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By Nathanael Hawthorne, YOUNGSTOWN 2020
Ten alumni serve the nation at one of the highest civil servant levels
Dating back to 1883 with Founder Isaac M. Jordan, MIAMI (OHIO) 1857, Sigma Chi has had a member in Congress for a combined 111 years. Currently, 10 men who proudly wear the White Cross continue that legacy of Sigs shaping the future of the country.
Consecutively, Sigs have served in Congress for 63 years, starting in 1961. The current 10 Sig Congressmen are also among the largest group of Sigma Chis to serve together. Together, the group is the largest Greek-letter affiliated group in Congress. Those Congressmen are: Significant Sig Kelly Armstrong, NORTH DAKOTA 2000, R-ND; Dan Bishop, NORTH CAROLINA 1986, R-NC; Significant Sig Tim Burchett, TENNESSEE-KNOXVILLE 1985, R-TN; Significant Sig Ruben Gallego, HARVARD 2004, D-AZ; Significant Sig John Garamendi, CALIFORNIA-BERKELEY 1966, D-CA; Significant Sig Garrett Graves, ALABAMA and LOUISIANA STATE 1994, R-LA; Significant Sig Steny Hoyer, MARYLAND 1963, D-MD; Blake Moore, UTAH 2004, R-UT; Significant Sig Dean Phillips, BROWN 1991, D-MN; Significant Sig Roger Williams, TEXAS CHRISTIAN 1971, R-TX.
The Congressmen embody the Sigma Chi Transformational Leader program at one of the highest levels. As civil servants, they routinely show the skills mastered in the program. According to the Transformational Leader program’s website, “the transformational leader first must learn to manage self before being able to lead others and cultivate action within your community.”
Transforming undergraduate members into the leaders of tomorrow is paramount. Sigma Chi Leadership Institute is the first and only fraternal-affiliated organization to be accredited by the Middle States Association Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools, which is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
“These Congressmen truly show what it’s like to be a Transformational Leader within the Sigma Chi International Fraternity. Living your life as a Transformational Leader is synonymous with putting Sigma Chi’s seven values into action for the good of others and their communities at one of the highest civil-servant levels. They truly provide a positive pathway for our undergraduates to follow as they are out in their chapters within their respective leadership journeys,” says SCLI Executive Director Jim Cogdal, BRADLEY 2004.
Kelly Armstrong, NORTH Dakota 2000, R—ND
Armstrong graduated from the University of North Dakota in 2001 and finished law school at the university in 2003. Following his graduation, Armstrong began practicing law in Grand Forks, North Dakota. He later returned to his hometown of Dickinson, North Dakota, with his wife. During his law career, Armstrong was known for working tirelessly for his clients and garnered respect from all he worked with. In 2011, Armstrong joined his family business, Armstrong Corporation, as vice president. Since 1975, the business has expanded to include oil and gas exploration, agricultural operations and investments in local businesses. His strong commitment to his community is what led Armstrong to politics. In 2012, he was elected to the North Dakota State Senate for District 36. Elected to Congress in 2018, Armstrong focuses on preserving the livelihood for North Dakota’s farmers and ranchers, as well as utilizing the natural resources the state has to offer. In Congress, Armstrong serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Committee on the Judiciary and the House Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government.
Dan Bishop, NORTH CAROLINA 1986, R—NC
Bishop earned his law degree from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and served on the North Carolina Law Review. Bishop’s civil service started in January 2005 as a member of the Mecklenburg County Commission in North Carolina, and he served until 2008. Bishop spent six years away from politics but returned to serve in the North Carolina House of Representatives from 2015 to 2017, where he then won a seat in the state senate for District 39. He then ran in the 9th congressional district special election in March 2019. Later that year, Bishop won the general election and took office in September. In Congress, Bishop serves on the Committees on the Judiciary and Homeland Security, the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government and chairs the Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations and Accountability of the Committee on Homeland Security.
Tim Burchett, TENNESSEE-KNOXVILLE 1985, R—TN
Burchett earned a Bachelor of Science degree in education from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. He has been involved in politics since 1994 when he was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives, serving until 1998 when he won a four-year term in the Senate. He was twice reelected, serving from 1999 to 2010. When his service in the Senate came to an end, Burchett was elected mayor of Knox County, Tennessee, and served his hometown for eight years until he claimed Tennessee’s District 2 seat in Congress. As a congressman, Burchett has sponsored 23 bills and co-sponsored 201 pieces of legislation, three of which were signed into law by President Joe Biden: Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers for Veterans Therapy Act, Patient Advocate Tracker Act and Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act. Burchett serves on the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, Foreign Affairs and Transportation and Infrastructure.
Ruben Gallego, HARVARD 2004, D—AZ
Gallego attended Harvard University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in international relations, and joined the U.S. Marines Corps, serving for six years during Iraq War. His experience in the armed forces motivated Gallego to become involved in politics and, in 2010, he was elected to the House of Representatives. In 2014, Gallego announced he was running for Arizona’s 7th congressional district. He claimed the election and assumed office Jan. 3, 2015. As a congressman, Gallego committed himself to his fellow veterans through his service on the House Armed Services Committee, where he is the current ranking member of the Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations. His work involves retaining the United States’ qualitative military edge and employing military power only when necessary
John Garamendi, CALIFORNIA-BERKELEY 1966, D—CA
Following his graduation from Harvard Business School, Garamendi and his wife spent the years 1966 to 1968 in Ethiopia as members of the Peace Corps. Garamendi has spent several decades in politics, serving in the California State Assembly from 1974 to 1976, then in the California Senate from 1976 to 1990. He then served as the California Insurance Commissioner until 1995 when President Bill Clinton appointed him Deputy Secretary of the Interior until 1998. He transitioned into the private sector until winning the insurance commissioner position again in 2003. Garamendi served until he was elected as California lieutenant governor in 2007. He would serve for two years until he ran for Congress, winning in 2009 and remaining ever since. Currently, Garamendi serves on the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, as well as six other subcommittees.
Garret Graves, ALABAMA & LOUISIANA STATE 1994, R—LA
Spending most of his professional career in politics, Graves’ entrance to the field came as an aide to Congressman Billy Tauzin for nine years, and he was a legislative aide to the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce. In 2005, Graves was then an aide for the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation under Sen. David Vitter. Three years later, Graves was appointed to the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority and, as chair, was in negotiations with British Petroleum over the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. After his resignation, Graves won the Louisiana 6th District Congress seat in 2014 and assumed office in January 2015. Graves currently serves on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, the Natural Resources Committee and is a Ranking Member of the House Climate Crisis Committee.
Steny Hoyer, MARYLAND 1963, D—MD
The longest-tenured Sig in Congress, Hoyer has been a congressman since 1981, but his political career has been ongoing since 1967 when he started as a member of the Maryland Senate. After working his way up the state Senate ladder, ultimately becoming president of the Senate, Hoyer won his seat as Maryland’s 5th District representative. One of Hoyer’s greatest achievements as a congressman was through his shepherding of the Americans With Disabilities Act in 1990, which was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush and prohibits discrimination based on disability. Most recently, Hoyer served as House Majority Leader from 2019 to 2023. His current designation in Congress is Chair of the Regional Leadership Council and serves as the Ranking Member on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government.
Blake Moore, UTAH 2004, R—UT
After earning his master’s degree from Northwestern University, Moore briefly served as a United States Foreign Service officer for the Department of State and also worked in the private sector at a management consulting firm in his home state of Utah. In 2020, Moore announced his candidacy for the state’s 1st Congressional District and won the seat by a nearly 40% margin. As a freshman in Congress, Moore helped get four bills: the Saline Lake Ecosystems in the Great Basin States Program Act, the Better Cybercrime Metrics Act, the National Medal of Honor Act and the Modernizing Access to our Public Land Act, as well as provisions in the Afghanistan Accountability Act. Moore was chosen to serve as an assistant whip on the Republican Whip Team, the House Armed Services Committee and co-chair of the bipartisan Depot, Air Force and Future caucuses, as well as the Committee on Natural Resources and the House Budget Committee.
Dean Phillips, BROWN 1991, D—MD
In the years after earning his Master of Business Administration in 2000, Phillips worked as president and CEO of his family’s organization, the Phillips Distilling Company. He stepped aside in 2012 to focus on his other corporate investments. In 2018, Phillips ran for Minnesota’s 3rd Congressional District. When he assumed office in January 2019, he became the first Democrat to hold the seat in nearly 60 years. One of his primary focuses as a congressman is to help restore the public’s faith in government. With his background in business, he wrote and strongly advocated for the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act, which was signed into law by President Donald Trump. The legislation helped small businesses stay afloat during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. He is Vice Ranking Member of the House Small Business Committee and Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia Subcommittee.
Roger Williams, TEXAS CHRISTIAN 1971, R—TX
Williams began his political career as a fundraiser for then-Gov. George W. Bush in his 1994 and 1998 elections. He then became the North Texas chairman for Bush’s 2000 presidential campaign, the North Texas finance chairman in 2004 and the national grassroots fundraising chairman in the president’s 2004 campaign. That year, Williams was appointed the Texas Secretary of State by Gov. Rick Perry. Williams resigned in 2007 with his sights set at the federal government level. In 2012, Williams claimed the congressional seat for Texas’ 12th District. Currently, Williams serves as chairman of the House Small Business Committee and the Committee on Financial Services.
