TKE Hires Its First Chief Innovation Officer

Chris Niles hired as Chief Innovation Officer

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, June 23, 2013 – Shawn A. Babine, Chief Executive Officer of Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity announced today that TKE has hired Christopher Niles as the fraternity's chief innovation officer (CIO) and will assume his role at the company' on Monday June 24. In his announcement, Frater Babine explained that the concept of a Chief Innovation Officer for TKE places us on the cutting edge path of redefining leadership.

"After a thorough and deliberate selection process, I am delighted that Chris will join my executive team as we define and build the next generation of a fraternal services model that will help TKE men be Better Men who in turn Build a Better World," said Shawn A. Babine, CEO of TKE.

"The Chief Innovation Officer will lead and champion innovation efforts across TKE. The CIO will work with internal and external teams using human-centered design and innovation methodologies to envision, develop and incubate media, marketing and enterprise wide offerings that meet member needs," Babine stated.

He went on further to explain, "This includes designing and leading qualitative research, collaborating with others to conduct hands-on innovation workshops and training that foster the changing fraternal culture. Chris will manage the process improvement group and will help lead the fraternity in new and rebranded services and product development."

"Chris and I share a passion for our vision that TKE must remain the cutting-edge fraternity. We must raise the bar, and set expectations at a significantly higher level. Chris is a perfect match for the position."

"Chris is a strong educational leader with a passion for our fraternity and deep understanding of what we must do to manage change," Shawn added. "His track record of execution and strategic leadership, combined with his open-minded approach to problem solving has earned him the respect of employees, volunteers, and partners nationwide and is exactly what I need on my team. He has the right combination of knowledge, depth and experience to help the fraternity during this period of rapid technology and industry change."

Frater Niles earned his bachelor's degree in business from the University of Vermont in 1989, and a MS degree from Indiana University in 1996. Chris has held a series of progressive educational positions with several institutions including Wesleyan University and Bradford Woods at Indiana University. From 2000 to 2008 Chris worked at DePauw University as the Assistant Dean of Student Academic Support Services and Assistant Dean of First-Year Programs and Student Leadership Development. In 2010 Frater Chris moved to Immaculata University in Immaculata PA where he served as the Assistant Director of Academic Advisement until 2011 when he landed at Radford University in Radford VA; there he served as the Director of the MBA program in the graduate school of business.

"I am deeply honored by the opportunity to work for TKE," said Chris. "We have amazing assets, tremendous talent, and an unmatched legacy of innovation and execution. I look forward to working with the leadership team, employees and volunteers throughout TKE and will continue our proud legacy for excellence."

"I look forward to partnering with Frater Babine as we begin a new chapter in TKE's history," said Niles. "His deep understanding of our fraternity, coupled with his leadership and business acumen are extraordinary assets for TKE. I'm thrilled to join his team of professional staffers."

Frater Chris Niles is a member of the Fraternity having been initiated into the Grand Chapter in June of 1999 and will become the first CIO in TKE's history.