Alumni Spotlight | Peter Caliendo, Butler University
How will you leave your mark on the world? This is something Peter Caliendo (Butler University, 2008) thinks of often. He’s allowed it to shape how he lives and how he works with others. And it was his involvement with Delta Tau Delta that helped shape this philosophy.
When Caliendo was a senior in high school he made an admissions visit to Butler University. The student who hosted him was a Delt, and Caliendo says it was clear from the beginning that the men of the Fraternity were leaders on campus. Caliendo joined Delta Tau Delta during the second semester of his freshman year. He, too, became a leader, serving as chapter president during his junior year and participating in the Presidents and Advisors Retreat. He also attended the Brickyard Karnea in Indianapolis in 2006 and took part in the Bethany Leadership Academy, a predecessor to todays’ Ignite and the Charge programs.
Caliendo now works for Johnson & Johnson as a finance manager, and has taken these same leadership principles into his professional life. He currently works at the New Jersey corporate headquarters, but also spent more than two years working in Belgium. His fraternity experiences prepared him to step out of his comfort zone and move overseas, and his time in Belgium pushed him and made him better at his job. He even had four fraternity brothers visit while he was there.
Caliendo encourages all young alumni to stay connected with their local chapter, and always keep themselves open to opportunities. Delta Tau Delta is a great training ground for pushing yourself to do and be better.
“A theme that started when I was in college with Delta Tau Delta that has continued throughout my career was the constant effort to ‘leave your mark,’” Caliendo said. “This is something that I stress to those I mentor, both within the Fraternity and new employees to Johnson & Johnson. Focus on leaving a lasting legacy in any role, in any organization you support.”
In his professional career Caliendo has tried to leave his personal mark on each job regardless of the size or scope of his day-to-day responsibilities. “Sometimes this includes developing tangible financial models or tools,” he said. “It can also mean coaching and mentoring future leaders, or shaping teams to maximize efficiency and value for the company.”
The Delta Tau Delta Educational Foundation has the same goal – to help our future leaders learn how to best “leave their mark” on their community and the world. When you support the Foundation, you support training and opportunities that help shape our future leaders into mentors, role models and difference-makers. You can help be the spark that ignites a new generation of Delta Tau Delta men.