Gregory E. McElroy
Gregory E. McElroy – Phi Chapter – New York University – 1971
Gregory E. McElroy is a seasoned professional in the world of the International Greek Movement. Following his graduation from NYU in 1971, he served Zeta Psi as a Chapter Consultant for one year and then became Executive Director in 1972, serving in that role until 1996. He has continued his active involvement in Zeta Psi at the International Board level, culminating in his election in August of 2006 to the two-year office of Phi Alpha # 131 of Zeta Psi Fraternity and President of the Zeta Psi Educational Foundation. In 2011, he received Zeta Psi’s highest commendation, the Distinguished Service Award, and served as the only ex-officio Board member in that fraternity’s 168-year history for ten years through January, 2020.
During his years as a fraternity professional, he served on the Board of the Fraternity Executives Association (the association of chief executives and staffs of all men’s and women’s international Greek organizations) becoming President of that association in the 1985-86 year, and in 1999, he received the Association’s highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award.
He has been responsible for raising millions of dollars for Zeta Psi’s Annual Fund and three major gifts campaigns conducted under his direction—the Campaign for Endowment in the 1980s and the Zeta Psi Heritage Society which was launched at the 150th anniversary convention in New York City in 1997—before he formally began his full-time career in professional fund raising in 1996. He has most recently completed in 2017 the professional coordination of the Campaign for Zeta Psi, which raised over $3.5 million, and which was formally kicked off at Zeta Psi’s annual convention in Las Vegas in August of 2015.
He has helped to raise well in excess of $30 million in capital and deferred gifts on behalf of four international fraternity organizations and dozens of local chapters of various fraternities, with chapters located on campuses from New England to Florida on the East Coast and California and Washington State on the West Coast. He has the distinction of being the fund raising consultant for seven fraternity capital campaigns at Cornell University, which have raised well in excess of $14 million primarily for chapter housing renovation upgrades, including having coordinated the Psi Chapter’s capital campaign which exceeded its $1.5 million goal.
His volunteer activities for Zeta Psi include serving as the Elder President of the Eta Chapter at Yale since 2010, as an officer of the Sigma Chapter’s Elder Association at the University of Pennsylvania for several years, as an Elder Association Board Director for his own Phi Chapter at NYU, and service on many of Zeta Psi’s standing committees of the International Fraternity and/or Educational Foundation for the past three decades.
He lives in Pearl River, New York with his wife Bobbi (married since 1974), and they have three children and eight grandchildren who live in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York. One of his proudest moments in his five decades of Zeta Psi service was administering the oath of membership to his son Geoffrey at his Pi Tau (WPI) Chapter, who maintains active service as an officer of his Elder Chapter and his service on multiple Zeta Psi committees.
In 2020, Greg received the James J. Carey Leadership Award. In 2021 the Fraternity named its new “Chapter of the Year Award” after Greg. At the 2022 Zeta Psi Convention in Brooklyn, NY, Greg was honored as the recipient of the Henry Elliot Volunteer of the Year Award.
