L. Martin Cobb, a partner with ili Consulting, graduated in 1996 from Eastern Kentucky University and has served as associate director of the Beta Theta Pi Foundation since May of 2001. Focusing primarily on major gift aquisition, Cobb and his staff celebrated success in July 2006 with an historic, first capital campaign for leadership development programming. in total, $20.2 million was raised toward the campaign's $15 million goal.
Cobb completed and earned his Masters of Business Administration degree (MBA) from Miami University and, in May of 2006, was admitted to Harvard University's highly acclaimed executive leadership course within the John F. Kennedy School of Government. Cobb also earned his Certificate in Fund Raising Management from the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University in 2000. With a long-standing family background in commercial and residential real estate development, grocery retail and farming, his awareness of business practices, the art of exceeding constumers' expectations and the importance of strong work ethic is thorough.
Cobb is rare in the strategic planning field in that he has demonstrated his ability to create plans, oversee their implementation and execution, and then create funding models to support success. In 1998 he was named the first staff director of the organization's leadership development and cultural change initiative -the Men of Principle initiative- which has been recognized with nine international honors and awards in the last seven years.
Prior to serving on the Beta Foundation Staff, Cobb worked with all existing colonies and led new expansion opportunities for the Fraternity. He served as the lead staff person responsible for the successful recolonization of the Fraternity's Rho chapter at Northwestern University. Collectively, he has worked with and visited more than 100 college campuses across North America.
Upon graduation, Cobb spent a year as a member services consultant for the North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC.) in this role, he traveled the South and Southeast predominantly working with local IFC's, Greek advisors, chapters and university administration.
A Kentucky native raised in Nicholasville, just 10 miles south of Lexington, Cobb graduated with a bachelor of business administration in marketing and a minor in communication. As an undergraduate, he was a two-term chapter president and was also involved with the Interfraternity Council, serving as its president in 1995.
He was honored twice as Chapter President of the Year (1993, 1994) and Greek Man of the Year (1994), and earned the Fealty award (1996) for overall contribution to the University Greek community.
He was appointed an executive council member of the EKU National Alumni Association in 2001. For his efforts, the EKU Greek community recognized Cobb as the Outstanding Greek Alumnus of the Year in 2001. In 2006, he was named EKU's Distinguished Alumnus of the Year for the College of Business & Technology and, in 2007, was appointed by its Dean to the college's advisory council.