Foundation Program

TKE Talks

Leadership. Legacy. Brotherhood.

A speaker series that brings distinguished leaders into the room with the brothers who will become them.

Past Talks Stay Updated
About the Series

Ideas Worth Hearing. Lessons Worth Keeping.

TKE Talks is the Foundation's flagship speaker series — an initiative designed to bring accomplished leaders directly to the Zeta Phi chapter. Each talk creates a rare opportunity: a room full of young men with ambition, hearing from someone who has already converted that ambition into impact.

Speakers are chosen for the quality of their journey, not just the size of their title. The program seeks leaders who have something real to say — about failure, about service, about building something that lasts.

Since its founding in Spring 2023, TKE Talks has hosted six events and continues to grow in ambition and reach with each semester.

6

Talks Held

11

Distinguished Speakers

"One conversation with the right person can change the entire trajectory of a career."

The TKE Talks Mission

Past Talks

Every talk archived below — most recent first.

Panel TKE Talk in partnership with Kappa Delta — April 21, 2026
Spring 2026

Panel TKE Talk

TKE Talk in Partnership with Kappa Delta  ·  April 21, 2026  ·  Most Recent

Panel TKE Talk

Natalie Rodgers — Co-Founder, Klassy
Bessie Sealy — Founder & Creative Director, Kardinia Interior Design
Ultima Espino — Senior Director of Sports Partnerships, Orlando Health
Betsy Gardner — Founder, Evermore Advisory & CEO, Winter Park Chamber of Commerce
Tracy Brand-Liffey — Founder & Creative Director, New General Cafe & Coffee Bar

Talk description coming soon.

Key Takeaways

Key takeaways coming soon.

Kelly McGinnis at the Spring 2026 TKE Talk
Spring 2026

Kelly McGinnis

TKE Talk  ·  March 10, 2026

Kelly McGinnis

President of Business Operations, Thermo Fisher Scientific

Talk description coming soon.

Key Takeaways

Key takeaways coming soon.

Bryan Scott Smith speaking at the Spring 2024 TKE Talk
Spring 2024

Bryan Scott Smith

Spring 2024 TKE Talk

Bryan Scott Smith

Executive Leader & TKE Alumnus

Bryan Scott Smith delivered the Foundation's Spring 2024 TKE Talk, speaking to the chapter about the principles that have guided his career and his life. Drawing on years of executive experience, Bryan challenged the brothers in the room to think not just about what they want to achieve — but about what kind of leader they are becoming along the way.

Key Takeaways

  • Believe in yourself — doubt is not humility, it's an obstacle.
  • Focus on what's most important, ruthlessly and without apology.
  • Always be serving — the leaders who last are the ones who give.
John Dick and Tim Waisanen at the Fall 2023 TKE Apollo Regional Conference
Fall 2023

John Dick &
Tim Waisanen

TKE Apollo Regional Conference  ·  Fall 2023

John Dick & Tim Waisanen

John Dick — Founder & CEO, CivicScience  ·  Tim Waisanen — TKE Alumnus & Business Leader

At the TKE Apollo Regional Conference in Fall 2023, John Dick and Tim Waisanen took the stage together for a dynamic dual-speaker session on entrepreneurship, data, and what it means to build something that matters. John — whose company CivicScience helps Fortune 500 brands understand consumer behavior — spoke about the data-driven mindset that defines modern leadership. Tim offered a candid look at the risks and rewards of building a career on your own terms.

Key Takeaways

  • Data beats intuition — but only if you ask the right questions first.
  • The entrepreneurial path is not for everyone, but everyone should understand it.
  • Your network is not just who you know — it's who believes in you.
  • Intellectual curiosity is the one trait that compounds over a lifetime.
Jim Kwik at the inaugural Spring 2023 TKE Talk
Spring 2023  ·  Inaugural

Jim Kwik

First TKE Talk  ·  Spring 2023

Jim Kwik

Brain Performance Expert  ·  Author, Limitless  ·  Founder, Kwik Learning

The inaugural TKE Talk set the bar high. Jim Kwik — one of the world's foremost experts on memory, learning, and brain performance, and author of the international bestseller Limitless — spoke to the chapter about how to unlock their full cognitive potential. Jim's own story is remarkable: after a childhood brain injury left him struggling to learn, he spent decades developing the frameworks that now help millions of people read faster, retain more, and think with greater clarity. His talk was immediately cited by attendees as among the most impactful evenings of their time at Rollins.

Key Takeaways

  • Your brain is not fixed — learning is a skill, and it can be trained.
  • Knowledge alone is not power — applied knowledge is.
  • The limits you believe in become the limits you live within.
  • If you fight for your limitations, you get to keep them.

"Believe in yourself. Focus on what's most important. And always be serving."

Bryan Scott Smith  ·  Spring 2024 TKE Talk

The Next TKE Talk Is Coming

Stay tuned for our next event. Speakers, dates, and details will be announced to the Foundation's list first — make sure you're on it.

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