2020 Distinguished Achievement Award in Business

Daniel Pichler ’83

Shortly before Dan Pichler retired as a partner and CPA from the accounting and consulting firm Wipfli in May of this year, he was interviewed by the diocesan newspaper The Compass. Commenting on his nearly 40 years at Wipfli, his 36 years of marriage and his quarter-century in the same house, Dan explained to the newspaper wryly: “As I tell people, I have a commitment issue.”

Commitment has undeniably been a hallmark of Dan’s life, not just in those respects, but in the way he has served his clients, his Wipfli colleagues, his community and his church.

At Wipfli, Dan applied values drawn from his Catholic faith. Morality, sincerity and ethical practices grounded the company’s — and Dan’s — approach to clients, and his principled leadership set the tone for the 140 associates he led at the company’s Green Bay and Fox Cities offices.

Outside of work, Dan’s commitment to his community and local organizations was similarly exemplary and inspiring. He served as a board member of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Green Bay for nearly 20 years, and is the only person twice honored by the organization as Board Member of the Year.

Dan has been an active member of the Optimist Club, a past board member of the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Legatus organization of Catholic business leaders. He is a regular presence at charitable outings and fundraisers throughout the community.

Commitment is something Dan has also exhibited plentifully and joyfully in his faith, together with his wife, Peg. While Peg immersed herself in service to the Catholic schools their three children attended in Green Bay, Dan coached basketball there for many years, and they both focused their energies on fundraising for the schools and the parish, as well. Dan also has been active in his parish and is a member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, which supports Christians in the Holy Land through contributions and prayer.

Reflecting on his life and career at the conclusion of his Compass interview, Dan offered this: “What’s worked for me all these years is to be the person who I am. My faith has always been a part of that, brought down from my parents.” For his lifetime of commitment to his faith and to the betterment of those he has met on his life’s journey, the college is pleased to present Dan Pichler with the Distinguished Achievement Award in Business.