The quieter work of Tripoli, leadership, service, logistics, and institutional continuity.
The non-parade units page shows another side of Tripoli Shriners. These are the groups that support ritual, security, logistics, photography, transportation, mentoring, younger member engagement, and deeper fraternal ties. They may not always be the most visible groups to the public, but they help hold the organization together.
Every non-parade unit, in one place.
These units reveal the structure behind Tripoli’s public life. They preserve order, support ceremonies, create records, mentor younger members, strengthen fellowship, and help turn the shrine from a visible institution into a functioning one.
Crusaders Knights Templar
Reactivated in 1948, this unit emphasizes commitment to both Templary and Shrinedom.
Contact: Mike Clinnin, 414-294-0238
Fraternal continuity with a strong sense of tradition.
The Crusaders reflect one of the more explicitly heritage-oriented strands within Tripoli’s internal life.
They help connect the shrine to wider Masonic and Templar traditions, reinforcing continuity, loyalty, and deeper fraternal identity.
Leadership formation and a bridge to younger generations.
DeMolay is associated with helping build leadership, citizenship, and responsibility in young men.
Its presence in the Tripoli structure reflects the importance of mentorship, continuity, and encouraging future generations to understand fraternity and service.
Contact: Al Iding, 414-258-6481
Why it matters
DeMolay gives Tripoli a meaningful connection to youth leadership development and future fraternity life.
Director’s Staff
Organized in 1920, this unit supports ceremonials and stagecraft-heavy shrine events.
Contact: John Cervantes, 414-779-9101
Ceremonial support with structure, coordination, and presentation.
Large organizational traditions depend on members who can support staging, timing, and formal presentation, and that is where Director’s Staff plays an important role.
This unit helps make ceremonial life feel organized, polished, and effective.
A space for newer Shriners, fresh ideas, and family involvement.
Formed in 2008, NexGen focuses on younger and newer Shriners, recruiting, family participation, and building energy for the future.
This kind of unit matters because healthy organizations need renewal, not just continuity. NexGen helps Tripoli remain welcoming and forward-looking.
Contact: Patrick Jackson, 414-467-3669
Its role
NexGen strengthens the next generation of Tripoli life by making room for new voices and newer members.
Northwoods Jacks
Chartered in 1978, this unit recreates the old lumbering days of Northern Wisconsin.
Contact: Scott Kellog, 715-545-2004
A unit built around Wisconsin identity and fraternal personality.
Northwoods Jacks brings regional character into the life of the shrine, reflecting a sense of place as well as fellowship.
Groups like this help make the organization feel culturally rooted rather than abstract.
The visual memory of the shrine.
Organized in 1963, Photo Corps documents temple activities and supports publications, archives, and institutional memory.
Photography is not just decoration, it is how an organization remembers itself, tells its story, and shares its public life with members and future generations.
Contact: Fernando Topete, 773-648-0440
Provost
A unit associated with security, order, and event operations.
Contact: Dustin Herzog, 262-442-0381
Order, discipline, and practical support.
Every institution depends on members who can help manage the practical side of events and maintain an orderly environment.
The Provost unit helps provide that structure and reliability for Tripoli functions.
Fellowship and support for the welfare of the shrine center.
Red Fez promotes the welfare of the shrine center while strengthening fellowship among members.
That combination matters because institutions stay healthy not only through formal leadership, but through groups that care for the life and spirit of the place itself.
Contact: Ron Hurst, 262-786-8683
Its contribution
Red Fez helps reinforce community, care for the building, and pride in the organization as a home for fraternity life.
Preserving ceremonial skill and dramatic tradition.
Organized in 1949, the Ritualistic Divan helps present key ceremonial sections with discipline, confidence, and ritual precision.
This unit helps preserve the formal and dramatic side of the shrine’s internal identity, which is an essential part of its continuity.
Contact: Curt Campagna, 414-698-8874
Guarding privacy, order, and the integrity of ceremonial work.
Tilers serve a quiet but important role in maintaining the boundaries and dignity of ceremonial life.
Their work may be less visible than other units, but it reflects one of the longstanding responsibilities that help protect the organization’s internal structure.
Contact: Robert D. Adams, 414-462-0800
Why it matters
Tilers help preserve focus, privacy, and respect during formal shrine activity.
Transportation
A service-centered unit that assists children traveling to and from hospitals.
Contact: Frank Foti, 414-940-5632
Direct service that connects Tripoli to the charitable mission.
Transportation is one of the clearest examples of practical care in action, helping children and families get where they need to go for treatment.
It is a reminder that the life of the shrine is not only ceremonial or social. It can also be directly supportive in ways that matter deeply to families.