The Board of Directors of the Psi Upsilon Foundation are pleased to announce the election of Brother James Volpentest (Theta Theta ’90) as the newest member of the board. Mr. Volpentest graduated from the University of Washington and brings extensive experience from a distinguished career in sales and management.
When asked what he would say to the undergraduates of today James, as the father of a senior looking at colleges now, says, “You have these moments, a joke, an event and you don’t realize it but that’s life and it is who you are. Pay attention to those moments and don’t be in too much of a hurry to get to the next step in life.”
During his undergraduate years James pledged Psi Upsilon in the Fall of 1986. “Some of my favorite memories with the fraternity were during Greek Week,” said James. “It was a time when all of the chapter would come together. Even if you weren’t in the competition then you’d be on the sidelines cheering and we were all in it together. As a music lover I was always there for the Battle of the Bands.” James himself would often represent the chapter in these competitions for soccer and was a member of the University of Washington soccer team. While he originally joined the team as a walk on he was eventually granted a scholarship for his performance. In 1990 he was named Most Inspirational player and that same year served as the Vice President of Rush for the Theta Theta chapter helping to recruit a pledge class of thirty members.
After college James met and married Cindy Morgan with whom he has shared his life.
James is the proud father of two with one daughter and one son. His son is currently finishing his senior year and preparing for college. During his free time James enjoys music including a “love-hate” relationship to playing guitar. His college days love of soccer continues with many years of coaching soccer and specifically coaching soccer goal-keepers in his local community.
James recently began a new position as Senior Sales Director for Front, a technology firm specializing in software and services for businesses to manage their customer service. Prior to his current position James spent twelve years at LinkedIn serving in various executive capacities. During his time at LinkedIn James would serve many roles including Vice President of Sales. Before LinkedIn James spent eleven years at Oracle Corporation, similarly in executive positions focused on growing the business.
Over the years James has maintained contact with many brothers and describes some of the young men who he attended college with as his best friends that he still is in regular contact with. When his home chapter sponsored the national convention in 1986 he attended and he has attended multiple smaller events in his current home city of San Francisco. James says “Psi U has been a constant in my life for the last 36 years.” This relationship has continued to recently when James was elected as the newest member of the Board of Directors.
For the Foundation Board James looks forward to finding ways to contribute and move the leadership of Psi Upsilon to reflect the brotherhood and society as a whole. “I’ve been fortunate enough to have many great teachers and learn about how gender and ethnic diversity can add strength to an organization,” said James. During his time at LinkedIn James became certified in various diversity courses such as “Confronting Racism” and “Confronting Bias: Thriving Across our Differences” as well as many others. He speaks highly of how this training has helped him as a manager and as a human being and hopes to help lead Psi Upsilon in this direction. In addition to diversifying the leadership, James hopes to focus on programs that help all members, both graduates and undergraduates, to network with the brotherhood. “So many of my opportunities in life have come from contacts and networking,” says James, “ and the brotherhood is a huge membership from all walks of life. Being able to access that network gives a leg up in the world that cannot be passed up.”
