Nominated 2016. Mark G. Doll graduated from Berlin High School in 1967. He earned a B.A. in Finance from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1971 and a M.B.A. degree in 1975. The son of a former Berlin High School principal, Mark was born in Berlin the oldest of three children. He credits his teachers (including his dad, George) with giving him a great base to learn.
Following his undergraduate degree, Doll started at Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. in the investment department and worked there in various roles for the next 40 years. While working full-time he completed a Masters degree in business.
During his investment career, he worked primarily with publicly traded assets (bonds and stocks) with a primary focus on bonds. His responsibilities and titles grew during the ensuing years. From 2008 until his retirement in June of 2012, Doll served as Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer, reporting to the President. He oversaw professional staff of 220 in three investment departments/companies and was responsible for $164 billion in general account assets and $19 billion in separate account assets.
Doll led NML through one of the most turbulent financial periods since the Great Depression, ushering in an era of greater investment discipline while significantly contributing to NML’s product value and financial strength.
He has shared his talents with numerous non-profit organizations such as the Archdiocese of Milwaukee Finance Council and the Milwaukee Art Museum Investment Committee, the Investment Committee for the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and The Greater Milwaukee Foundation. He was the Milwaukee Board Chairman for the American Red Cross and on the Investment Committee for the American Red Cross-National in Washington D.C. He served two terms on the UWM Foundation Board on of them as Chairman.
In 2016 Governor Scott Walker appointed Doll to the State of Wisconsin Investment Board. The largest portion of the assets managed by SWIB is the trust funds of the Wisconsin Retirement System serving more than 570,000 participants.
He’d like to share these words:
Use your failures as a learning opportunity to reach your true potential.