David Serafini

David A. Serafini
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Name	David A. Serafini
Chapter	Beta Phi Western Kentucky University
Date Inducted
Roll Number	249H
Alumni Chapter/Assoc	MTAC, WKAA
Honorary Member	Beta Phi
Major	History
Birthdate	January 25, 1972
Spouse
Nicknames	Fini
Awards	Outstanding Chapter Advisor 2011, Chapter Service Key 2015

David A. Serafini (born 25 Jan 1972) is an Honorary Member and Chapter Faculty Advisor of Beta Phi (Chapter roll 249) at Western Kentucky University, a former member of the Middle Tennessee Alumni Chapter, a member of the Western Kentucky Alumni Association and was Vice President of Chapter Development from 2012-2014, serving in the 49th Empowered Council

Early Fraternity Life and Career

Growing up in suburban Chicago, David attended Western Kentucky University, where he was a Brother of Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity, a member of the Student Government Association, and a member of the Phi Alpha Theta Honors Society in History.

He graduated with a BA in History in 1994. In 1997, he earned a Master of Arts degree, specializing in Modern United States History as a major research field, and Kentucky History as a minor field. In 2010, he completed a Certificate in Military History at WKU.

He began teaching as an Instructor at WKU in 1998, and in 2010 began teaching adjunct courses in History for the South Central Kentucky Community and Technical College, a member institution of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS). He has offered classes in Western Civilization to 1648, Western Civilization Since 1648, World History to 1500, World History since 1500, United States to 1865, United States Since 1865, Europe Since the Seventeenth Century, History of Kentucky, Introduction to Military History, University Experience, and Freshman Seminar.

In the fall semester of 2009, David was approached by Brothers Arthur Cook and Scotty Davis and asked to become the faculty advisor for the Beta Phi Chapter, a role he readily accepted. In Spring 2010, he was made an Honorary Brother of Beta Phi.

Collegiate Years at Beta Phi

David has been a liaison between Beta Phi and Western Kentucky University, and has assisted in the growth of the Chapter however he can. In particular, he has worked to make the transition from a small sized group of eight to one now well over thirty Brothers as easy as possible. This includes meeting with each new Initiate one-on-one, assisting in the planning and execution of events, and being a mentor and a friend to the Chapter as a whole.

In June 2011 in response to the devastating tornado that impacted Joplin, Missouri, David organized the first Beta Phi Joplin Run. Five Brothers and two other WKU students, along with three Brothers from Alpha Chapter, spent the weekend of June 24-26 in Joplin assisting Relief Spark in demolishing two houses. The impact of this experience led to the creation of the Beta Phi Joplin Run - The Return, which took place October 6-9, 2011. Eleven Brothers and two other WKU students made this trip. Joplin Run III - The Adventure, took place March 3 through March 7, 2012; twelve Brothers were joined by a fellow WKU student on this trip. Joplin Run IV took place in May 2012 in conjunction with the one year anniversary of the tornado. Joplin Run V is scheduled for October, 2012.

The story of tornado victim Will Norton in particular inspired David to plan the Joplin Runs. In Fall 2011, Norton was inducted as an Honorary Brother, posthumously, of Beta Phi.

Following the Joplin Runs, he has assisted in planning service trips to Live Oak, Florida, Moore, Oklahoma, and Louisville, Mississippi. Brothers from the Alpha, Gamma Phi, and Delta Chi Chapters have joined Beta Phi on these trips, and Brothers from the Kentucky Delta Chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon joined Beta Phi in Mississippi.

At the 2012 National Convention in Orlando, Florida, Serafini was elected as Vice President of Chapter Development. He also gave the Keynote Address at the Convention Banquet, challenging the Fraternity to complete 100,000 hours of volunteer service by the Centennial of 2016.

On May 7, 2015, he was awarded the Chapter Service Key by Beta Phi.

Vice President of Chapter Development

During his term as VPCD, David created the Facebook group Phi Sigma Pi Chapter Talk as a way to facilitate communication between Brothers across the country, advocated leadership through service, and assisted in the creation of the Hours of Hope campaign, which came out of his Keynote Address at the 2012 National Convention.

National Involvement

• Outstanding Chapter Advisor Award, 2011
• 2012 National Convention
• National Development Committee
• Vice President of Chapter Development, 2012-2014
• 2013 Alumni Convention
• 2013 National Convention
• 2014 National Convention
• Buckeye Region Conference Volunteer, 2013-2014
• 2015 National Convention
• Leadership in Action Certified, 2015
• Eastern Midwest Region Conference Volunteer, 2015-2016
• Leadership Advancement Society, 2016
• 2016 National Convention
• 2017 Alumni Convention

Regional Conferences Attended

• Bluegrass Region Conference 2012 Beta Phi Chapter, Western Kentucky University
• South Region Conference 2013 Delta Tau Chapter, Mississippi State University
• West Region Conference 2013 Epsilon Upsilon Chapter, University of New Mexico
• Bluegrass Region Conference 2013 Gamma Beta Chapter, Morehead State University
• Upper Midwest Region Conference 2013 Epsilon Sigma Chapter, University of Iowa
• Southeast Region Conference 2014 Delta Lambda Chapter, University of Miami
• Bluegrass Region Conference 2014 Epsilon Xi Chapter, East Tennessee State University
• Great Plains Region Conference 2014 Gamma Phi Chapter, University of Oklahoma
• Central Pennsylvania Region Conference 2015 Alpha Pi Chapter, Pennsylvania State University
• Bluegrass Region Conference 2015 Epsilon Chapter, Vanderbilt University
• Buckeye Region Conference, 2015 Beta Beta Chapter, Kent State University
• South Region Conference, 2016, Gamma Omicron Chapter, Auburn University
• Bluegrass Region Conference, 2016, Beta Phi Chapter, Western Kentucky University
• Eastern Midwest Conference, 2016, Zeta Omicron Chapter, Northwestern University

Further Resources

• WKU Instructor Planning More Trips to Rebuild Joplin
• Phi Sigma Pi Chapter Advisor Receives National Award

Other Interesting Facts

• David has published articles in The Encyclopedia of Jazz Age America, The Encyclopedia of Postwar America, and The Encyclopedia of Sports in America and has written numerous book reviews.
• When not teaching, writing, reading, advising, or participating in all things Beta Phi, David shamelessly admits he is a comic book/Doctor Who geek. He is also proud uncle to Emmy Elizabeth Wrinkle.
• David was a nominee for the Potter College Public Service Award 2012.
• In 2013, David became Chapter Faculty Advisor and Faculty Fellow to the Kentucky Delta Chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon, and was inducted as a Renaissance Brother in the fall of 2014.
• In 2015, David was named Fraternity Advisor of the Year at Western Kentucky University, and was also awarded the Excellence in Teaching Award from WKU's Chapter of Sigma Alpha Pi, the National Society of Leadership and Success.

Vice President of Chapter Development
Preceded By Kyle Williams, Gamma Delta	Term 2012-2014	Succeeded By Brian Bunton, Beta Kappa