Pete Gingrich

Pete Gingrich
Name	Pete Gingrich
Chapter	Alpha Rho Virginia Tech
Date Inducted	November 30, 1999
Roll Number	ΑΡ 483
Alumni Chapter/Assoc	National Alumni Association
Honorary Member	Tau
Major	Industrial & Systems Engineering
Birthdate	December 1, 1980
Spouse
Nicknames
Awards	2001 AP Most Exemplary Fellowship, 2002 AP Spirit Award, 2004 AP Outstanding Alumni Award, Chapter Service Key

Pete Gingrich (born 1 December 1980) is an Alumnus and Chapter Service Key Recipient of Alpha Rho Chapter (ΑΡ 483) at Virginia Tech. He is a member of the Alpha Rho Chapter Endowment Fund Board of Trustees, the Sanctions Appeal Board, the National Alumni Association and the Phi Sigma Pi Foundation.

Early Fraternity Life and Career

Pi Initiate Class; Pete - bottom row, 2nd from left

Pete enrolled at Virginia Tech in Fall 1998 after graduating from Concord High School in Wilmington, Delaware. As a sophomore, he was looking for a student organization to become heavily involved in when he received a letter inviting him to Phi Sigma Pi's Open Rush. Intrigued by the blend of scholarship, leadership and fellowship, as well as the co-ed aspects of the organization, he rushed Phi Sigma Pi in Fall 1999. Pete received a bid, and after a successful Initiation period serving as Initiate Class Service Chair, he was Inducted into the Chapter with the Pi Initiate Class on November 30, 1999.

Collegiate Years at Alpha Rho Chapter

During his time as an undergraduate Brother, Pete was very active within the Chapter, attending virtually every event the Chapter held. He was a regular participant in the Chapter's service events including cleanup days at the Virginia Tech Duckpond and a weekly mentorship program at a local elementary school. In Fall 2001, he won an intra-Chapter competition, logging the most service hours of any Alpha Rho Brother for the semester.

Pete served in several leadership positions as an undergraduate. In his second semester as a Brother, he served as Initiation Chair for the Sigma Initiate Class. The following semester, he served as Fellowship Chair, and among other events, planned the Chapter's first end of year Toga party, a tradition that continues today. The next year he served as Initiate Advisor for the Upsilon and Phi Initiate Classes. In addition to his elected leadership roles, he helped on several ad-hoc committees to organize special events the Chapter held, including its annual 5K and the now defunct Fashion Show.

Alpha Rho at 2000 AH Tripod 21; Pete - back row, right end

Pete was instrumental in expanding the Chapter's presence within Virginia Tech intramural sports, serving as captain of many of the teams. During his time as an undergrad, the Chapter increased its number of intramural sports teams from two to eight and climbed into the Top 10 of the Hokie Grail standings, a set of rankings by the Virginia Tech Intramural Sports Department where organizations earn points based on participation and performance in intramural sports.

Pete also enjoyed road trips to other chapters. During his time as an undergraduate, his fraternity related trips included destinations of Tau, Alpha Beta, Alpha Eta, Alpha Mu, Alpha Xi, Alpha Omicron, Beta Delta, Beta Rho, St. Louis, and Pittsburgh.

Pete was recognized with a variety of superlatives and awards during his time as an undergraduate. In his first semester as a Brother, he was recognized as Most Laid Back and Best Big/Little with his Big Brother, Jae Welchel. In Spring 2001 he was recognized at Alpha Rho's annual Semiformal banquet as Most Exemplary Fellowship. In Fall 2001 he was selected as Tripod King, an annual title awarded in conjunction with the the week of events leading up to the Chapter's Founder's Weekend. In Fall 2002 he was awarded the Chapter's Spirit Award at the Alpha Rho/Beta Delta Founder's Weekend. Other superlatives Pete received during his time in college included Most Likely to be Wearing Letters and Most Likely to Talk Trash.

Alumni Years to Present

After graduating from Virginia Tech in December 2002, Pete moved back to Delaware for 6 months and worked as a substitute junior high and high school teacher while he finished his job search and interview process. In June 2003, he moved to Washington, DC and began working for Accenture as a business consultant. In December 2006, he moved to Arlington, Virginia and became roommates with fellow Alpha Rho alumnus Jeff Owen. Two years later, he moved within Arlington and became roommates with Alpha Beta alumnus Arnie Seipel. The two remained roommates for 6.5 years until Pete moved to Alexandria, Virginia and Arnie to Washington, DC in the summer of 2015. Pete continues to work for Accenture where he is now a Senior Manager.

Alpha Rho Chapter Involvement

Ageless Wonders Flag Football Team; Pete - back row, left end

Pete has remained active with Alpha Rho after graduation, participating in the Chapter's Alumni Buddy program with Initiates and has kept in touch with Brothers through regular trips to Blacksburg for football games and Chapter events. In addition, Pete was captain of an Alpha Rho Alumni team at six consecutive Alpha Eta Hope Bowl flag football tournaments. The Ageless Wonders (pictured at left), won the tournament three consecutive years from 2003-2005; Encore, finished 2nd in 2006; Let's Just Win, won the 2007 tournament; and the Alpha Rho Alumni Team placed 2nd at the 2008 tournament. Pete also organized several alumni teams for the annual Alpha Beta volleyball tournament, although the teams achieved decidedly less success than the Hope Bowl teams.

At Alpha Rho's 2004 Alumni Weekend, Pete was honored for his participation as an Alumnus with the Loren P. Johnson Outstanding Alumni Award. In March 2005, he was elected to a three-year term on the Alpha Rho Alumni Advisory Board (AAB). One year later, he was recognized as Most Familiar Face at Alpha Rho's Alumni Banquet and stepped into the role of Chair of the AAB, a role he continued for the 2007-2008 academic year. This term on the AAB was marked with extreme highs and lows for Alpha Rho. The Chapter lost alumna Emily Specchio to a brain anuerysm the day after her graduation in May 2006. In November 2006, the Chapter hit a high by winning its 8th Torchia award. The following spring hit another lowpoint when the Chapter was devastated by the April 16th shootings that killed 32 students and faculty, including initiate Erin Peterson. Following the April 16th tragedy at Virginia Tech, Pete worked with a group of Alpha Rho Alumni to setup the Alpha Rho Chapter Endowment Fund and has served on the Board of Trustees for the fund since its establishment. In August 2008, the Chapter once again showed resilience from its latest lowpoint, winning its 9th Torchia.

On April 4, 2009 at the Chapter's annual Alumni Banquet, Pete was awarded a Chapter Service Key, becoming just the eighth Alpha Rho Brother to receive the honor. That same evening, Pete was re-elected to a two-year term on Alpha Rho's AAB after a one-year hiatus, becoming the first Alpha Rho Brother ever elected to a second AAB term. In addition to rejoining the AAB, he immediately returned to his previous role as Chair of the Board for the duration of his new term. In 2011, Pete ran for an unprecedented third AAB term and was re-elected by the Chapter for another two years, retaining his role as Chairman. Days after starting that term, Alpha Rho was placed on suspension that would last for a year. As such, the majority of the term was spent helping Alpha Rho review and restructure in order to address concerns from the university and national office. Following the chapter resuming activity and holding successful rushes in Fall 2012 and Spring 2013, Pete decided not to run a fourth term on the board, instead allowing new alumni leaders to step up for the Chapter. He remains as an informal advisor and supporter to Alpha Rho and its Brothers.

National Involvement

Pete has also taken steps to remain active with Phi Sigma Pi on the national level. He has been a member of the Phi Sigma Pi Foundation since 2008 and is a member of the National Alumni Association (NAA). Pete served on the National Membership Development Committee from 2004 through 2007, at which point all National Standing Committees were combined and he began serving on the National Development Committee (NDC), which he served on through 2012. A large part of Pete's contribution on the NDC was serving as an admin for the Wiki.

At the 2007 National Convention/Grand Chapter in New Orleans, Pete ran for national office for the first time. The special election for Vice President of Alumni Development was won by Kadira Coley. The following year, Pete joined Matthew "FreshBoy" Nicoletta, as one of the two elected NAA delegates at the historic 2008 Grand Chapter Conference in which the NAA was granted the right to have delegates for the first time. At that Grand Chapter Conference, he was also elected to the Sanctions Appeal Board for the 2008-2010 term. Two years later, Pete was again elected as the NAA Delegate for the 2010 National Convention in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Pete also ran for national office for the second time, this time for the office of Vice President of Membership Development, an election that was won by Natalie Swierzbin. The following year, Pete was elected as a NAA Alternate Delegate for the 2011 National Convention in Arlington, Virginia. In 2012, Pete once again ran for Vice President of Membership Development in an election that was won by Natalie Swierzbin.

On April 20, 2013, Pete was honored by Tau Chapter and inducted as an honorary Brother of the chapter.

National Involvement

• Sanctions Appeal Board, 2008-Present
• Phi Sigma Pi Foundation, 2008-Present
• National Development Committee, 2007-2012
• National Alumni Association (NAA), 2005-Present
• Nominee for Vice President of Membership Development, 2010 & 2012
• Nominee for Vice President of Alumni Development, 2007
• National Membership Development Committee, 2004-2007
• National Convention, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, , 2014
• Grand Chapter, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008 NAA Delegate, 2010 NAA Delegate, 2011 NAA Alternate, 2012, 2013, 2014 NAA Alternate
• Zeta Delta Spring 2011 Inductions
• Zeta Delta Founding, May 2, 2010
• Alpha Beta Volleyball, 2001-2002, 2004-2006, 2008, 2010
• Alpha Beta Founder's Day, 2008
• Alpha Eta Hope Bowl, 2001-2008
• Alpha Rho/Beta Delta Founder's Weekend, 1999-2003, 2005, 2007
• Tau Founder's Weekend, 2000-2002, 2013
• Mid Atlantic Region "Southern Comfort" Regional Conference at Alpha Omicron Chapter, 2001
• Alpha Eta Tripod 21, 2000-2002
• Beta Rho Founder's Weekend, 2000, 2004

Pete (center) with Jae and Andrea

Bigs and Littles

Pete's Big Brother is Jae Welchel, who is a fellow Alumnus.

Pete has 2 Little Brothers:

• Ryan Lemerich, Alumnus
• Andrea MacAllister, Alumna

Academic Degrees

• Concord High School Class of 1998, High School Diploma
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University Class of 2002, Bachelor of Science in Industrial & Systems Engineering

Further Resources

• Pete can be reached by email at pete-DOT-gingrich-AT-gmail-DOT-com

Other Interesting Facts

• Pete never missed a required chapter, chair, chair/exec, or committee meeting as an undergraduate at Alpha Rho
• Post-college, Pete was roommates with Alpha Beta Chapter alum and Alpha Rho honorary brother Arnie Seipel for 6.5 years
• Pete was valedictorian of the Class of 1998 at Concord High School in Wilmington, Delaware
• Pete declined an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy in order to enroll at Virginia Tech
• Pete is a diehard Virginia Tech football fan. In addition to maintaining season tickets for home games, he has attended away games at Boston College, Clemson, Duke (2x), East Carolina, LSU, Maryland (2x), Miami, Nebraska, North Carolina (2x), Ohio State, Pittsburgh (2x), Temple, Virginia (4x), Wake Forest, and West Virginia; regular season neutral site games in Charlotte, DC (2x) and Atlanta (2x); and the following post-season games: ACC Championship Game (4x), Chick-fil-A Bowl (2x), Gator Bowl, Military Bowl, Orange Bowl (3x), Russell Athletic Bowl, and Sugar Bowl (2x). As of the end of the 2014 season, he has attended 142 Virginia Tech games since the start of his freshman year in college.
• Pete has completed 5 half-marathons and 4 triathlons (2 sprint & 2 international distance)
• Pete has taken six initiate buddies in Alpha Rho's Alumni Buddy program: Lindsey Field, Molly Fagan, Julie Poole, Katie Kane, Heather Reeves, and Josh Kim.
• Pete has been a groomsman or best man in five Alpha Rho Brothers' weddings-- Rex Card, David Spracher, Matt Radzom, Billy Cosby, and Jeff Owen.

Alpha Rho Initiate Advisor
Preceded By Brent Jones	Term 2001-2002	Succeeded By Casie Isaacs

Alpha Rho Chapter Awards - Spirit Award
Preceded By Rex Card	Year 2002	Succeeded By Rachel Mitnick

Alpha Rho Chapter Awards - Loren P. Johnson Outstanding Alumni Award
Preceded By Amy Polishuk	Year 2004	Succeeded By David Spracher

Alpha Rho Alumni Advisory Board Chair
Preceded By Rex Card	Term 2006-2008	Succeeded By David Spracher

Alpha Rho Alumni Advisory Board Chair
Preceded By David Spracher	Term 2009-2013	Succeeded By Dan Spracher