HOW CAN I HELP?

By Stephanie Strothmann

According to Rick Pelletier Rowan ’02, a lot of people volunteer for some kind of personal gain. They want to receive praise, awards, build their resume, advance their career, or move up in leadership. “I volunteer mostly out of principle.”

Pelletier

Pelletier, a member of the Order of the S.C., began volunteering as the chapter advisor for the Delaware Alpha Chapter in 2022 following that year’s GAC. “I didn’t think I would be the [only] advisor; I thought I would be one of several alumni helping,” he laughs. He was asked to help because he lives in Delaware. Faced with the challenge of a large amount of debt held by the chapter, Pelletier set out to tackle getting the finances back on track. “I always wanted to be an advisor,” he adds, “I didn’t mind.”

He found as he began advising the chapter that education was key to repaying the debt. The students were very much a social organization, and they needed guidance toward making better decisions and improving their operations. “It has been an uphill battle,” but said it was worth the effort.

When not advising the chapter, Pelletier also is a Phi Psi scholarship reviewer, which he has done for at least a dozen years. He has become known as “the scholarship guy.” A humble person, he adds that he was never really a straight ‘A’ student himself but was a solid ‘B’ student. This didn’t affect his ability to create some benchmarks on academic expectations within the chapters. “I received several Foundation scholarships as an undergraduate. This is my way of paying back the awards I’ve received,” says Pelletier.

It is obvious Pelletier takes all aspects of the reviewer job very seriously. According to Director of Scholarship & Grant Programs Angel Johnson-Brebner, “In my experience, Rick is one of the first alumni members to volunteer, loves learning about all the wonderful work of the students, and has very insightful suggestions of how we can improve the process moving forward.” Pelletier’s thorough and meticulous evaluation of the applicants proves his commitment to finding the most deserving recipients.

Pelletier names Chris Hammer TCNJ ’91 (Rowan ’03) as a chapter brother who recognized his potential and says, “He saw that I was involved and wanted to make an impact on my chapter.” He also adds that Steve McDermott Rowan ’00 challenged him when he wanted to be a District Archon. McDermott told him, “You don’t have to be Archon to make an impact.”

Pelletier carried his brothers’ advice with him into his career as a chemical engineer. With 19 years of experience in customer support at AVEVA, specifically the SimSci brand, Pelletier believes you need to be a chemical engineer to support the software properly. He offers, “It’s a rather unique career path within chemical engineering.” Most chemical engineers work in a refinery, chemical plant, engineering design company, and other more traditional roles. “Many in those positions use our software to help do their job on a daily basis.” At AVEVA, he not only provides phone/email support and training to customers who use the software but also does everything from account management, sales and marketing support, presentations at conferences to beta-testing and more.

Pelletier has taken the phrase “How can I help?” to be paramount in his life. Executive Director Ron Ransom Butler ’00 says, “Brother Pelletier is a dedicated and selfless volunteer. Through his service as an advisor, scholarship reviewer, and volunteer director of scholarship, he has undoubtedly made a profound impact on countless young lives — far more than he may ever realize.”

When not advising or working he enjoys time with his family; his wife, Kerri, and children Alexander, 3; Jamie, 7; and Ricky, 9. Pelletier is also a classically trained pianist and enjoys gaming.

Stephanie Strothmann, an Indiana State University graduate, writes a bi-weekly column for The Tribune about her small farm in Southern Indiana and is a freelancer for AIM Media special publications.