A championship-winning coach. An entrepreneur in the manufacturing industry. A sales leader in technology consulting. The director of a global apparel brand. Each of these accomplished professionals has shared his vision for building a successful life and career with Oregon Alpha brothers as guests at the chapter’s Arête Conversations discussion series.

The brainchild of Chris Sarles, Oregon State ’86, the series was inspired by visits in decades past from luminaries such as UCLA’s 10-time championship-winning basketball coach John Wooden, country music icon Winona Judd, and advertising giant and SigEp Past Grand President Bill Tragos, Washington-St. Louis ’56.

None of those visits were part of a formal program; they were simply arranged as opportunities arose. What Sarles has now created is a carefully curated roster of world-class guests all speaking to a common theme: their unique formulas for success. Having realized their potential, personally and professionally, each speaker is well positioned to help undergraduates consider how best to reach their own potential.

Sarles describes Arête Conversations as “visits intended to create conversations of inspiration, intellectual stimulation, insight and values about living a successful life.”

Guests so far have included three-time national championship-winning Oregon State baseball coach Pat Casey; Mike Fritz (Oregon State ’88), who grew the company his parents founded to design equipment to automate manufacturing processes from 18 employees to more than 550 employees on three continents; Mike Powers (’07), who is among the top 1 percent of sales executives at Gartner, a global advisory firm; and Darron Trobetsky (Indiana of Pennsylvania ’94), a member of SigEp’s board of directors and the global business director for Nike’s Jordan brand.

Perhaps the most unique aspect of this speaker series is that these aren’t events where a speaker gives a boilerplate lecture on his blueprint for success. Firstly, Sarles works with each speaker beforehand to define their own personal path to success in a way that makes it relatable to undergraduate men. Secondly, this speaker series takes place in the relaxed
environment of the chapter home. As the name implies, that elevates these events beyond a typical carefully rehearsed speech and turns it into a conversation.

At the Oregon Alpha chapter facility, each speaker is welcomed and treated as a guest. The speaker usually arrives early in the evening and joins the chapter for dinner, which gives brothers a chance to get to know their guest a bit before he speaks. After dinner, the group gets comfortable in the living room, and Sarles offers an overview of the speaker’s accomplishments. After the guest’s prepared remarks, the conversation continues, as brothers get to ask questions.

Sarles is continuously planning the next quarterly event in the series and is working to confirm speakers for the fall and into 2025.