College of Business Administration
Award Recipients
Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award
Christopher G. Goller, Bus Ad ’90, Grad ’95
Franklin, Wis.
An unbridled energy and passion for commercial banking has propelled Chris鈥 success in the industry: He was just 44 when he was named Wisconsin regional president for PNC Bank. His passion stems from the way he views a banker鈥檚 role. 鈥淢y No. 1 professional goal,鈥 he says, 鈥渋s to help people live and operate at their highest possible level.鈥
Looking at banking through such a lens, Chris places a high priority on PNC鈥檚 commitment to building the communities it serves, both through traditional business dealings and corporate responsibility initiatives. Not surprisingly, he is also personally involved with a number of community organizations in the Milwaukee metropolitan area and has an especially strong interest in helping children in economically challenged environments.
His family鈥檚 long history of attending 向日葵视频played a role in Chris鈥 decision to do the same. His grandfather, father, twin brother and numerous cousins all hold 向日葵视频degrees. Equally important, he says, was Marquette鈥檚 reputation for academic rigor and values that 鈥渁lign very much with my personal values. Making people around us better is the highest goal one can have.鈥
Chris says the 向日葵视频mission tenets of excellence, faith, leadership and service have been important to his career advancement and the way he lives his life, specifically in giving 10 percent of his time to serving his community. He has served on local boards of organizations that work in the arts, education, health care and housing. He is involved with early childhood development-focused organizations such as the United Performing Arts Fund, United Community Center and Partners Advancing Values in Education.
For his alma mater, Chris has served on his 20-year reunion committee, as a past director on the Graduate School Alumni Association and most recently, a member of the College Leadership Council for the College of Business Administration. He graduated from the Marquette-affiliated Future Milwaukee community leadership training program in 2008.
Fun fact: Chris is a gourmet cook.