Volunteer Profile: Zach Meixner, Ashland ’99
Zachariah Meixner is senior vice president of program management at M&T Bank. He earned his bachelor of science in business administration from Ashland University and his master of business administration from the Weatherhead School at Case Western Reserve University.
Zach was recruited to Ashland on a swimming scholarship, where he majored in management information systems and earned All-American honors in the pool. After meeting several Ohio Mu Phis on Ashland University’s Orientation Team, he joined Phi Delt as a sophomore. As an undergrad, Zach was his pledge class president, and went on to hold the offices of historian, awards chair, Phikeia educator, IFC representative, and chapter president.
After graduation, Zach was asked to serve as Ohio Mu’s chapter adviser in 2005. In 2008, he received the Samuel V. Stone Outstanding Chapter Adviser of the Year, and stepped down as adviser in 2010 as he had two young children at home and was starting a business. During that time, he facilitated at Kleberg, Recruitment Bootcamp, and the Presidents Leadership College (now the McKenzie Family Presidents Leadership Conference).
Phi Delta Theta not only introduced Zach to most of the closest friends he’s ever had, but it also taught him countless life skills such as leadership, conflict resolution, compromise, empathy, and accountability. Zach credits Phi Delta Theta for making him the person he is today.
Seeing the impact it had on his dad’s life, Zach’s son, Zach Jr., signed The Bond at Kentucky Epsilon in 2021. This encouraged Zach Sr. to get reinvolved with Phi Delta Theta by returning to the position of chapter advisory board chair at Ohio Mu.
Originally from Dayton, Ohio, Zach and his Alpha Delta Pi wife, Marie, now split their time between Akron, Ohio, and Orlando, Florida. Their daughter, Allison, is also an Ashland ADPi sister. In his free time, Zach cheers for the Ohio State Buckeyes football, enjoys running and CrossFit, and builds his life-size R2-D2.
Who or what inspired you to become a volunteer?
During my time as an undergrad, Larry Scheiman was our chapter adviser. Larry worked at AU, so he was always around. He was like a second father to me. Larry had a devotion to Ashland and Ohio Mu and showed me what servant leadership truly is.
After graduation, Tony Magistro worked with a group of Ohio Mu alumni to build up the relations between the chapter and our alumni base. Tony was the one who recruited me to serve as Ohio Mu’s adviser back in 2005. When I stepped down, Tony filled the role for nearly twenty years. You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone, myself included, who has the devotion to Ohio Mu that Tony has.
Larry and Tony totally inspired me to give back to the Fraternity that gave us all so much. If I even get mentioned in the same sentence as these two, I would view my volunteer efforts as a success.
What would you tell someone who is considering volunteering for Phi Delta Theta?
I’m obviously a bit biased (but I’m not wrong), but Phi Delta Theta is built upon and teaches a foundation that is better than any other organization present on college campuses today. I always tell new initiates that being part of our Fraternity will change their life, if they let it.
Being a Phi is the one thing that has shaped who I am more than anything else I’ve ever been a part of. Giving back to the organization that gave me so much is a feeling like no other. We have a skill set among our alumni base that, if properly passed along, creates the future leaders of the world, and it’s our duty and honor to be able to do that.
How did receiving a Phi Delta Theta Foundation scholarship have a long-term impact on you?
I was a first-generation college student who got through school on scholarships and loans. My family was not in a situation to pay for my schooling. I could hold my own in the pool, so swimming paid a decent chunk of my tuition bill, but everything else was on me.
Every single scholarship I received was one less dollar I had to get a loan for. Receiving a Foundation scholarship as an undergrad is something I still talk about. My son was also awarded one as an undergrad.
In this season of my life, I am able to give back to the Foundation, and I do so because I experienced firsthand what these awards can do for the ones who receive them.
If you could go back in time, would you change anything about your experience? If so, what?
My experience both at Ashland and with Phi Delta Theta was so positive, I don’t think I’d change anything.
I loved my Phikeia class, my chapter, my team, my big brother, my little brother, and my school.
As an undergrad, I got to be chapter president. I was able to attend the Cincinnati General Convention, Kleberg (known as Leadership College in the 1990s), both as a general attendee and then as an Ambassador (the program that eventually grew to be the Peer Mentor program), and UIFI (Undergraduate Interfraternity Institute).
I met my wife through being a part of Phi Delta Theta. My son went on to join Phi Delt. Our daughter went on to join Alpha Delta Pi, like her mom. I’ve met most of the best friends I’ve ever had through being a Phi. I’ve had the opportunity to mentor so many undergrads, both as CAB chair of my own chapter and as a conference facilitator. I was honored with the Samuel V. Stone Chapter Adviser of the Year in 2008. And now I have the honor of serving as a general officer.
In my view, my Phi Delt experience has been life-changing, and every part of college and being a Phi has brought me to here and now, so I’d keep it all exactly as it happened.
