About


Learn more about Lambda Phi Epsilon through its mission, vision, and core values.

Overview

Mission

To guide men on a lifelong discovery of authenticity and personal growth.

 

Vision

A world where Lambda men live authentic, fulfilling lives and contribute through the pursuit of their noble purpose.

 

Core Values

Authenticity: Demonstration of one’s true self to the world, despite external expectations.

Courageous Leadership: Integrity through action toward a more humane world, especially in times of adversity.

Cultural Heritage: Ideas and experiences of a people, transcending the world through generations.

Love: Care and respect for oneself, the brotherhood, and the world.

Wisdom: Pursuit of understanding and its positive application toward one’s life and the world.

History

Lambda Phi Epsilon FoundersLambda Phi Epsilon was founded on February 25, 1981 by a group of nineteen dedicated men led by Principal Founder Master Craig Ishigo. The goal of the founders was to transcend the limitations faced by traditional Asian-interest organizations on campus. While these organizations were often split along lines of national origins, the founders sought an establishment that drew its membership equally from the different segments of the Asian American community. Their vision was that the members would eventually become the leaders of their respective ethnic communities, and thus, bridge the gaps fragmenting the Asian American community through their affiliation with a common organization.

 

The greatest hurdle in reaching this goal of unification was the lack of continuity among the memberships inherent in traditional campus organizations. At best, student associations provided a circle of friends spanning the years of undergraduate study, and at worst, a group of familiar strangers meeting periodically at social functions. The yearly turnover of most organizations’ officers made it extremely difficult to pursue any extended project as each new officer core set its own agenda. The founders’ solution to this dilemma was the adoption of a fraternal structure. By forming Lambda Phi Epsilon as a new Asian-interest fraternity, they aimed to set new standards of excellence for Asian American organizations. The brothers not only formed strong bonds of brotherhood with each other during their undergraduate experience but also made lifelong commitments to the organization as alumni even after graduation.

 

While the initial charter was comprised of Asian Pacific Americans, the brotherhood was open to all who were interested in supporting these goals. Establishing Alpha Chapter at UCLA, Mr. Craig Ishigo and Mr. Darryl L. Mu signed the charter as President and Vice President, respectively.

 

UCLA Alpha Chapter of Lambda Phi EpsilonOn May 28th, 1990, the fraternity, now with six chapters total, convened on the campus of the University of California, Irvine for the first annual National Convention, which to this day has been held regularly over Memorial Day weekend. A national governing body was established to oversee the development of individual chapters and the fraternity as a whole, with Mr. Robert Mimaki of Beta Chapter, Mr. Eric Naritomi of Epsilon Chapter, and Mr. Doug Nishida of Delta Chapter appointed as National President, Northern Governor and Southern Governor, respectively.

 

On September 8th, 1990, Lambda Phi Epsilon reached another milestone and became the first and only nationally recognized Asian-interest fraternity in the United States with the admission to the National Interfraternity Conference. In 2004, Lambda Phi Epsilon expanded as an international fraternity by chartering its first chapter outside of the United States at the University of Toronto. In 2006, Lambda Phi Epsilon joined the National Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Panhellenic Association to increase collaboration and partnership between fellow APIDA Greek organizations.

 

Today, Lambda Phi Epsilon is widely renowned as the preeminent international Asian-interest fraternal organization, providing outstanding leadership, philanthropy, and advocacy in the community.

The nineteen Founding Fathers of Lambda Phi Epsilon are: Mr. Hunter Chang, Mr. Randy Fujimoto, Mr. John Hanvey, Master Craig Ishigo, Mr. Jeff Kaku, Mr. Bobby Kawai, Mr. Dean Kumagawa, Mr. Jim Lee, Mr. Bruce Mau, Mr. Ted Mihara, Mr. Neil Miyazaki, Mr. Darryl L. Mu, Mr. Kelvin Sakai, Mr. Kevin Shida, Mr. Albert Sun, Mr. Weyton Tam, Mr. Jamie Watanabe, Mr. Bennett Wong, Mr. Fred Wong.

StrollRapid expansion followed throughout the 1990s. Chapters were chartered across the nation through the acquisition of existing Asian-interest fraternities (such as Delta Gamma Tau at State University of New York, Buffalo) and the formation of student-led Interest Groups at places like the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Growing demand for Lambda Phi Epsilon led the fraternity to have a notable presence in all major regions of the country.

 

After becoming a California nonprofit organization and incorporating in 1995, the fraternity changed its official name to Lambda Phi Epsilon National Fraternity, Inc. The next decade brought the fraternity international status with the formation of a chapter at the University of Toronto in 2004, making it the first Asian interest fraternity established in Canada. With the organization’s rapid expansion across North America thus far, the national officer corps has begun to revitalize and refocus the efforts of individual chapters and the fraternity as a whole to better reflect its size and influence in the Asian community through academics, leadership, brotherhood, and service.

 

The next decade brought the fraternity international status with the formation of a chapter at the University of Toronto in 2004, making it the first Asian-interest fraternity established in Canada. With the organization’s rapid expansion across North America thus far, the International Board has begun to revitalize and refocus the efforts of individual chapters and the fraternity as a whole to better reflect its size and influence in the Asian community through academics, leadership, brotherhood, and service.

Motto

Leaders Among Men

Colors

Royal Blue and White

Mascot

Dragon

Nicknames

Lambdas, LFE, LPhiE, 人中王

Founding Date

February 25, 1981

Founding Campus

University of California Los Angeles

Fraternal Scope

International

Fraternal Classification

Social and Service

Leadership

Board of Directors

Photo of David

David Kim
President
University of Texas at Austin

Matthew Wright 2020

Matthew Wright
Internal Vice President
North Carolina State University

Photo of Byron

Earl Byron Solis
External Vice President
Florida State University

Tanner Nguyen 2020

Tanner Nguyen
Treasurer
University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Photo of Brian

Brian Van
Secretary
DePaul University

Staff
Executive Cabinet

Photo of Zac

Zachary Antonius
Executive Director
Baylor University

Emily Feinstein, Director of Fraternal Standards

Emily Feinstein
Director of Fraternal Standards
University of South Alabama

Jimmy Tran
Director of Communications
University of Texas at Austin

Photo of Nicholas

Nicholas Dang
Director of Education
The Ohio State University

Winston Lee
Director of Expansion
University at Albany

Photo of An

An Nguyen
Director of Operations
University of Kansas

Communications
Education Team

Nic Garza
Graphic Designer
University of Texas at Austin

Hojin Kim

Hojin Kim
Communications Coordinator
George Mason University

Aldrian Widjaja
Communications Coordinator
Baylor University

Photo of James

James Maynard
Education Administrator
University of Kansas

Photo of Jeremy

Jeremy Dela Paz
Education Administrator
North Carolina State University

Expansion Team
Programming Team

Photo of Ian

Ian Galope
Expansion Coordinator
University of Washington

Tony Ong
Expansion Coordinator
University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Photo of Mitchell

Mitchell Liang
Programming Coordinator
Syracuse University

Photo of Austin

Austin Vo
Programming Coordinator
University of Oklahoma

Operations Team

Lambda Phi Epsilon Crest

John Bui
Mid-Atlantic Governor
University of Oklahoma

Lambda Phi Epsilon Crest

David Liu
Midwest Governor
University of Chicago

Lambda Phi Epsilon Crest

Patrick Reyes
Northeast Governor
Binghamton University

Photo of Austyn

Austyn Vong
Southeast Governor
Florida State University

Kevin Li
Southwest Governor
University of Texas at Austin

In order to qualify for an appointed position on the Executive or Support Staff, a candidate must have earned at least a bachelor’s degree and be in good standing with the Fraternity.

 

Serving on the International Board is one of the most impactful ways that an alumni member can give back to the Fraternity. Lambda Phi Epsilon has experienced significant growth in recent years, with total chapter membership increasing by more than 20%. Moving forward, the International Board is also looking to grow the number of alumni members who serve as officers at the regional and international levels.

 

If you feel that an appointed position on the International Board is not right for you, there are other opportunities to serve, including serving as a Chapter Advisor or joining a policy or programming workgroup. The International Board recognizes that Lambda Phi Epsilon alumni are busy people, and will find a worthwhile role for any alumni who are willing to serve.

 

Should you have any questions about this process, or volunteering on the International Board, please do not hesitate to contact a member of the Board of Directors or headquarters staff.

2022
Zoom grid of Summit 2020 attendees
2021
International Board 2020
2020
Group photo of the 2018 International Board
2018-2019
Summit 2017
2017-2018
Summit 2016
2016-2017
Summit 2015 gathering
2015-2016
Summit Discussion
2014-2015
National Board Leadership 2013
2013-2014
Order Tenure Title Name Chapter University
1 1990-91 Mr. Robert K. Mimaki Beta Chapter University of California, Davis
2 1991-92 Mr. Doug Nishida Delta Chapter University of California, Berkeley
3 1992-93 Mr. Eric Naritomi Epsilon Chapter University of California, Irvine
4 1993-94 Mr. Jason Akima Beta Chapter University of California, Davis
5 1994-96 Mr. Jason Louie Delta Chapter University of California, Berkeley
6 1996-97 Mr. Lance Aiumopas Eta Chapter University of California, Riverside
7 1997-98 Mr. John Chu Delta Chapter University of California, Berkeley
8 1998-99 Mr. Mike Feng Xi Chapter University of Michigan
9 1999-00 Mr. Phil Ajero Rho Chapter San Jose State University
10 2000-01 Mr. Steve Cao Rho Chapter San Jose State University
11 2001-02 Mr. Himanshu Nagar Upsilon Chapter Johns Hopkins University
12 2002-04 Mr. Jack Hsia Zeta Chapter University of Texas, Austin
13 2004-05 Mr. Frank Ho Alpha Beta Chapter New York University
14 2005-07 Mr. Beung Kwon Omicron Chapter San Francisco State University
15 2007-08 Mr. Christopher Sheng Upsilon Chapter Johns Hopkins University
16 2008-09 Mr. Isaac Chung Alpha Eta Chapter Northwestern University
17 2009-12 Mr. Phi Nguyen Kappa Chapter University of California, Santa Cruz
18 2012-16 Mr. Charles Andrean Phi Chapter California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
19 2016-20 Dr. William Tan Alpha Theta Chapter Rutgers University
20 2020-22 Dr. Bryan Dosono Alpha Zeta Chapter University of Washington
21 2022-24 Mr. David Kim Zeta Chapter University of Texas, Austin

Philanthropy

PhilanthropyLambda Phi Epsilon works with the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) to save the lives of patients requiring bone marrow transplants. Additionally, the fraternity promotes awareness for leukemia and other blood disorders. Individuals who suffer from these types of illnesses depend on donors with similar ethnic backgrounds to find compatible bone marrow matches. Thus, the fraternity aims to register as many committed donors to the cause through local #BeTheMatch campaigns to increase the chances for patients to find a life-saving a donor.

 

In 1995, Evan Chen, a member of Theta Chapter at Stanford University, was diagnosed with leukemia. Their chapter, along with Evan’s friends, organized a joint effort to find a bone marrow donor. What resulted was the largest bone marrow typing drive in the history of the NMDP and Asian American Donor Program (AADP). In a matter of days, over two thousand people were typed into the bone marrow registry. A match was eventually found for Evan, but unfortunately by that time the disease had taken its toll on him and he passed away in 1996. In Evan’s memory, the flagship philanthropy for Lambda Phi Epsilon was established and the fraternity has been working with the organization from that point forward.

 

Every Lambda Phi Epsilon chapter works with non-profit organizations such as AADP, Asians for Miracle Marrow Matches, and the Cammy Lee Leukemia Foundation to hold marrow typing drives on their campuses to encourage Asians and other minorities to register as committed bone marrow and stem cell donors. Since the fraternity’s inception, Lambda Phi Epsilon has educated thousands of donors to commit to saving the life of a patient in need.

The National Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Panhellenic Association (NAPA) and the National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association (NAAPIMHA) and Active Minds have partnered to bring mental health education and awareness to Asian and Asian-American students on college campuses. Through the Friends DO Make a Difference initiative, collegiate chapters of NAPA will have access to programming and resources to promote mental health, reduce stigma, and encourage help-seeking in a community that may face cultural and language barriers when accessing treatment. The campaign includes materials with imagery and messaging targeting the APIDA student audience.

CultureAs the premier Asian-interest fraternal organization, Lambda Phi Epsilon chapters drive causes that strengthen the Asian American voice within their communities and universities. Chapters often collaborate alongside ethnic student groups on and off campus to promote Asian American culture. Throughout the year, our members also engage in local service activities as well as regional service events, where all members from different chapters come together to make a greater impact. These charitable philanthropic events include cleaning trash from adopted streets, serving food to the homeless, rehabilitating ecosystems, and tutoring underprivileged children. To date, the countless hours dedicated to serving others by the earned Lambda Phi Epsilon both recognition and a positive image from the greater community at large.