Board of Trustees
The Educational Trust is governed by a Board of Trustees consisting of distinguished alumni Brothers who are responsible for the management and oversight of the Trust. They actively serve on committees, manage Trust assets, and financially support the mission.
If you are interested in becoming a Trustee, please complete the Trustee Interest Form.
Ricardo Perez, Theta Delta 1981
Chairman
Ric has served on various committees, the Board of Governors, the Theta Delta Alumni Association, and, most recently, as Secretary for the Board of Trustees. Over the next couple of years, Ric is looking forward to not only spoiling his first grandchild rotten but also strengthening the bond between the Educational Trust and Fraternity. Ric is hoping to continue cultivating his collection of Spanish wine and Cuban art while simultaneously perfecting his culinary skills through the world of vegan cuisine.
John Hutzler, Kappa Delta 1990
Vice Chairman
From serving on the Board of Governors to the Kappa Delta Alumni Association and Housing Corporation, John has seen Chi Phi through it all. While waiting for his call to compete on Jeopardy!, he plans to spend the next two years helping guide the organization into our bicentennial and beginning of a third century of Chi Phi. When not volunteering, John can be found spending time with his family, embracing the exquisite food NYC has to offer, and binge watching Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Mario Lento, Xi Delta 2012
Treasurer
Mario is motivated by assisting undergraduates with workforce readiness and developing the Trust’s scholarship program. He graduated from the Florida Institute of Technology and currently works at the Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University in Washington, DC. Mario is in his first year on the Board of Trustees. An avid hockey fan, he recently shifted his allegiance from the Rangers to the Capitals. He has also taken up making his own pizza, though his pies will never be as good as his grandmother’s.
Eric Pittman, Alpha Zeta 1993
Secretary
Serving as Chief Financial Officer and President for multiple companies over the past 30 years, it comes as no surprise that Eric found much success serving as Chi Phi’s Grand Delta in the early 2000’s. Additionally, Eric has served on the Board of Governors and played an active role in the Alpha Zeta Alumni Association. Embracing his new appointment as Trustee, his goal is to drive more knowledge and understanding of the positive work the Trust does and to encourage Brothers to volunteer their time and treasure. While secretly hoping to be the next investor on Shark Tank, Eric enjoys playing golf, perfecting his culinary skills, mountaineering, as well as spending time with his wife, Carol, and their four children.
Dan Ahearn, Theta Delta 1999
Trustee
Dan joins the Board of Trustees after serving as both a valuable member of the Board of Governors and the Scholarship Review Committee. His goal as a Trustee is to continue working with undergraduate Brothers and help all members understand the purpose and impact of the Educational Trust. When he takes a break from running his startup, Dan can be found baking bread, playing with his Labrador Retrievers, or rocking out to Pearl Jam.
Mike Dever, Eta 1978
Trustee
Mike is focused on building the Trust’s capacity to fund more scholarships and educational programs for Chi Phi Brothers. He has a degree in Business Administration from the University of Georgia and has served on the Board of Trustees for the past 7 years. Mike lives in Atlanta and works in business litigation. He has two Yorkies and an enduring love for The Allman Brothers Band.
Fran Nolan, Kappa Delta 1990
Trustee
Fran has volunteered the past seven years on various boards and committees (e.g., Board of Governors, Scholarship Committee, Kappa Delta Housing Corporation), which has equipped him to guide the Educational Trust. When he is not focused on drafting the best fantasy baseball team, Fran plans on using these next couple of years to align the Trust and the Fraternity with a solid, unified fundraising strategy. In his free time, you’ll find Fran binge-watching Netflix with his wife, or like any true Bostonian, relaxing to the smooth sounds of James Taylor.
Bob Ramin, Xi 1982, Iota Zeta 1987
Trustee
Bob has served in a variety of roles throughout the years: Advisory Council member for the Xi Chapter at Cornell, active Alumnus of the Craigielea House Board, and, more recently, as the Treasurer for the Board of Trustees. This non-profit fundraising consultant is excited to help lead the charge for a capital campaign commemorating our bicentennial celebration in 2024. In his spare time, Bob enjoys collecting old fraternity and sorority pins he finds at flea markets and yard sales as well as rocking out to either Dave Matthews or Chicago.
Chris Shuler, Alpha Zeta 1984
Trustee
Chris is one of the few Chi Phi Brothers who has worked for the National Office as well as served on both the Grand Council and the Board of Trustees. Through his almost 40 years of volunteering for the organization, he has seen it all, and he plans on using this experience to help successfully guide Chi Phi to our bicentennial celebration. In his free time, Chris enjoys watching home improvement shows, which is coming in handy as he renovates his 1894 Craftsman-style home.
Dave Skelton, Omega 1980
Trustee
Dave has served as a Trustee for 10 years. His current focus is on driving a successful fundraising campaign to help celebrate Chi Phi’s bicentennial. His educational background in building construction has led to a long and successful career in construction management and consulting. Dave enjoys cheering on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. He also enjoys watching police crime dramas like CSI and Blue Bloods with his long-haired Dachshund, Mac.
Jonathan Sterling, Omega 1991
Trustee
Jonathan is driven to help deserving Chi Phi brothers in need of assistance in his role with the Trust. Now in his second year on the Board of Trustees, he previously served as a valuable member of the Board of Advisors. His educational background is in mechanical engineering, which has served him well in his career in mechanical contracting. To give himself a break from all things mechanical, Jonathan enjoys listening to REM and reading: a recent favorite is Daniel Brown’s The Boys in the Boat.
Kirk Thomas, Delta Theta 2005
Trustee
Kirk began his volunteer service as an undergraduate serving as Grand Theta under Grand Alpha Ron Frank. From there he has served as Alpha of Congress, as a facilitator for various educational programs, as well on the Doug Gibson Scholarship Foundation Board of Directors. While anxiously hoping for the opportunity to attend his twenty-seventh Billy Joel concert, he is planning on spending these next few years encouraging Brothers to re-engage with Chi Phi and to volunteer at a national level. Currently employed as a stand up comedian (after an almost 20 year career in marketing), Kirk also enjoys exploring national parks with his 8 year old Husky, Stella, and collecting World War II memorabilia.
John Christian, Lambda 1980
Legal Counsel
Although recently joining the Board of Trustees as Legal Counsel, John has served on the Educational Trust’s Board of Advisors since 2014, as Grand Gamma from 2016-2020, and, prior to that, was the Lambda Chapter Alumni President. John has spent most of his career practicing law but has more recently been involved in managing real estate. He enjoys reading, oil painting, listening to Sinatra, and is always up for a game of golf (especially if it happens to be the Watts Gunn Tournament.)