Daniel Gifford, ’88 P’21, P’23

Trustee

Dan, CPA (Inactive), graduated from Otterbein University in 1988 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. Dan started his career at KPMG where he worked for over ten years and has held various accounting related roles in industry since leaving public accounting. Following decades of roles as a CFO, most recently at Bold Penguin, Dan retired in 2025.

Gifford has served on the Otterbein University Alumni Council since 2016 and serves on the Enrollment and Advancement Committee of the Otterbein Board. Dan lives in Westerville with his wife, Dee, and their sons, Spencer and Mitchell.

The Gifford family has a long legacy at Otterbein, dating back to his great-grandfather Rudy Wagoner who graduated in 1892 and was a member of the faculty from 1893 – 1920. His father, Craig ’57, grew up in what is now the Education House and also served as sports information director at Otterbein in the 1960’s. Gifford’s sons Spencer ‘21 and Mitchell ’23 are fifth generation Cardinals and round out the 20 members of the family to attend Otterbein.