Kerry Small ‘87: “Give people opportunities to be their best selves”

State College native Kerry Small ‘87 has served as a key ally and stabilizing influence for Sigma Alpha Epsilon through our most challenging moments, and today, he is bringing that same energy, optimism, and sense of service to leading Penn State’s Name-Image-Likeness (NIL) collective Success With Honor as the group’s executive director. 

But how close did he come to following a different path? According to Kerry, his lifelong connection to SAE began with an 11^th-hour twist of fate.

“I was rushing. I’d narrowed it down to two (other) fraternities, and I was pretty sure I was going to commit to one of them. But what happened was, at the last second, a friend of mine said, ‘Listen, can you please just come on out for dinner at SAE?’ So, I went out for dinner. It was more formal, and at the end, they sang, which caught me off guard. But I found that I really connected with the guys. I felt at home,” he remembers.

“There were fewer Brothers than at the other fraternities, and because it was a smaller house, I think it was easier to be connected. We had guys who were successful individually in their high school careers; we all had different skills and different personalities, and it meshed really well. There were a lot of different personalities that just seemed fairly cohesive. There was a true adherence to the True Gentleman.”

Dinner at SAE was more formal, and at the end, they sang, which caught me off guard. But I found that I really connected with the guys. I felt at home. There was a true adherence to the True Gentleman.

Kerry remained in the area after college and kept tabs on his old fraternity. Following the sale of his business, he found himself with available free time just as SAE was entering a difficult period that called for alumni guidance and mentorship. Fortunately, he was able to step into the role of chapter advisor and help the fraternity bridge into a new era.

“I walked in on a weekend morning and met with a couple of Brothers, and I got the feeling that they had some issues, so I got involved. Guys from the ‘70s and ‘80s and ‘90s, even some other older guys, became very active. The older guys who came back provided support and gave a vision, and it started to change the house.

“I think that Tom Chaffee ‘81 and Doug Beatty ‘88, having been part of helping back then, came in with the energy and made it their own with this current group of brothers. I can’t claim any credit, to be honest. Back when I was involved, they helped me, and now they’re running it themselves. I think they’ve done a tremendous job. I met the current guys during initiation and was blown away with how I felt like they were a great representation of the tradition,” he said.

Reflecting on what motivated his decision to invest so much of himself back into SAE after graduation, he refers to his newest role here in Happy Valley: “It’s probably the same reason why I’m trying to work through Success With Honor with the student-athletes. I believe that if you give people opportunities to be their best selves, a lot of people will grow.”

I’m trying to work through Success With Honor with the student-athletes, because I believe that if you give people opportunities to be their best selves, a lot of people will grow.

He acknowledges that misconceptions and a general lack of understanding remain challenges for Penn State three years into the “NIL era” of college sports. Consistently educating alumni and fans about a values-centered approach offers a path forward.

“We can navigate NIL in a way that reflects what Penn Staters want,” he says. “Knowing how many Penn Staters there are out there, not just alumni, but fans, we’re going to tell that story to as many of them as possible. In that group, you’re going to have both the $50 subscriber and the six-figure supporter, and we need both of those for NIL to be successful at Penn State. We want to show everyone how Success With Honor is different because the general impression of NIL is not positive. Once they see that it can be positive – what our athletes are doing, how it’s helping them become the people we want them to be – then I think that broad support will happen.”

He said that the experiences that molded him at SAE now impact his leadership with Success With Honor. “Our student-athletes want opportunities to do good things. We had 15 football players do a camp with kids from the Lehigh Valley for the benefit of a charity, and 14 of them asked to come back and do another camp like that. This belief that they just want the money doesn’t give them credit.” 

Service and gratitude are running themes that underpin Kerry’s ongoing commitment to SAE as a source of invaluable life lessons and irreplaceable friendships.

“SAE gave me such tremendous opportunity and I feel a responsibility to help the next generation. The fraternity made me even more conscious of my obligations to other people, and my time in the house was such a magical time.”

“The friends we make, so many of them are friends for life. You don’t often find relationships as strong as that.”