Media Contact: 
Greg Ward
Director of Communications & SAGA Editor
noblemen@sigtau.org

Barlow takes over for Vanessa Ryan, who is stepping down after serving as CEO since June 2018.

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – The Sigma Tau Gamma Board of Directors announced today the hiring of W.P. “Buz” Barlow Jr., UW – Oshkosh, as its new Chief Executive Officer. Barlow takes over for Vanessa Ryan, who is stepping down after more than six years with Sigma Tau Gamma, serving as CEO since 2018.

Ryan previously served as Sigma Tau Gamma’s Director of Education and Standards and the Director of WPN Housing Company. She helped create Noble Man Institute, expanded the Earl A. Webb Academy of Principled Leaders, grew WPN Housing Company, and was a strong advocate for the new Path of Principles Program. Also, under Ryan, the Sig Tau Foundation distributed the largest total of scholarships and grants to undergraduates in need and led the organization through the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Brother Barlow has served nearly every role as a national volunteer for Sig Tau. He was on the Fraternity Board of Directors and was elected as the 20th National President; he served as Chairman of the Foundation Board of Trustees and as the first Chairman of the WPN Board of Managers. He is the only Sig Tau to chair all three entities.

His dedication has been recognized over the years as he was a recipient of the Winebrenner Distinguished Fraternity Service Award, the Millsap Distinguished Foundation Service Medal, and the second recipient ever of the Ellsworth C. Dent Man of the Year Award. He was inducted into the honorable Society of the Seventeen in 1990 and received the NIC Alumnus Award of Distinction in 2021.

41st National President Jeremy Daus, UW – River Falls, recognized how much of an impact Barlow has had on Sigma Tau Gamma.

“Sigma Tau Gamma has been fortunate to benefit from Buz as a member and volunteer for many years and now looks to benefit from his track record professionally, as he steps into the CEO role. Buz will give Sig Tau the ability to think more strategically with its direction because of the perspectives that come with a very successful career, because we want to thrive in a changing market. With strong connections to all generations of Sig Tau’s, Buz will also help champion a new level of member engagement to pay dividends over the foreseeable future. There is no doubt, Buz will build upon the work accomplished by Vanessa and help propel Sig Tau into the future. The Board of Directors is excited and very happy to select Brother Buz Barlow as the organization’s 8th Chief Executive Officer.”

Professionally, Barlow is an accomplished lawyer and entrepreneur. He is a Founder and Senior partner of his law firm and served as either President or Founder of at least eight other corporate and nonprofit entities. He has been responsible for establishing microenterprise banks in the Third World and directing initiatives aimed at education and self-sufficiency for the poor while frequently speaking on the necessity of conscious capitalism partnerships between business and nonprofit enterprises. Buz has served as Special Counsel to the President of World Vision, the world’s largest Christian ministry, operating in over 100 countries with an annual budget in excess of $1 billion.

Barlow is excited about this opportunity to serve Sig Tau in a new way.

“In our 102-year history, only eight individuals have served as CEO. That is not lost on me; I know how much time, energy, and effort each of those individuals put into this amazing organization. Serving as a national volunteer for over five decades, I’ve seen Sig Tau do great things and overcome any obstacle it has faced. Sigma Tau Gamma helped shape me into the man I am today, and I’m excited to serve an organization I love in this new role.”

Barlow assumed the role and responsibilities as CEO this month, as an official transition period began on July 1, 2022. In the coming months, Ryan and Barlow will work together to ensure a smooth transition for our brotherhood.

###

ABOUT SIGMA TAU GAMMA FRATERNITY

Founded at the University of Central Missouri on June 28, 1920, Sigma Tau Gamma Fraternity celebrated 100 years of brotherhood in 2020. In the last 100 years, the organization has called 197 campuses home and has more than 73,000 initiated members. With a current presence on 62 campuses from coast to coast, our membership includes nearly 2,500 undergraduate men. The Headquarters, which is home to the Fraternity, Foundation, and WPN Housing Company, is located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Visit https://sigtau.org for additional information.