Staff of TKE - Alex Baker

Alex Baker
Chief Information Officer

INDIANAPOLIS - In the summer of 2010, a photographer named Brandon began taking photos of thousands of New Yorkers. His goal was to put a face to the image that people had of the different New York boroughs and its inhabitants. As if overnight, Humans of New York became a worldwide sensation.

We looked at the Humans of New York project and realized we faced a similar challenge. Many individuals outside of the Fraternity's immediate points of contact do not truly know who is answering the phone, posting on social media or handling various tasks at the organizational level. For that reason, we are excited to launch a new edition of "Staff of TKE." Every two weeks we will highlight a new individual on TKE's Professional Staff. Each post will include two photos and a candid conversation. Enjoy! 

Name: Alex Baker

Position: Chief Information Officer

Chapter: IUPUI (Upsilon-Iota)

Twitter: @AlexBaker

Email: abaker@tke.org

Contact Alex for questions regarding communications, marketing, technology, staring contests and division by zero. 

Easy question first. There are two Alex's in the office, which one are you? 
I'm the nerdy one. Alex Swenson is the funny one. 

What makes you the nerdy one?
I handle the majority of our technology and database systems with Jeremiah Smith, which means a lot of coding and foreign language to other people. It's not anything that is really noticed until there is something that isn't working, like the Internet or the website. Anyways, my Twitter bio says, "Self-proclaimed nerd. Proud husband and daddy." I just added that most recent part, the daddy aspect that is.

How have you been enjoying daddy life?
I believe it is the greatest experience a person could have. It has been absolutely amazing, and we're excited to start filling out college applications. My wife, Amanda, has been such a supportive figure. I couldn't be happier right now. 

Before we talk about your professional life, what are your hobbies outside of work?
I am an avid Indy Eleven and Indianapolis Colts fan. My wife and I are season ticket holders to both, so I'm always at sporting events. The Colts had a great season with a disappointing loss in deflate-gate, but every year the Colts have done better than the season before so here's to a Super Bowl next year.

Tomorrow marks your 10-year anniversary since being initiated into the Fraternity.
That's right, and it is very special to me. TKE is an organization that has given me so much over the past 10 years that I'm so happy to have the opportunity to give back to collegiate and alumni members every day. 

Conclave is coming up. Do you have a hand in any of that?
Yes, I do as a matter of fact. I helped create the conclave.tke.org website that just launched and the registration that goes with it. I have also been orchestrating the marketing that everyone has seen on social media and in THE TEKE. Despite all my work with Conclave, you won't actually see me at the event, I'm kind of like a ninja working behind the scenes.

Speaking of marketing in THE TEKE...
It is amazing to think of the strides that we have taken to produce such a quality magazine, especially when someone like Buckwheat says he can't remember the last time the Fraternity produced an 84-page issue. I am really excited about some of the feature stories in this issue. Our communications team aspires to continue the quality work that started with the first issue of THE TEKE in 1908. I think it's safe to say we have done just that with 84-pages, a false cover and truly great stories from cover to cover.

We can't finish this interview without talking about the 'Lost Brother' feature that has been quietly unveiled.
It's a real problem that we have in this organization. Roughly speaking, for individuals over the age of 45, we have only 20% valid contact information. That basically means we lose contact with 4 out of every 5 Fraters once they turn 45.

To fix the problem, we worked with our software providers to develop a new platform to acquire this information. In the last two weeks since it was launched we have already received over 500 contact updates. As we work to share this information with chapter alumni presidents, it will allow us to reengage Fraters and show them that we have something to offer. Our alumni are our greatest untapped resource. We have less than 12,000 collegiate members and over 236,000 living honorary and alumni members. I think the statistic is that only 1% of them are engaged with the Fraternity. What could we accomplish with 5%?

Speaking of math, posts on Facebook claim you can you divide by zero?
I answer a lot of questions on TKE Facebook groups and get some pretty funny responses, for example: Alex Baker tutored Stephen Hawking in Theoretical Physics; Alex Baker can build a snowman out of rain; cats have Alex Baker reflexes; Lil' John turns down for Alex Baker; and Alex Baker is able to win a game of Connect Four in three moves. One post says I'm able to divide by zero, but I'm still trying to figure that one out.

The next edition of "Staff of TKE" will appear Friday, March 20. 

For more information, please contact:

Daniel Klopfenstein
Communications Specialist
317.872.6533
DKlopfenstein@tke.org