Elected Leadership Transition for Psi Upsilon

Tom Allan, Theta Theta ‘89 (University of Washington)

At this summer’s Convention, James A. Swanke, Jr. Rho ‘80 (University of Wisconsin) passed the president’s gavel to Thomas T. Allan, IV, Theta Theta ‘89 (University of Washington) who became the 23rd president of the Executive Council of Psi Upsilon Fraternity.

Tom Allan has served on the Executive Council since 2000, most recently in the position of vice president. He is also a key member of the alumni leadership of the Theta Theta chapter.

Born and raised in Hawaii, Tom hails from Kirkland, Washington, and is a 1989 graduate of the University of Washington.Tom’s particular areas of fraternity interest are expansion and ritual. Tom’s particular area of non-fraternity interest is sailing with his family in the San Juan and Gulf Islands.

Tom and his wife, Anne who is a member of Alpha Chi Omega, have three children, Maile, Lyndsay and Tommy. The Allan family is well known among Convention delegates and are regular attendees of many Psi U events.

Tom is Vice President, Business Intelligence, Apps Business at Adknowledge. Adknowledge operates the largest marketplace for advertisers to connect with their target audiences in hard-to-reach places on the web.

Early in his presidency, Jim set several strategic objectives for the Fraternity. Those objectives included board development, expansion and fund raising. “The Executive Council worked well together to help achieve these goals,” says Jim. He proudly points to the establishment of two new chapters, a provisional chapter as well as the reactivation of the Rho (University of Wisconsin) and the Theta (Union College).

During his tenure as president, the Fraternity undergraduate membership grew by 12%. The Fraternity operated in the black throughout Jim’s terms, in spite of ever increasing costs of risk management.

Jim welcomed four new alumni term members to the Executive Council during his presidency and encouraged specific board training at each meeting. A more strategic process for identifying and recruiting board members was also put in place.

Under Jim’s leadership the Executive Council partnered with the Foundation board of directors to increase fund raising. This partnership lead to the Leadership Initiative, a major gifts fund raising effort intended to expand and improve existing programs.

Jim’s most cherished memory of his presidency was presiding at the initiation of his son, James A. Swanke, III Rho ‘14.

Jim Swanke, Rho ‘80 (University of Wisconsin)