Benjamin Graff ’98

Ben was born in 1978. 7 out of 10 doctors and nurses agreed he was the most handsome baby boy ever born.  He enrolled at The University of Arizona as a Freshman in 1997 and joined Kappa Sigma in Spring of 1998. Legend has it Matt Noble was called by the SAE Executive Director and encouraged to bring in Graff as he didn’t think he was a fit for his own fraternity.

Ben was immediately dedicated to leadership.  Ben was elected as an Associated Students of the U of A Senator in 1998, as Student Body Executive Vice President in 1999, and then as The University of Arizona Student Body President in 2000.  Ben came back to the University of Arizona for law school between 2003 and 2006.  In 2004, Governor Janet Napolitano appointed Ben as the Student Regent to represent all Arizona higher education students on the Arizona Board of Regents.

Brother Graff founded Aday Graff PC, a Real Estate/Land Use & Zoning/Government Relations law in Phoenix in March of 2017.  Ben has worked extensively on obtaining the necessary municipal and county approvals for projects ranging from the development of a utility-scale solar plant in Arizona to affordable housing, senior living, luxury multi-family developments, resorts, industrial plants, and downtown infill developments.

In this past election cycle, Ben ran for and was elected by Maricopa County residents to the Central Arizona Water Conservation Board (Central Arizona Project Board) to serve six years dedicated to the water policy and conservation decisions associated with Arizona’s Colorado River water allocations.  Ben received over 380,000 votes to secure his seat.

Ben is currently a member of Arizona Forward and serves on the Board of Directors for Kids at Hope, a non-profit organization.  He is a member of Valley Leadership Class 31 and the Flinn-Brown Leadership Academy Class 1. He also served as Legislative Chair for Valley Partnership from 2012-2016.

Ben and his wife, Lin, met at the University of Arizona and have been together since 1998.  They have two amazing daughters, Madison (4) and Sophia (2) who are already junior Wildcats.

Looking back, Ben has always believed that being a Kappa Sigma kept him on track to accomplish his goals and to have the ultimate undergraduate experience.  In 1997 when Ben started as a freshman, if you were a leader on campus, you were also a Kappa Sigma.  It was always the students on campus who were involved and dedicated to an organization who were successful and motivated to do well inside and outside of the classroom.  Moreover, the vast network of friends and professional connections that Ben has had access to since graduation are a direct result of quality of individuals and brothers that make up our outstanding Kappa Sigma alumni.