Chris Marvin

Chris Marvin is the Director of Civilian-Military Partnerships for ServiceNation, heading the Mission Serve initiative—a program that strives to bring the civilian and military communities together through service and volunteerism. In this capacity, Chris pursues strategies to bridge the civilian-military divide through unique partnerships and collaborative efforts with the entertainment industry, the corporate sector, federal and state governments, and a coalition of prominent non-profit organizations. His team hosted The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at a veterans’ hiring fair and service project in Los Angeles in July 2011. Chris also orchestrated 11 high-profile service projects in 11 major American cities on 11/11/11 as a national celebration of service on Veterans Day.

Previously, Chris served more than seven years as a US Army Officer, commissioned in 2001. He was named the Distinguished Honor Graduate of his Aviation Officer Basic Course and assigned to the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, Hawai‘i. As a Blackhawk helicopter pilot and platoon leader,

Chris led his unit into combat in Afghanistan in 2004. In less than four months, Chris flew more than 40 combat missions before being severely wounded in a helicopter crash near the Afghan-Pakistan border. Over the next four years, Chris underwent 10 major surgeries and thousands of hours of physical therapy as part of his recovery. He was medically retired from the military as a Captain. His awards include the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal, and the Air Medal for meritorious achievement.

During his recovery, Chris worked as the subject matter expert on flight simulations for the US Army Pacific. He also volunteered as an advocate for other wounded veterans. In 2007, he was named the
first Fellow for The Mission Continues—a non-profit organization that challenges wounded and disabled veterans to volunteer in their communities. Subsequently, Chris volunteered for The Mission Continues as the National Director of the Fellowship Program, logging more than 2,000 volunteer hours in 2008 before joining the organization as full-time staff in 2009.

Chris holds a Masters in Business Administration from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he concentrated in marketing and management. At Wharton, he was named a Venture Fellow, leading trips in Chile and Antarctica, as well as a Social Enterprise Fellow, studying the impact of cross-sector collaboration on social movements and pervasive cultural events. As the Wharton Graduate Association Executive Director for Leadership, Chris also founded the Wharton Perspectives on Leadership student speaker series—an innovative lecture series that allows students with non-conventional backgrounds to inspire group discussions on leadership dynamics.

Chris Marvin is a native of Illinois and a graduate of Bloomington Central Catholic High School. Chris holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame where he ran varsity track and field and was an Army ROTC cadet. At Notre Dame, he participated in the Center for Social Concern’s Summer Service Project program, receiving an AmeriCorps grant for an eight-week service fellowship.

Chris is conversationally proficient in Hawaiian and has volunteered as an instructor for a Hawaiian language immersion program. He appeared in four episodes of the ABC television drama LOST and was a significant contributor to the National Geographic documentary The Last Days of Osama bin Laden. An Eagle Scout, Chris is also an avid surfer and an avid Chicago sports fan. He currently resides with his wife and daughter in Philadelphia, but considers Hawai‘i home.

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