Brother Brody McKinney of Alpha Iota Chapter at the University of Arkansas has been dreaming of joining the country music industry since he was a junior in high school. Since then, he has been pushing his musical talents to build up a fan-base with the help of his fellow brothers at the Alpha Iota Chapter.
After graduating high school, Brother McKinney moved to Fayetteville, Arkansas to attend college. He initially was looking to join a larger fraternity, but along the way, he met some brothers of Alpha Gamma Rho and he immediately felt like he was home.
“Little did I know I would find a group of guys that would be my biggest supporters through it all,” Brother McKinney said.
As time went on, many of the Alpha Iota Chapter brothers began attending Brody’s gigs and as his music career grew, so did their support.
Brother McKinney said after a year and a half, he works closely with the chapter’s VNR-Recruitment, VNR-Activities and Philanthropic events to boost his career.
“My brothers here at the Alpha Iota Chapter push me every single day to be a better man, better artist, and better person. I would not be where I am today without them,” he said.
Brother McKinney has been featured on their local news, “Good Day NWA” and was nominated for “Young Artist of the Year Award” in the state of Arkansas, given out by the Arkansas Country Music Award (ACMA) organization. He will also be competing on this season of American Idol.
He said none of this would be possible without the support of his brothers at Alpha Iota Chapter supporting him every step of the way.
Brother Jim Hagar of Beta Epsilon Chapter at Arkansas State University was recently promoted to Director-Quality and Regulatory Affairs at HealthLink (a division of Base Logistics), managing the business in nine international countries, the United States and Canada, comprising 260 distribution centers.
Brother Hagar served as a Chapter Adviser at Beta Epsilon Chapter for 25 years and held multiple Alumni Board positions until August 2022. In 2019 he returned to the mid-south after 21 years with Monsanto/Bayer Agriculture where he achieved Executive Leadership Team roles. Afterwards, he returned to Tennessee and began working for HealthLink.
Brother Sam Wildman of Beta Chapter at Ohio State University recently started a new role with the North American Meat Institute as a Director of Strategic Projects. In this role, Brother Wildman helps advance the meat industry’s goals on sustainability in their five focus areas: Animal Health and Welfare, Environment, Food Safety, Health and Wellness, and Labor and Human Rights.
Previously, Brother Wildman worked for Context Network for nearly a decade and the World Wildlife Fund in the livestock sector prior to his shift to the North American Meat Institute.
Brother Jason Searles of Beta Theta Chapter at Middle Tennessee State University was promoted to Director of Sales and Marketing at Coleman Tractor Company in February. Prior to this position, Brother Searles held multiple managerial positions with other companies such as Helton, Inc., Woods Equipment Company and Mahindra USA, Inc. In January 2015, he received the Peer Recognition Award at Mahindra USA, Inc.
Alpha Tau Chapter at Western Illinois University received the Excellence in Philanthropy award at the 2023 Fraternity and Sorority Life Awards Ceremony. Alpha Tau Chapter’s biggest philanthropy is their Smokin’ Hog event, where last November, they raised $33,000, surpassing their goal by $2,000. Adviser Carrie Lowderman also received Chapter Advisor of the Year while at the ceremony.
Alpha Beta Chapter at Oregon State University was recognized by the Interfraternity Council at the University as one of the top five fraternities on campus with the highest overall GPA. The chapter came in fourth place with a grade point average of 3.33. The chapter trailed Delta Upsilon Fraternity and Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity (which were tied) by .06.
Brother Charles Looney of Alpha Iota Chapter at the University of Arkansas was inducted into the Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame March 1, in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Dr. Charles Looney is a Cattle Improvement Specialist and Professor at the University of Arkansas. Over his tenure, he has founded two cattle genetics companies in Texas, OvaGenix and Ultimate Genetics. He also worked for Granada Biosciences where he was part of the team that produced the first embryo-derived bovine clones and is known for numerous successes in bovine genetics.
Currently, Dr. Looney works at the University of Arkansas’ Southwest Research and Extension Center near Hope, Arkansas.
Brother Jace Green of Alpha Tau Chapter at Western Illinios University was this month's Student Spotlight of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB). In their monthly eChats email, Brother Green was highlighted and wrote about his experience with NAFB. He wrote about how he grew up listening to WYXY Classic 99.1, and worked with Gale Cunningham, the Regional Vice Presidents East Region of NAFB.
Brother Green was interviewed on multiple occassions over the years by Cunningham for his activities in 4-H. The two regularly connected at the local county fair for interviews since Jace was 9 years old. In May 2023, Cunningham invited Brother Green to the WYXY 99.1 station where he was introduced to the work they do at the station as a Country music and an agriculture-centered radio station. Brother Green expressed his appreciation for the opportunity and credits NAFB for helping him discover a new passion in agriculture.
