After qualifying for platinum level Bell Chapter status which qualifies us for leadership training for the entire undergraduate chapter, the first trainer came to Fresno on December 6, 2025.  Brother Joe Cruz who is an active member of the US military, presented to 22 of our active brothers.

Consul Julian Narvaez (23-F) was a participant and said this about the session, “It was really good, actually the facilitator helped us work on problems we are having within the active chapter. I liked how he was able to relate to us and it made the lesson more enjoyable.”

The course was called “Navigating Conflict”  Upon successful completion, a cumulative score of 70% or higher, each brother will be able to claim his Navigating Conflict digital certificate and badge.  These demonstrate the competencies that mastered during this training and can be featured on their Linked-in profile or on other social media sites.  The test was taken that afternoon on the Sigma Chi website.

CNBC 11/29/2025

AI is taking jobs — here’s Coursera CEO’s No. 1 tip for grads to stay competitive

“Greg Hart, former technical advisor to Jeff Bezos at Amazon, became president and CEO of online learning platform Coursera in February 2025. He told CNBC Make It that in the age of AI, it’s important for young people to pursue additional learning alongside a degree.

“The advice that I give to my sons… is one of the best things that you can do is to augment your university degree with micro credentials specifically,” he said in the interview.

Micro credentials are short courses that provide a certification for a specific skill or knowledge and they take less time to complete than a traditional degree or diploma. It’s become increasingly important to supplement degrees with additional certifications, as graduate jobs are at risk of being replaced by AI, Hart said.”

This article is a confirmation of the importance of the Sigma Chi Learning Institute and its leadership training modules.  In March 2025 Epsilon Eta qualified as a Bell Chapter at a level that entitles all undergraduate brothers to obtain this training brought to Fresno annually. The certificates earned will add to their résumés and give our brothers a critical edge in gaining employment.

From the Fresno Business Journal 10/2/2025: It’s a time of transition for the Central Valley’s largest accounting companies following a merger that has created the sixth-largest CPA firm in the U.S.

In April, accounting, consulting and wealth management firm Moss Adams and advisory, tax and assurance firm Baker Tilly announced plans to combine. The merger closed in June, strengthening the firms’ industry specialization, expanding geographic reach and enhancing capabilities across advisory, tax and assurance services, according to a news release.

The combined company will operate under the Baker Tilly name, positioning the firm to help middle-market businesses navigate an increasingly complex environment. Such businesses typically generate annual revenues of $10 million to $1 billion.

Moss Adams entered the Fresno market in 2016 when it combined with accounting firm Morse Wittwer Sampson LLP. That same year, it absorbed professionals from a local Deloitte office. In 2018, Moss Adams acquired Fresno-based Baker Peterson & Franklin.

Moss Adams was ranked No. 1 on The Business Journal’s list of Accounting Firms for 2024, with 34 local CPAs as of November 2023.

Jeff Ferro, CEO of London-based Baker Tilly, will continue leading the combined firm until his retirement. Eric Miles, currently CEO of Seattle-based Moss Adams, has been named CEO-elect and will assume the Baker Tilly role on Jan. 1, 2026. Ferro will remain a director.

“Moss Adams is a great strategic fit with Baker Tilly. We’ve long respected the firm, its people and its industry-focused approach,” Ferro said. “By bringing together our strengths, we are expanding our ability to serve middle-market businesses with greater expertise, resources and insights.”

Chris Morse (83-F), principal at Baker Tilly and longtime head of the Fresno branch, said there have been no significant personnel or structural changes. The team continues to grow to serve new and existing clients.

Morse said the most common question from clients is whether their service providers will change. He emphasized that clients would continue to be served by the same teams as before the merger.

Moss Adams will co-brand with Baker Tilly over the next year, with a gradual transition to the Baker Tilly name. “We will be able to bring a broader range of professional services and industry experts to Fresno and the surrounding market. We will be heavily investing in technology and our people on the most recent advances and tools,” Morse said.

Past Active Chapter Scholarship Chairman Carson Fusi (24-F) helped coordinate the banquet which was held at The Old Spaghetti Factory on September 22, 2025.  The banquet was dual-purpose serving as Preference Night and the Scholarship Banquet.  Attendees included thirty-four undergraduate brothers, 11 of the 13 pledges and 5 alumni including House Corporation president John Ballinger (65-S), Endowment President Mike Patton (63-S), Chapter Advisor Gio Primavera (17-F), House Corporation co-treasurer Julian Ramos (09-S) and Warden of Epsilon Eta’s Monuments and Memorials Commission Steve Smith (80-F).  During the presentation, the Active Chapter brothers receiving scholarships were given Certificates of Academic Excellence, and each will receive $4,000 for the 2025/2026 school year for a total of $40,000.  The average CGPA for the seventeen recipients is 3.28.

Newsflash: On June  17, 2025, Brother T.A. Heckel (82-F) was named a Seven Lights Alumni by  the Annual Awards Selection Committee of Sigma Chi International. T.A. is Epsilon Eta’s 7th Seven Lights Alumni.

T.A. has been a gung-ho Sigma Chi since he was initiated in the fall 1982 semester at Fresno State. As an undergraduate he served as ProConsul and lived in the Chapter House for most of his college years. Plus his older sister and wife were both Sweethearts of Sigma Chi at Fresno State which makes his propensity to get involved even more understandable.

When he graduated in 1987, he joined our alumni chapter and immediately began to contribute by conducting interviews of pledges during initiation doing so for four years. In the 1990s he joined our alumni chapter board and helped to create fun brotherhood building-dinners centered around his passion for wine which he did for five years. 

T.A. began his involvement with the Fresno Sigma Chi Endowment Fund in 2011 helping to create one of the largest endowments in the Greek system, $3,000,000 with $120,000 in annual scholarships to our active chapter brothers. He continues as board member after 14 years of service.

He is the “Father of the Fresno Sigma Chi Wine Tasting” that started in 2015 and which has raised $172,154 for our endowment through 2025. All expenses for the event are paid for by committee members allowing us to accurately claim we have zero overhead costs and that 100% of the revenue goes directly into our endowment. T.A. has always paid for all of the wine at the event which is 80% of the cost of the wine tasting. And to add frosting to the cake, T.A. has donated $25,000 to our local endowment.