The recent recipient of the Dr. Bernard L. Martin Award, Christine has a long-standing relationship with Canisius, a journey that began in Jamestown.  “I grew up on a 100-acres and my uncle ran our family’s dairy farm down the street.  I picked Canisius because I wanted a big city experience.  It was a culture shock for sure!”

Diving into college life, Christine became a member of the cheerleading team and recalls fondly her teammates.  “These were accomplished gals…2 PhDs, 3 doctors and 2 MBA’s.  We had fun but we took our academics very seriously.”

When not studying or cheerleading, Christine secured a work study in the business school under the leadership of Dean Shick.  “He had ties to the Jamestown area so I felt a sense of connection with him not to mention that he is one of the funniest, wittiest men I know.”

With a recommendation from Dr. Shick, Christine became the first woman in sales at M&T Insurance.

“I relished the opportunity and have been in sales ever since.  The business has changed significantly. Gallagher is the third largest broker globally. Few companies were purchasing cyber insurance when I started, now it’s  one of the most important parts of insurance portfolios.”

While building her career and obtaining an MBA, Christine also continued her commitment to Canisius.  She has been active in Wehle’s Business Advisory Council for about a decade and in 2022 took over the helm, co-chairing with alumnus, Ann Seyboldt (Linde). 

As for the future, Christine is single-minded.  “We need to increase enrolment and build on the strong success of our accounting and finance programs.  New programs like business analytics too are very marketable.   All our programs prepare students for the real world.  We need to get that message out.”

Christine reflects on being an alumnus. “There is a loyalty among alumni, something that’s incredibly strong.  I’m so very proud of The Wehle School and I’m still having such a fulfilling experience with it all.”