Marietta Delts Named to 40 Under 40 List
Three Marietta Delt Alumni were recently named to Delta Tau Delta’s biennial 40 Under 40 list.
Paapa Nkrumah-Ababio ’18, Alex Nourse ’15, and Jeremy Jusek ’10 were among the 40 national fraternity’s alumni selected for excelling in areas of leadership, professional success, community involvement and fraternal causes.
Jusek, who majored in theater and chemistry at Marietta College, also earned an MFA from Arcadia University. He has worked as a freelance writer on technical, marketing and book projects. He has been a ghostwriter for publishers of memoirs and children’s and young adult books. Among his own books are multiple poetry collections exploring personal identity, mental health and addiction. As the poet laureate of Parma, Jusek has led poetry workshops and education programs in his community.
Jusek can see how being a Delt helped change his outlook toward service to others.
“Being around Delts made me understand networking, leadership, and professionalism. As a freshman, I thought organizations like Student Senate were silly, but I watched Delts who were in leadership [positions] volunteer their free time to do admirable things that benefited others on campus. It taught me a lot about being selfless, and helped shed some of my contrarianism impulses,” he said.
Alex Nourse has served the Marietta Delts as the vice president, and most recently, president of the Marietta Delt Alumni Association. His career in banking has included roles in investing, financial planning and leadership roles managing people.
Alex quotation here
Paapa Nkrumah-Ababio is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, studying education policy and organization.
He serves Delta Tau Delta as the chapter advisor for Beta Upsilon Chapter at Urbana-Champaign. He also serves the Marietta Delts as the grants chairman of the Marietta Delt Educational Foundation and a member of its Board of Directors.
“My experience as an Epsilon Upsilon Delt was transformative,” said Nkrumah-Ababio, “I began to understand what I wanted to dedicate my life to: helping people reach their potential. Surrounding myself with people who challenged me to grow made all the difference. Although I earned my degree in Petroleum Engineering from Marietta College, I realized that my purpose was in education and developing people. I am now finishing my Ph.D. in Education Policy. My Delt experience helped me identify, develop, and ultimately pursue my purpose and calling in life.”
Among the inaugural 40 Under 40 honorees in 2022 was Mark Hirschfeld ’09. At that time he was serving both the MDEF as grants chairman and the MDAA as vice president.
“I’ve always viewed my time serving the Chapter and the MDEF as a direct extension of my professional life. When I was named to the 40 Under 40 list, it reinforced a lesson I learned while working with the undergraduates as a chapter advisor at Robert Morris University: leadership is about advocacy. Pushing for the Maloof Grants wasn't just about distributing funds; it was about protecting a vision that empowered brothers from all backgrounds to thrive. That recognition validated that the most important work I’ve done wasn't always the easiest, but it was the most necessary for the long-term health of our brotherhood.”
Nine Marietta Delts have been named to Delta Tau Delta 40 Under 40 lists. Joined by Hirschfeld in 2022 was Ashley Wollam ’08 and Cody Clemens ’13. In 2024, they were followed by Josh Maxwell ’11, David Hood ’11 and Matt Heinzman ’12.
More Marietta Delts have received this honor than from any other Chapter. There are approximately 120,000 living alumni of Delta Tau Delta, including about 40,000 under the age of 40.