Grand Council

JR Benning

JR joined Tau Epsilon Phi Fraternity in the Fall of 1989 when he was initiated into the Sigma Chapter at Syracuse University. JR graduated from SU in December of 1992 with a Bachelors of Science degree in Computer Engineering. He later went on to receive a Masters in Business Administration from Villanova University in 2003.

During his nearly three (3) decades in the software industry, JR has founded two (2) profitable businesses — one of which he successfully lead to acquisition in 2015.

As an undergraduate, JR held the executive position of chapter Treasurer. In 2014, JR was elected to the Grand Council as 2nd Vice Consul. During his tenure, JR designed the modern version of the fraternity crest, used to this day. At the Grand Chapter 2024, JR was elected to serve as the International Consul of Tau Epsilon Phi.

JR lives outside of Philadelphia with his wife Jean and three (3) daughters Tara, Emma, and Paige (whose initials coincidentally spell out T.E.P.)

Mark Gardner

Mark Gardner was elected as the International First Vice Consul at the 2024 Grand Chapter and Convention in Hamilton, Bermuda. Prior to serving as the First Vice Consul, Mark served as the Quaestor / Treasurer, and also as the Tribune / Secretary in previous years. His involvement with the Grand Council began when he was elected to fill a Director vacancy in May 2019.

Mark was a theater major at The City College of New York in Fall 1996 when one of his cast-mates in a campus show invited him for a bite to eat after rehearsal. Little did he know that he was walking into a TEP Rush event or that he was about to meet a whole group of men who would become his brothers by the end of that semester and among his best friends for decades to come.

Mark held various leadership roles in the Phi Chi chapter, serving as Bursar, Vice-Chancellor, and Chancellor before leaving school in 1999 to pursue a successful career in information technology. Years later, he rekindled his passion for theater by returning to CCNY to complete his degree, earning a Bachelor of Arts in 2010. He furthered his education by obtaining a Master of Fine Arts in Theater from Northern Illinois University in 2013.

Mark lives in Manhattan with his spouse, Brian, and their Mini-Dachshund, Theodore Bear. Mark and Brian are interested in traveling and culinary experiences, while Teddy primarily gives kisses.

Joel Kanter

Mr. Joel Kanter has served as President of Windy City, Inc., a privately held investment firm, since July 1986.

From 1989 to November 1999, Mr. Kanter served as the President, and subsequently as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Walnut Financial Services, Inc., a publicly traded company (Nasdaq: WNUT). Walnut Financial’s primary business focus was the provision of various forms of financing to small business including equity financing to start-up and early stage development companies, bridge financing to small and medium-sized companies, and later stage institutional financing to mature enterprises. Tower Hill Capital bought the Company in 1999 in a transaction valued at approximately $400 million which made Walnut the 24th largest gainer on Nasdaq that year..

After graduation from Tulane University, with Honors in Political Science and a Bachelors of Science in Psychology in May 1978, Mr. Kanter first worked on the Re-Election Campaign of, and then in Washington, D.C. as a Legislative Assistant to former Congressman Abner J. Mikva (D-Ill.). In that position from January 1979 – mid-1980, Mr. Kanter provided support to Congressman Mikva with respect to activities related to his position on the House Judiciary Committee. Mikva subsequently became the Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and then served as White House Counsel to President Clinton.

From 1980 – 1983, Mr. Kanter served as Special Assistant to the National Association of Attorneys General. In that position, he represented the interests of the State Attorneys General in Washington, D.C. in the criminal justice and environmental arenas.

From 1983 – 1985, Mr. Kanter served as the Staff Director of the House Rules Committee’s Subcommittee on Legislative Process Chaired by Congressman Gillis W. Long (D-La.). He also lent considerable support to the activities of the House Democratic Caucus, which was also Chaired by Congressman Long. In particular, Mr. Kanter was intimately involved in the effort to establish a new debate format that was first used during the Democratic Primary in New Hampshire in 1984 and was moderated by Phil Donahue and Ted Koppel. He was also involved in authoring a House Democratic Caucus publication called Blueprint for America which served as the basis for several subsequent Democratic Platforms

From April 1985 through June 1986, Mr. Kanter served as Managing Director of The Investors’ Washington Service, an investment advisory company specializing in providing advice to large institutional clients regarding the impact of federal legislative and regulatory decisions on debt and equity markets. Clients included Amoco Oil, AT&T, Bankers Trust, Chase Manhattan Bank, General Motors, and J.C. Penney.

Mr. Kanter serves on the Board of Directors of various public and private companies in the life sciences, medical devices, and healthcare services sectors, all stemming from his continued involvement in financing such startups.

Mr Kanter is also a current Trustee Emeritus and past President of the Board of Trustees of The Langley School in McLean, Virginia; a former Trustee at the Georgetown Day School in Washington, D.C.; and of the Union Institute & University, the Country’s first Online University. He is also the current Board Chair of The Morgan Oliver School in Atlanta, Georgia; the Black Student Fund; and serves on the Board of the School of Science & Engineering at Tulane University, as well as Tulane’s Innovation Institute. In addition, he Co-Chairs the Advisory Board of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions; and Co-Chairs the Kennedy Center’s National Committee on the Performing Arts, which oversees grant giving for arts education across the country and much of the globe. He is also a Board Member at Voices For Progress, and Clean & Prosperous America.

Brian Deyo

Brian Deyo was elected Vice Consul for Undergraduate Affairs at the 2022 Grand Chapter and Convention in Baltimore, Maryland.

Brian rushed, pledged, and joined Tau Epsilon Phi in the spring of 2018 at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Epsilon Iota chapter. Throughout his undergraduate years in TEP, Brian served as Recruitment Chair three times as well as a year as Chancellor. In his time as Chancellor, Brian was nominated for and awarded the Chancellor’s Key award at the 2020 virtual Grand Chapter.

Brian currently lives in Florida working for a rocket startup attempting to design and produce a rocket that runs off all recycled plastic for fuel.

Donald J. Anspauch, Jr.

Donald Jones Anspauch, Jr was elected International Consul for Tau Epsilon Phi Fraternity on October 8, 2022 at our 2022 Grand Chapter and Convention in Baltimore, Maryland.

Donald rushed Tau Epsilon Phi Fraternity in the spring of 1975, pledged and was initiated into the Epsilon Phi Chapter at Pennsylvania State University. He served as Rush Chairman and Scribe for the local chapter. He helped coordinate a chapter visit by Sidney Suntag and then acting Executive Director, George Mamo. After graduation was the Epsilon Phi Alumni President. In 1979, he attended his first Grand Chapter meeting and was elected a member-at-large. He continued his involvement on Grand Council serving over the years as Regional Governor of the West Coast Chapters, Second Vice Consul, First Vice Council and Member at Large.

He was elected as the President of the Tau Epsilon Phi Foundation, in 1999 and developed programing to encourage TEP Alumni to continue to support the Foundation thru tax deductible contributions.

In 2011, he was called upon to assist the Fraternity and Foundation’s reorganization and funded the revitalization of the TEP Foundation.

He received his Bachelors of Science in Health Planning and Administration and a minor in Labor Relations. After graduation, Donald worked with the America Federation of Labor – Congress of Industrial Organizations doing voter registration in NYC schools with Frontlash. Later, as a Union Organizer in Houston Texas. His areas of responsibility were with AFSME, SEIU, 1199, AFT, and the construction trades.

Donald ventured to California in 1988 working in Contracts and Management for a Medical Staffing Corporation. His interest in Planning and Financial Management lead to becoming an Internal Revenue Enrolled Agent and has his own tax practice serving individuals and corporations in the entertainment community. He resides in West Hollywood and Joshua Tree, California and is a world traveler.

Mark Abramson

Mark Abramson was elected Quaestor of the Tau Epsilon Phi Fraternity on October 9, 2024 at the Grand Chapter held in Hamilton, Bermuda. Mark had previously been elected International Consul of the Tau Epsilon Phi, Inc. on October 23, 2020 at the 2020 virtual Grand Chapter.

Mark joined the Epsilon Kappa Chapter of Tau Epsilon Phi at Tulane University in the fall of 1974. During his time as an undergraduate he served his chapter as Steward, Bursar and Chancellor. When he joined his chapter there were fifteen brothers. By the time he graduated in 1978 the brotherhood stood at seventy-two members.

In 1978 Mark was offered a full scholarship to the University of Southern California by the fraternity to lead the rebuilding of the Tau Gamma chapter at that school while pursing his graduate studies. During his time there the chapter grew from five members to over thirty.

After earning his masters degree Mark became a financial advisor, a career he still practices. At the same time he served as an advisor to two of Tau Epsilon Phi’s chapters, chairman of the 1987 Grand Chapter meeting and a Member-at-Large on the Grand Council. More recently, Mark has served as president of the TEP Foundation, the charitable arm of Tau Epsilon Phi. It is an organization that raises funds for scholarships and educational opportunities for the Fraternity’s undergraduates.

Mark’s volunteer activities have been quite extensive. He was president of a six-hundred family synagogue at 33, led the Central Florida Jewish Federation’s community campaign for three years, served as treasurer and then president of his children’s school, and was instrumental in the capital campaign to expand the community campus. He also served on the board and investment committee of Camp Ramah Darom in Georgia as well as two investment committees for sizeable foundations in Greensboro, North Carolina and Orlando, Florida. Currently he serves as the president of Share the Care, an organization that provides respite for care givers by looking after their loved ones. This organization is known for helping to keep people in their homes.

Mark has been a financial advisor since 1981. He is currently a Wealth Advisor with UBS Financial Services in Orlando, Florida. In 2007 Mark earned his Certified Wealth Strategist designation.

Married to his wife Laura since 1988, they met through a fraternity brother and sorority sister. Their three children are Judy, who lives, studies and works in Israel, Eddie, a CPA in Cleveland, Ohio, and Max, a roofing specialist in Orlando.

Jonathan Wolf

Jonathan “Dr. Teeth” Wolf became a brother of Tau Epsilon Phi in the fall of 1994 at The City College of New York at the Phi Chi chapter. He was elected as Tribune / Secretary of the Fraternity at the 2024 Grand Chapter and Convention held in Hamilton, Bermuda. As an undergrad, Jonathan served as Chancellor, House Manager, Chaplain, and Pledge Warden. After graduation, Jonathan was a founding member of the Phi Chi alumni club, and has served in numerous positions there including President. Since then, Jonathan received a PhD in English literature from Fordham University, got married, and is currently raising two beautiful daughters as he works as an adjunct professor at Mercy College. It is his honor and pleasure to join the Grand Council this year.

Matthew Barwell

Matthew “Max” Barwell was elected as a Director of the Grand Council at a special meeting of the Grand Council held on December 6, 2023 to fill a vacancy in the board of directors.

Matthew joined Tau Epsilon Phi Fraternity in the Fall of 2017 when he was initiated into the Sigma Alpha Sigma Chapter at Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY. Matthew graduated with Honors with Distinction in December 2019, earning a Bachelors in Business Administration concentrating in Business Analytics and Marketing.

As an undergraduate, Matthew held several fraternal positions including Sergeant at Arms and Alumni Chair. After graduation, Matthew became a founding member of the Sigma Alpha Sigma Chapter Alumni Club and was elected to its executive board as its Marketing Chair.

Matthew is a special data analyst at Pfizer Pharmaceuticals in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, working on very high-profile projects where enhanced tactical and strategic decision-making skills, pinpoint accuracy, speed, and attention to detail are critical. Growing up in an entrepreneurially supported household and having spent time working within organizations of various sizes and shapes, Matthew enjoys solving complex problems by leveraging unique approaches and perspectives.

Matthew currently lives in Malvern, Pennsylvania. He is an avid traveler and adventurer, music aficionado, and dog lover.

Larry Feldman

Dr. Larry Feldman, was elected as a Director of the Grand Council in October of 2024. Larry was a multiple graduate at the University of Florida & a Tau Alpha TEP, Brother 1065, in the 1968 pledge class. He served 47 year as an educator/administrator with Miami-Dade County Public Schools, the nation’s 3rd largest district, the last 12 yrs. as a Constitutionally elected School Board member, vice chair and chair, retiring in November 2020. Dr. Feldman’s expertise is in the areas of public education, innovative educational curriculums, increased fiscal and budgetary management, shared decision-making governance, culture and client environments, special education, increasing efficiency of resources, and organizational-systemic reform initiatives. He worked with school districts nationally as a Senior Consultant to the Panasonic Foundation, Oxford’s Round Table, & the International Network of Principals’ Centers at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education. Larry also served as: Chair, the Council of the Great City Schools; President, the Greater Florida Consortium of School Boards; Director, the Florida School Boards Association, & President, the Dade Association of School Administrators. Currently, he is an adjunct professor, Institute for Ethical Leadership Doctoral Program, St. Thomas University; Director, Mexican American Council Foundation; Committee: Miami Dade College’s Education Baccalaureate; Director, Drug Free Youth In Town (DFY-IT); Appeals Committee, Florida High School Athletic Association; and on the Boards of: The Education Fund; Zoo Miami Foundation; University of Miami’s Community Advisory Program for Education in Neuro-developmental Disabilities (LEND); U.S. Air War College’s National Security Forums; Children’s Survival Network; University of Florida’s Lastinger Center; Holmes Group’s Tomorrow’s Schools; FBI National Citizens Academy Alumni Association Critical Incident Task Force; Building Empowerment by Stopping Trafficking, Inc. (B.E.S.T.); National Association for School Safety, Law Enforcement Officers (NASSLEO); Department of Defense’s JCOC and Special Ops Program; & the Miami-Dade Defense Alliance Joint Military Affairs Committee. Dr. Feldman has been the recipient of awards & honors including: the coveted 2019 National Urban Educator, the Council of Great City Schools; Discovery Channel’s Excellence in Urban Education; UF College of Education’s Distinguished Alumni; Chamber South’s Outstanding Service by an Elected Official; Miami Today’s Book of Leaders; FBI National Citizen Academy Alumni Association Outstanding Service Gold Medal; Minority Chamber of Commerce’s Public Official of the Year; Miami Beach Senior High School’s Hall of Fame; Mexican American Council’s Champion of Farmworkers; American Women’s Association’s Boss of the Year; and was inducted into UF’s Grand Guard. Dr. Feldman serves as keynote speaker, participant, & facilitator for educational leadership panels, professional associations and symposiums. His philanthropic endeavors provide scholarship grants for students, college visitations, Migrant Farmworkers Scholarships, 4-year Florida Pre-paid College Scholarships, perpetual College Endowments and Scholarships at UF’s College of Science and the Arts, UF’s College of Education, & Wesleyan College. With Miami Children’s Hospital he created partnerships to expand Drown Prevention Awareness Program & provide free cardiac screenings for sudden cardiac arrest for all students. He secured policies that: prohibited school district employees using cell devices while operating vehicles, enhanced athletic concussion-prevention programs, established athletic trainers use of concussion metrics, initiated anger management programs, implemented the Sandy Hook Promise, adopted Mindfulness Programs, & trained personnel in awareness, identification and servicing children of human trafficking. Dr. Feldman received his B.A. in Elementary Education and M.Ed. in Special Education from the University of Florida & his Ph.D. in Educational Leadership/System Reform from The Union Institute and University, Cincinnati, Ohio. Married for 51 yrs., he & his wife celebrate the accomplishments of their two daughters.

Marty Lacoff

Marty Lacoff was elected as a Director of the Grand Council in May of 2022 and reelected to a full term at the 2022 Grand Chapter in Baltimore, Maryland.

Marty joined Tau Epsilon Phi Fraternity in the spring of 1966 when he was initiated into the Epsilon Iota Chapter at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Marty graduated in June 1969 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Mechanical Engineering. As an undergraduate Marty served as Bursar, Social Chairman and various other fraternity house positions.

Marty went on to earn his MBA in Finance from the Simon School at the University of Rochester.

Marty is an entrepreneur with over 45 years’ experience in successfully starting, developing and operating businesses within the securities, real estate, and natural resources industries. His considerable professional experience include former Vice-Chairman and Co-Founder of Walker Energy Partners, one of first publicly traded Master Limited Partnership (MLP) that he brought public; and former Chairman, Founder and General Securities Principal of LaClare Securities, Inc., a NASD broker dealer. Marty was also formerly Vice President of institutional equities at Mitchell Hutchins and later Paine Webber. Marty previously served as a Director of Fortune Natural Resources Corporation, a public company that was listed on the American Stock Exchange and is currently on the board of directors of Belpointe PREP, LLC (NYSE: OZ) as well as the Lion’s Foundation of Greenwich, a charitable organization dedicated to helping the blind and visually impaired. Since 2012, Marty has served on the Board of Directors for Belpointe Multifamily Development Fund I, LP, where he helps in real estate investment decisions. Marty was selected to serve as a director because of his extensive investment and financial experience and detailed knowledge of our acquisition and operational opportunities and challenges.

Marty lives in Boca Raton, FL and Greenwich, CT with his wife Cherie of 53 years. They have two children and six grandchildren.

Dean Malik

Dean Malik is a practicing attorney in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. He joined Tau Epsilon Phi as a brother in the spring on 1991 at Syracuse University.

Dean graduated from Syracuse in 1993, earned his law degree at Villanova University Law School in 1997 and went on to serve on active duty as a military lawyer in the United States Marine Corps. Following his initial tour of active duty, Dean became an Assistant District Attorney in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, where he served for four years prior to entering the private sector.

Dean was called up to serve in the Iraq war in 2007 and was called again to serve as a liaison officer for a Marine Corps unit doing counterterrorism training in the African nation of Djibouti in 2011.

Dean currently operates as a solo practitioner specializing in personal injury law, tort claims, insurance coverage disputes, estate litigation, and family law.

Steven Spivak

Steve Spivak joined the Sigma chapter of TEP at Syracuse University, in the fall of 1990. Steve graduated from Syracuse in 1995 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. From there, he went on to obtain his Doctor of Podiatric Medicine degree from the Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine in 1999, then completed a surgical residency at Albert Einstein Medical Center (AEMC) in Philadelphia in 2001.

Steve has been a practicing podiatrist since 2001, and owning his own practice in the South Jersey and Philadelphia area since 2005. While in practice, Steve served as the Podiatric Residency Program director in 2022, and the assistant program director from 2005-2021. Since the end of 2022, Steve remains in private practice, exclusively in his South Jersey office in Lumberton, NJ, near where he lives with his wife Josette, and two children, Lauren and Andrew, where he serves as their chauffeur for their multiple activities.