Volunteer of the Year Award - 2016: Chris Lund '61

2016: Chris Lund '61

Chris Lund '61 is being recognized for his decades of support for Notre Dame’s alumni, parents, friends, and students in Latin America and his leadership in helping to guide and implement the University’s internationalization efforts.

After graduating from Notre Dame in 1961, Lund earned a Master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1962. That same year, he married Sue Hoebreckx of Milwaukee and accepted a job in Brazil.

Two decades later, when Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., then the University president, and Rev. Bob Pelton, C.S.C., visited graduates living in Latin America in search of support for University international initiatives, they called on Lund, who was the only undergraduate alumni living in Brazil at the time. It’s doubtful that the two legendary Notre Dame priests could have imagined the immense contributions Lund would make over the next 30 years. 

He has organized and hosted myriad visits to Brazil by top Notre Dame administrators and faculty. Lund also has worked closely with the University’s Enrollment division to steadily boost the number of undergraduate students from Brazil applying to Notre Dame. In 2015, a record sixty-seven applications were received from Brazil for the class of 2020.

As the number of alumni from Brazil increased, Lund founded and served as the first president of the Notre Dame Club of Brazil. He remains a key leader of the club, which has emerged as a model of excellence for international Notre Dame clubs.

From 2004-2008, Lund served as the first regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean on the Alumni Association’s Board of Directors. In this role, he mentored volunteer leaders across the region and supported the growth of the Notre Dame family. He has remained a tireless advocate for the Alumni Association’s international outreach efforts. 

Lund currently serves on the Kellogg Institute Advisory Board and the University’s Latin American and Caribbean Advisory Council, which he chaired from 2010 until this year. His passion for Notre Dame and visionary leadership continues to benefit generations of Notre Dame students, alumni, and friends.