Don Goehner to be Honored as Alumnus of the Year

Don D. Goehner ’60, founder and president of The Goehner Group, has been named Westmont Alumnus of the Year and will be honored by President Gayle D. Beebe at an alumni reunion brunch Saturday, Oct. 2, as part of Homecoming, Oct. 1-2.

Goehner, a Washington state native, graduated with a degree in sociology from Westmont and a master of business administration from Pepperdine University before directing two local Youth for Christ chapters for 14 years. He later served as a college administrator and development officer at Azusa Pacific University and Westmont for eight years. He has been a Westmont trustee for 24 years and president of the Westmont Alumni Association from 1986-1989. He has also been very active in Young Life Capernaum, a ministry to disabled youth. He founded The Goehner Group, which assists ministry organizations in achieving their mission, vision and goals through stewardship, marketing and leadership consultation.

Susan Penksa, Westmont professor of political science, will present the Global Service Award to David Batstone ’80 and Teri Bradford Rouse ’77, Westmont senior director of alumni and parent relations, will present the Young Alumnus of the Year Award to Justin Zoradi ’04.

Batstone, a business professor at the University of San Francisco, is president and co-founder of the Not For Sale Campaign, a movement to end modern-day slavery, and Right Reality, an international social venture firm. He has authored seven books, the two most recent being “Not For Sale” and “Saving the Corporate Soul.”

Zoradi, who grew up in San Luis Obispo, Calif., is the founder and director of These Numbers Have Faces, an organization dedicated to empowering youth to reduce poverty in South Africa. He earned a bachelor’s degree in communication studies from Westmont and a master’s degree in peace and conflict resolution from Portland State University.

For more information, please contact the alumni office at (805) 565-6056 or alumni@westmont.edu.