Sigma Phi Epsilon - San Diego State University

Page 2 Cal Delta News & Views Vince Biondo '64 Dedicates Life to Public Service, Lifelong Learning W hen Vince Biondo '64 arrived at SDSU, California Delta was a small and struggling chapter, but had some outstanding seniors who were dedicated to helping it grow. When it came time for Vince to move into the house the second semester of his freshman year, John Gallo '62, then-VP finance, made him house manager and kick-started Vince's years as a chapter officer. The following year, Vince served as comptroller, and junior year one of the best honors of his life came his way: being elected president of the 100- man fraternity. These positions helped prepare Vince for a life of public service and eventually for his role as president of the city attorney's Department of the League of California Cities. "I truly believe that none of the things I was able to achieve in my professional life would have been possible without the lessons learned from my brothers, administrators, and others at SDSU from all my extracurricular activities," he said. Upon graduation, Vince received an academic scholarship to Stanford Law School, where he earned his doctor of jurisprudence degree in 1967. During his college years, Vince's home life was less than ideal, and he was allowed to live in the house during the summer while he earned his law degree. "Hardy Way was my home for seven years and the brothers were my family," he said. "The Vince Biondo who graduated from SDSU was a completely different person. For me, my SigEp experience was truly transformative." Professionally, Vince spent 20 years as city attorney of Carlsbad and seven years as the first fulltime general council of the San Diego County Water Authority. Although Vince's time was fully committed while working, he has been retired for 20 years and spends his time traveling extensively with his wife of 50 years, Betsey. The couple both attended SDSU, but met in 1967 when they were interns for the City of San Diego (Vince with the city attorney and Betsey with the manager's office). Vince says he was "too stupid" to marry her before leaving for his naval service, but is thankful she gave him a second chance. The couple married in Subic Bay in the Philippines with George Gallagher '63 serving as best man. Vince and Betsey have two sons and are actively involved with SDSU athletics. Additionally, they give scholarships to the university each year to student teachers who are practicing teaching in public school and with immigrants to help prepare them for a career in public service. Besides traveling and trying to be a "lifelong learner," Vince also enjoys long-range deep sea fishing. He can be reached at bbiondo@yahoo.com. Former Chapter President Alex Power '11 Reflects on His SigEp Experience A s philanthropy chairman, Alex Power '11 made a goal to create an event that brought all three San Diego SigEp chapters together as well as the sororities from each university. He knew he wanted the event to be more than a quick weekend and for it to actually raise money. The result: the SigEp Sun Cup, a beach soccer tournament. In the first year, the event was a success with more than 20 sororities competing and raising over $5,000. For someone who came to SDSU with no intentions to join a fraternity, Alex and his team outdid themselves and began a profitable philanthropy event. "I had not realized all of the benefits of joining, outside of the social aspect," he said. "Coming to SDSU I never thought I would have joined another fraternity, but SigEp was the perfect fit for me--a balance of good times, sincere friends, and positive encouragement to do more on and off campus." Alex later became president of CA Delta and had the honor of accepting a Dean's Trophy, Buchanan Cup, and Best Student Organization award by Associated Students. He believes his roles as a chapter officer helped provide the confidence and experience he needed to manage people and projects early in his career. Additionally, he's thankful for Ron Smith '69 and Skip Dahlkamp '63, who were both terrific alumni in the chapter and made an impact on him. "Ron's faith, optimism, and encouragement kept me going through difficult times as chapter president. He knew how to provide support while holding me accountable and urging me to push the chapter," he said. "Skip and I connected in the house and also through finance, my undergraduate degree. As someone considering a similar route, I was able to receive mentorship form Skip to figure out the right path after college." Upon graduation from SDSU, Alex was introduced to his first company through Jamie Ceglarz '07 and spent nearly five years with the recruiting firm Aerotek. Through that experience, he learned and enjoyed aspects of talent management, sales, and consulting clients, which led him into discussion with Sean Kashanchi '11. About two years ago, Alex joined Sean at Gallup, a management consulting company, where he provides workplace solutions to mid-size organizations in the Bay Area. "Joining Gallup has been a terrific fit for me and led me to pursue my master's in organization development from the University of San Francisco. I am about halfway through the program and enjoying my career path even more now." Since moving to San Francisco, there's been some difficulty remaining involved with thechapter due to the distance; however, over the years, Alex has mentored a few undergraduate brothers and taken part in Bay Area meetups. His main connection with the chapter now exists through the lifelong friendships he gained as a member. "The fraternity taught me to be responsible for more than myself, own up to my mistakes, seek balance, form deep relationships, and enjoy the opportunities life presents," he said. Alex enjoys exercising and spending his free time outdoors. He can be reached at alexander.m.power@gmail.com. Alex Power '11 with fellow 2010 executive board members. Six of the seven board members were able to make the last alumni tailgate in San Diego.

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