For Campus-Based Professionals
There are more director-level leadership roles within fraternity/sorority life on campus than there have ever been, and the complexities involved in the job are only increasing. This calls for more advanced training on strategy, operations management, and departmental leadership for those taking on the position. RISE created The EXCEL Summit to meet that need with insights from dozens of external reviews and strategic planning projects, the best research and thinking on organizational leadership as it relates to fraternity/sorority life, and the extensive professional expertise of our team members.
Designed specifically for current and aspiring fraternity/sorority campus-based department leaders, this month-long intensive online training experience helps you develop your executive leadership abilities and learn how to better organize a department.
Working with peers in a community of practice, participants will learn a framework for analyzing their department, gain technical knowledge about each component of a department, develop their abilities to organize the team, and learn how to prioritize and align their work to improve results.
“The Excel Summit provided a solid jolt to my professional mindset and had me confront the question, “What am I doing intentionally, and what am I doing on auto-pilot.” I recommend this program to anybody looking to have their status-quo challenged by a thoughtfully planned curriculum and a stellar faculty.”
Offered in Partnership with AFA
The EXCEL Summit for Campus-based Professionals is offered in partnership with AFA in the spirit of our mutual commitment to supporting fraternity/sorority department leaders. These professionals are key to the success and vitality of the fraternity/sorority experience and AFA and RISE are committed to helping them be more effective in their roles.
As part of the partnership, Certified Student Affairs Educators (CSAEd) may also attain continuing education credits toward their Fraternity/Sorority Life specialty (FSL) certification by participating in the EXCEL Summit.
EXCEL prepares you to:
Identify and map the core components of a university fraternity/sorority department
Gain technical knowledge in:
Identifying and tracking department objectives,
Generating and allocating resources,
Developing operational systems, and
Organizing and developing personnel
Use a strategic management framework to align each component of the department with institutional characteristics and objectives
Develop executive leadership skills for directing a department
The Experience
Think of this as a virtual institute or a short course. We meet two times per week for 90 minutes. Each session introduces a new concept and involves small group challenges, thought exercises, case studies, and large group discussions, A supplemental reflection guide will help you translate program lessons directly into your work. The content is interconnected and builds on itself, and many insights emerge not just from the content, but from the group dialogue. You’ll leave with a clearer direction about how to lead and align your department during the coming academic year.
“EXCEL allowed me to move out of the “Advisor” role and focus on the “Director” role so much more than I had before.”
2026 Event Details
Online event hosted on Zoom
Event Dates
June 2 - 25, 2026
Presentation Sessions
Tuesdays and Thursdays
12:00 - 1:30 p.m. Eastern
Who should attend
The EXCEL Summit is open to current and aspiring fraternity/sorority department leaders. Department leaders are the ranking or primary fraternity/sorority professional at the institution, including those who are the only fraternity/sorority professional for their institution.
Aspiring department leaders may attend, provided they have relevant experience and support from their supervisors. The program involves working with budgets, objectives, programs and services, and staffing. Those who do not have access to data and or context in these areas may find it difficult to learn and apply program content.
While program content will be informative to any fraternity/sorority professional, it may not be relevant or appropriate for those who do not work on campus, those who are not a lead decision-maker for the office, or those who have fewer than 5 years of post-graduate experience.
Attendance is capped at 18 participants to ensure we are able to provide a personalized experience.
“This is a very unique opportunity to build a strategic plan that provides a blueprint for the work that needs to be implemented in order to offer a beneficial and rewarding experience for fraternity and sorority life. I am not sure any other organization or association offers such an opportunity for fraternity and sorority professionals.”
What to expect
Work in community with peers in similar positions facing similar challenges
Contribute to the body of knowledge about executive leadership in fraternity/sorority life
Gain advanced training on executive leadership in higher education
Use the reflection guide between sessions to apply lessons learned to your current position
Gain experience addressing common challenges faced by fraternity/sorority department leaders
Access to ongoing personalized coaching and support from presenters throughout and after the event
What We Expect
Attend and participate fully in every session
We designed an interactive and experiential curriculum around live attendance. Sessions are not recorded and there is no makeup option, so block your calendar to participate in all sessions. If you are unavailable for any of the sessions, please plan to attend a future event.
Schedule time to complete work assignments between sessions
We will provide a reflection guide to help you immediately integrate lessons learned into your work. While you might retain lessons from the program, the biggest learning gains will come from putting lessons into practice, so block your calendar now and give yourself time to process what you’re learning.
Share relevant institutional information
EXCEL incorporates all the resources and information available about how to run a fraternity/sorority department and provides a community of practice to guide you in applying it. Plan on sharing operational information about your department to add to the body of knowledge about executive leadership in fraternity/sorority life.
“EXCEL helped me realize how unfocused some of my efforts were, gave me tangible tools to use day to day and provided with me training as a professional that will allow me to be more strategic and intentional with what I do.”
REGISTRATION
The cost to attend is $675 per participant, which includes program attendance, guided work assignments between sessions, all program materials, and supplemental resources before and after the program. Note, attendance is capped at 24 participants to provide a personalized atmosphere.
Registration by the end of the day on May 8 for the 2026 EXCEL Summit.
Before you register, make sure you are prepared to:
Attend and participate fully in every session
Schedule time to complete work assignments between sessions
Share relevant institutional information
Collect the following information:
Name
Institution
Title
Email Address
USPS Mailing Address for EXCEL Summit Materials (to be mailed in late May)
Payment information
Current Role (director or aspiring director)
Faculty
Christopher Jefferson serves as director for the Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life at the University of Missouri-Columbia as well as a member of RISE Partnerships, LLC. He has more than 17 years of professional experience working with various fraternity/sorority communities including: Pennsylvania State University, Indiana State University, North Carolina State University, Old Dominion University, and George Mason University.
Chris is an active member of the fraternity and sorority community serving on the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors Foundation (AFAF) Board of Directors. Chris was awarded the Sue Kraft Fussell Distinguished Service Award by the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors (AFA) and shares the namesake of the Association of Fraternity & Sorority Advisors Shirley-Jefferson Fellow for diversity, equity, inclusion, and access.
Chris’s service to the fraternity/sorority community also includes contributing to the development of the Association of Fraternity\Sorority Advisors (AFA) Core Competencies for professional practice.
Chris is committed to helping students discover their passions, enhance their community, live their values, and realize their leadership potential through the fraternal experience!
Dr. Kim Monteaux De Freitas (She/Her/Hers) is the Director of Sorority and Fraternity Life at The Ohio State University where she provides strategic leadership to the Sorority and Fraternity Community and overall direction with the nine-member team.
Over the past sixteen years Kim has served in various volunteer roles with the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors, NASPA, and various other organizations, including her own fraternity, Phi Sigma Sigma.
Kim additionally volunteers outside sorority and fraternity life as an Alumni Advisory Board member for Northern Michigan University serving as the Vice President/President Elect, Central Ohio Girls Hockey, and serves as the Celly Club Youth Girls’ Hockey Community Liasion.
Kim has been the recipient of various honors including AFA’s Sue Kraft Fussell Distinguished Service Award.
Dan Wrona is the CEO & Project Leader of RISE Partnerships, where he has worked with more than 300 campuses and 30 organizations over the past 25 years.
He has also served as a university administrator, a national fraternity staff member, and as a consultant on NIC staff.
Dan combines lessons from his MBA and his obsession with systems theory, organizational leadership, and productivity hacks to guide professionals in how to produce better results from their work in fraternity/sorority life.
Questions?
Contact Dan Wrona for more details about the event.