By the time Philip Koenig, Florida International ’15, joined SigEp in 2011, he was already an established leader. In fact, he was a developer of leaders. Koenig was a sophomore in high school and class president when he created a lesson plan that covered the fundamentals of leadership for his class.

“I read a great deal of Tom Peters and John Maxwell, and that was the inspiration for what I was trying to teach.”

Koenig’s leadership lesson plan focused on communication skills, public speaking, problem solving, team management and social responsibility. His team saw immediate improvements in how they worked together, dissected and dealt with issues and problems, and communicated with others.

“There was a notable difference in our entire team dynamic, and I believed these same lessons could be taught with similar results to younger emerging leaders.”

That year, Philip founded Leading Miami (www.leadingmiami.org), a non-profit organization that offers leadership training workshops and mentorship for middle school students. Their mission is “to provide the youth of Miami with fundamental leadership skills that will empower them to succeed in their futures.”

Since 2009, Leading Miami has grown to a team of 35 of Miami’s most well-rounded young leaders with Koenig as its executive director. They have educated and empowered over 1,000 students and provided over 200 workshops for the community. Koenig has presented at TEDx Youth Miami and TEDx FIU, and has received accolades from the Miami Herald and U.S. Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.

Koenig has also become an integral leader in the Florida Nu Chapter, serving as vice president of recruitment and currently as the Sigma Challenge coordinator. He has participated in EDGE, Carlson Leadership Academy, Tragos Quest to Greece and Life After College.

“Joining SigEp was a no-brainer for me. The Balanced Man philosophy is an extension of the things I believe make a great leader and a great man. The guys I have met are inspirational and extremely supportive. They have made me even more adamant about the concepts of mentorship, continuous development and balance as key factors in leadership development,” Koenig said. “I am humbled and proud to be a part of such a great organization.”