherokee Creek Music Festival, which has raised millions for Texas-based children’s charities.

An inductee into the Texas Business Hall of Fame, Dallas Business Hall of Fame and Hart Energy Hall of Fame, he has also received the Distinguished Service Award from the Texas Oil & Gas Association and countless other honors. Through it all, Warren has remained humble, never forgetting where he started.