Tau Kappa Epsilon Wins ASAE Foundation Innovation Grant Program Award

INDIANAPOLIS - Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE) Fraternity is one of four winning projects for the ASAE Foundation's Innovation Grant Program (IGP), with major support from SunTrust Foundation. TKE's proposal was selected from approximately 40 applications this year and will be recognized during the American Society of Association Executives' 2014 Great Ideas Conference, March 9-11, 2014, at the Hyatt Regency Orlando.

Tau Kappa Epsilon's initiative, "Better In, Better Out," focuses on generating more external stimuli and inputs to feed their internal innovation process. TKE staff will be visiting a diverse list of other professional organizations around the country to examine their business models and strategies. They will also be hosting a seminar event with industry colleagues to discuss the future landscape for fraternal groups and fostering creative dialogue among their members about the same topic.

"We are proud to be recognized for our commitment to innovation and for our creative, forward-looking approaches to fraternal leadership and association management," stated Shawn A. Babine, CEO of Tau Kappa Epsilon. "I am particularly pleased that we have received this positive affirmation from ASAE for the first grant proposal that I have collaborated on with our new Chief Innovation Officer, Christopher Niles."

This is the second year ASAE Foundation has implemented the IGP awards, which provides awards to support innovation exploration and development initiatives in the association community. It's one of a number of initiatives designed by the ASAE Foundation to raise awareness on how organizations are influencing their industry. Tau Kappa Epsilon is the first international men's fraternity to receive an IGP Award.

"SunTrust Foundation understands the value associations bring to society and their impact locally and globally," said Vince Wesley, Senior Vice President, and Manager of the SunTrust Not-for-Profit and Government Team in Washington, DC. "We are committed to spur innovation that will make a difference for associations and their respective members, constituents, and industries they serve."

"Congratulations to Tau Kappa Epsilon on winning the IGP award. Their proposal was innovative and the committee was very impressed," said Michelle Mason CQIA, FASAE, CAE, chair of the IGP steering committee and managing director at the American Society for Quality. "We are excited to see the results of the project – how it will impact their communities and how it will enhance member value."

For more information about the IGP program, visit ASAE's Foundation website.

For further information, please contact:

Kyle Erdman

Communications Specialist

317.872.6533

KErdman@tke.org