In this episode of The Leaderboard Podcast, Zach and Henry spoke with Bill Westrate, CEO and Chair-Elect of American Family Insurance. Bill shared some valuable insights into leadership, culture and planning. Here are a few takeaways from this episode:

Vision and Culture are Key: Bill emphasized the importance of having a clear vision and developing a strong culture within the organization. He talked about the shift from being operationally focused to being more focused on aspirations and culture, especially in the areas of diversity, equity and inclusion.

Planning is Essential: Bill stressed the importance of planning, especially during times of transition and uncertainty. He talked about the need to always be prepared for the future and to have a solid plan in place, even in the face of challenges like a pandemic or natural disasters.

Invest in the Community: Finally, Bill shared his personal commitment to investing in the community and the importance of companies being proud to be from the places where they operate. He talked about his involvement with the United Way and how being part of a great community can benefit both employees and the company as a whole.

"I think it's important that when we bring new people into the organization, we welcome them in, that we help them develop an appreciation for the culture and our values and the way we respect each other and work hard together." - Bill Westrate, CEO and Chair-Elect, American Family Insurance

Guest Bio

Bill oversees the American Family Insurance enterprise of companies. He is actively engaged in the strategy, operations, business development and innovation efforts AmFam Group, and he has a passion for community/social impact and progressing the company’s diversity and inclusion initiatives.

Bill started with American Family in 1996 as an actuarial analyst and later became the division’s actuarial manager, homeowners lines director and risk pricing director. In 2006, he was elected vice president of the Actuarial Division, and two years later he was named vice president of Personal Lines.

Bill became an executive vice president in July 2011, with oversight of the product line divisions: Commercial-Farm/Ranch, Life and Personal Lines. He continued in that role until becoming American Family chief operating officer in January 2014. In 2017, American Family promoted Bill to enterprise president, assuming that role from Chair and CEO Jack Salzwedel. Bill was then named CEO-Elect in 2021 in the organization’s succession plan for Jack’s retirement at the end of that year. In January 2022, he moved into his current position as CEO. In 2024, he will succeed Jack as chair of the board of directors.

Bill earned his bachelor’s degree from Northwestern College in mathematics. He is a fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society, a member of the American Academy of Actuaries and serves on the board of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

In this episode of the Leaderboard Podcast, Zach and Henry sit down with the CEO of M3 Insurance, Mike Victorson. During their discussion, Mike emphasizes the importance of asking questions and being curious in sales rather than making assumptions or prescribing solutions without first understanding the customer's needs.

In addition, Mike talks about the importance of having an infinite or abundance mindset in the highly competitive world of insurance brokering. He believes having an abundance mindset is crucial to playing a winnable game in business, as it allows individuals to focus on the bigger picture and not get bogged down by the wins and losses of individual battles. By adopting this mindset, individuals can approach their work with a sense of purpose and optimism, which can help them to achieve their goals and overcome obstacles.

"Even if you think you didn't do it right, whether it's work or family or life, it's never too late to lean into getting it right." - Mike Victorson

Guest Bio

Mike Victorson is the chief executive officer (CEO) of M3 Insurance, responsible for the strategic direction and vision of the agency, identifying opportunities for growth and innovation, cultivating organizational culture, and serving the community. Victorson serves on the M3 Insurance Board of Directors and is a member of M3’s Executive Operating Committee.

·    Earned degree in political science and speech communication from Augustana College

·    Joined M3 in 1992

o   Learned business through a variety of roles in customer service, sales, and sales management

o   Served as vice president of M3’s employee benefits division, 1999-2003

o   Advanced to president of M3, 2003

o   Named CEO of M3, 2005

o   Expanded role as CEO, and announced Sean LaBorde as president, 2020

Current Board Involvement

·    BrokerTech Ventures (BTV)

·    Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers (CIAB)

·    Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce Foundation

·    Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce

·    Oregon Community Bank

·    Tetra Defense

In this episode of the Leaderboard podcast, Zach and Henry sit down with Jennifer Mnookin, Chancellor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The Chancellor discusses her journey in the world of academia and gives key insights on leadership and fostering a culture of belonging. She also highlights the importance of curiosity, embracing diversity and seeking out different perspectives to find innovative solutions, and creating a culture where everyone feels included and valued.

"In my current role, I really want to find ways that we can lift up, elevate, and celebrate our students and all that they bring and work to make sure that everyone has a strong sense of belonging in a place like UW-Madison." - Chancellor Mnookin

Guest Bio

Jennifer Mnookin became chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison on August 4, 2022. She is the 30th chancellor in the university’s 175-year history.

Chancellor Mnookin has spent her academic career at top public universities — most recently at UCLA, where she was on the faculty for 17 years and, for the last 7 years, served as dean of the UCLA School of Law, where she helped to strengthen the school’s academic excellence, increase both the diversity and the academic strength of the student body, and build new programs in areas ranging from law and technology to human rights. Chancellor Mnookin is one of the nation’s most cited legal scholars in the area of evidence law and has served on several national committees examining the use of forensic science in court. She also has served on the faculty at the University of Virginia and Harvard and holds degrees from Harvard, Yale, and MIT. She has spent her first months at UW-Madison listening and learning and has been deeply impressed by the university’s commitment to educational excellence and the ways in which the faculty and staff incorporate leading-edge scientific research and public service into the student experience.  She is committed to understanding what’s working well and finding ways to build on those successes, as well as looking for opportunities to improve so that UW-Madison can make even greater progress in meeting its mission of education, research, and outreach.

In this episode of the Leaderboard Podcast, Zach and Henry sit down with President/CEO Paul Kundert of UW Credit Union. Paul talks about his career growth from working in a smaller market to becoming a credit union president and CEO with 5.2 billion in assets. He firmly believes that he has been successful in his current position by helping build teams and pursuing an honest and objective view of how the organization is doing. Paul also discusses the decision to take a national stance against overdraft fees and the harmful effects overdraft fees have had on customers.

"The most time-compressed people in society are poor people. They have no time because being poor is a very demanding business."⁠

- Paul Kundert, President/CEO, UW Credit Union⁠

Paul Kundert Bio

magazine in 2018 named UW Credit Union as top among Wisconsin credit unions in customer satisfaction. Madison Magazine named UW Credit Union the top large employer in its 2021 Best Places to Work.

Paul has been an outspoken champion of fairness in financial services, most recently advocating for reform in banking fees disproportionately paid by low wealth consumers. In 2022 he provided testimony on this issue to the House Financial Services Committee. He also served as a Primary Negotiator for the US Department of Education Negotiated Rulemaking Committee 2013-2014, focusing on financial firms marketing campus banking products to colleges, universities, and their students. In 2020 he was appointed by Governor Evers to the Task Force on Student Debt, chaired by the Secretary of the Department of Financial Institutions and tasked with assessing student debt in Wisconsin and providing long-term strategies to reduce education-related debt, prevent abusive practices, and improve financial literacy education. An advocate for the credit union movement, Paul served from 2012 to 2020 on the board of directors of the Filene Research Institute, a credit union industry think tank focused on issues impacting consumer financial well-being and economic empowerment.

Currently, Paul is a member of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Community Depository Institutions.

Advisory Council, which promotes communication between the Chicago Fed and representatives from community depository institutions, including banks, thrifts, and credit unions in the Seventh District.

Paul received a bachelor's degree in accounting from Winona State University. He also earned an MBA from the University of St. Thomas as well as a CPA professional designation. Paul started his career as a certified public accountant with the professional services firm RSM McGladrey.

In this episode of the Leaderboard Podcast, Zach and Henry are joined by the CEO & Chief Analyst of Lindsay Foresight & Stratagem, Marsha Lindsay. Marsha is the recipient of the Wisconsin Woman Entrepreneur of the Year award and the first woman in the Wisconsin Advertising Hall of Fame.

- Marsha Lindsay, CEO & Chief Analyst of Lindsay Foresight & Strategm

I help C-Suites, Boards, and marketers understand and more easily prepare for the future – and prepare in ways that give them pre-emptive advantage, profitable growth, and aligned teams. The efficacy of my studies, presentations, workshops, and consulting is ensured by my firm’s global ‘think-tank’ plus my deep and diverse portfolio of experience:
--A 30-year track record of research that’s been valued and widely showcased because it has connected factors others missed; framed clear applicable advice on what's best for what's next.
--Author of The Quantum Age of Marketing.
--Three decades leading a globally respected marketing consultancy that specialized in the positioning, launch and scaling of brands and their innovations (including e-commerce channels).
--From participation and facilitation of strategic sessions for countless brands and organizations, a well-honed ability to align people behind the same right things.
--40 years of scholarship in the behavioral sciences; what it takes to change minds, behaviors, outcomes.
--Over 25 years of fiduciary board service (including venture capital).
--Adjunct professorship in MBA program at University of Wisconsin School of Business teaching brand strategy & management.
--For 25 years, curating and keynoting the annual 3-day, global conference known as Brandworks University.
--Serial entrepreneurship.
Those valuing my strategic foresight: The Fortune 100, multi-nationals, regional marketers, national and global trade associations, VC-infused startups. Think tanks like Monitor Deloitte’s at UC Berkeley and Zurich’s Gottlieb Duttweiller Institute of Economic and Social Studies. I’ve presented at The World Business Forum (twice), Columbia University’s Executive MBA program; keynoted conferences from London to NYC, LA to Beijing. My thought leadership has been featured in Medium, Forbes, Fast Company, Ad Age, SXSW, Becker’s Healthcare CFO, CEO World and Chief Executive. Testimonials can be found at the bottom of this LinkedIn page and on the firm’s website at www.LFandS.com.

In this episode of the Leaderboard Podcast, Zach and Henry are joined by CEO/President of Summit Credit Union, Kim Sponem. Kim discusses how she has led by example when it comes to issues of diversity and equity at Summit Credit Union. Kim highlights the importance of having women in leadership roles and the value of investing in the community.

"The benefit of diversity is that we all bring different perspectives to the world, and we can share that with other people and help them learn too. Diversity is about how we can share each other's experiences so that we can all work together more effectively."
- Kim Sponem, CEO/President of Summit Credit Union

Guest Bio

Kim Sponem is CEO/President of Wisconsin’s second-largest credit union, Summit Credit Union, with over $6.2 billion in assets and more than 250,000 members.

Under Sponem’s leadership, Summit has been the number one mortgage lender in Wisconsin and the number one provider of Small Business Administration loans among credit unions in the state for 10 consecutive years. Sponem’s commitment to financial education and work culture has led Summit to win four Governor’s Financial Literacy Awards, including the Legacy Award, and to be recognized as a Top Workplace by Wisconsin State Journal and nationally. Among many awards, Sponem has received the Wisconsin Idea Alumni Award from UW-Madison School of Human Ecology, and the Wisconsin Friend of the Family Award from Wisconsin Association of Family & Consumer Sciences (WAFCS).

Sponem serves on several boards including Society Insurance as Chair, the Madison Area Chamber of Commerce as treasurer, Wisconsin Physicians Service (WPS) Insurance Corporation, Origence, and the Oscar Rennebohm Foundation. She is active with the World Council of Credit Unions.

Sponem earned a B.S. degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an MBA from Edgewood College and has accumulated 30 years of financial sector experience, including serving as CEO/President since 2002.

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In this episode of the Leaderboard Podcast, Zach and Henry are joined by the VP/President of UW Hospitals, Ric Ransom. Ric reminds us that it's not just about the job - it's about the journey. Tune in to hear inspiring stories and gain valuable insight into servant leadership.

"The thing that I love about what I do now, and I think part of why I feel like I'm successful now, is not-for-profit healthcare, especially academic. It just doesn't get any better than that. You get to work with the world's most talented physician-scientists. These people are literally trying to cure cancer and other diseases, we're saving lives!"

Guest Bio

Ric Ransom assumed the role of President for UW Hospitals in the Madison Region and Vice President at UW Health in December 2018. He is a seasoned health care leader with broad experience in large integrated health systems and a track record of improving hospital operational performance. Ric most recently served as Chief Operating Officer at Greenville Memorial Hospital a part of Prisma Health, the largest integrated health system in South Carolina. He has previously served in leadership or other positions at Baptist Health System in Memphis, TN, Wellstar Health System in Atlanta, GA, Partners Health System in Boston, MA and Baylor Health System in Dallas, TX. Ric earned his bachelor's degree in Philosophy from Morehouse College in Atlanta, his law degree from Cumberland School of Law in Birmingham, AL, and his Master of Business Administration and Master of Science in Health Administration degrees from the University of Alabama in Birmingham.

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In this episode of the Leaderboard Podcast, Zach and Henry are joined by the CEO/Co-founder Angela Santiago of The Little Potato Company. Angela discusses the importance of authenticity, diversity, and culture within her company and gives examples of how to integrate self-care into your routine as a leader.   

"Leadership for me, I think, always starts with self and owning and being authentic about your own journey through life. It's about owning your mistakes, your wins, and all of that, and being really comfortable and confident in all that you are."

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In this episode of the Leaderboard Podcast, Zach and Henry are joined by Madison College President Dr. Jack E. Daniels III to discuss Dr. Daniels's journey that led him into education, his views on leadership, how best to cultivate teams, and his thoughts on future planning and how to balance short- and long-term goals.   

"I define success as how do you better serve the community in which you live and how does it increase its capabilities economically, socially, psychologically? Cause I think about psychosocial processes. Success is just not, you have a 4.0. Success is about what you have done to help others get to where they need to be. For me, and that's why I'm in education" - Dr. Jack E. Daniels III

Dr. Jack E. Daniels, III

President, Madison College

Dr. Jack E. Daniels, III has more than 40 years of higher education experience, ranging from community and technical colleges to graduate institutions. He has served in a variety of roles from professor to dean to college president. During his term as president of Madison Area Technical College, he has established a shared governance environment focused on respect and valuing contributions of faculty, staff, and students, reshaped how the college responds to its diverse communities, and has guided the college’s transformation into a culture that values equity and inclusion.

Dr. Daniels led the campaign to construct the Goodman South Campus on Madison’s South side in 2019. The campus provides access to educational and community resources to the city’s most underserved populations. Under his leadership, Madison College has developed numerous high school academies and workforce training programs, initiated development of transfer agreements with HBCUs, supported development of guaranteed transfer programs with public and private colleges and universities, led development of the college’s Promise Program, and has supported numerous infrastructure projects to improve learning spaces to better support student success.

He has been named one of the most influential African Americans in Wisconsin by Madison 365. Additional honors include the Phi Theta Kappa Shirley B. Gordon Award of Distinction and Campus Compact’s Eduardo J. Padron Award for Institutional Transformation. Dr. Daniels holds a Ph.D. from the Wright Institute Graduate School of Psychology in Berkeley, Calif.

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In this episode of the Leaderboard Podcast, Zach and Henry are joined by the Executive Director of Anesis Therapy, Myra McNair, to discuss her journey, what it means to be a systems therapist, how Anesis Therapy has helped people navigate mental health and wellness and shares how she was able to build an inclusive culture within her organization.  

"When a client sits in my room, it's just not them, right? It's all their experience. It's their family system that's in the room. It's their community that's in the room. It's laws and the legal system that's in the room like all of these things are in the room. Even if I'm just dealing with one individual.⁠ And so when I say I'm a systems therapist, that's what I mean is that I'm looking at this person, understanding all these systems that are coming along with them."⁠

Myra McNair

Executive Director, Anesis Therapy

Myra McNair sees potential and possibility wherever she looks. As founder and owner, Myra is the visionary behind Anesis Therapy. With a desire to bring more culturally sensitive mental health services to Dane County, she started the clinic in 2016 as the only therapist and has collaboratively transformed it into a practice of over 40 staff members. 

Myra’s vision is not only reserved for her business–it is central to what drives her success as a therapist. When Myra meets clients, she doesn’t see deficits or weakness or pathology; along with their pain, she sees their strengths, their inherent wisdom– both generational and individual–and their potential. 

This way of envisioning her clients is rooted, curiously, in honoring the past. Myra holds dearly the West African Adinkra symbol of Sankofa, the bird with one foot planted firmly in the present, one foot stepping forward, and whose neck is looking back to the past. Sankofa, a Twi word which translates to “go back and get it,” teaches us that to move forward with a strong future, we must honor the lessons of the past–taking what is good and bringing it into the present moment. As a therapist Myra works with her clients to better understand their past. This then allows them to shape their present, and to pass the seeds of understanding and healing on to the next generation. 

Building and training the next generation of mental health workers is another one of Myra’s passions. Along with providing a robust clinical internship program at Anesis, Myra is an Adjunct Professor for the Marriage and Family Therapy Program at her alma mater, Edgewood College, and is a consultant and mentor in the UW Infant Mental Health Program from which she also graduated.

Myra is the community coordinator of the Raising Safe Families Together program, where she trains community workers and agencies in the Adults and Children Together (ACT) curriculum. 

Myra utilizes a variety of therapy modalities to meet her clients’ needs. While her clinical outlook is largely rooted in psychoanalytic and narrative therapies, Myra also utilizes Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, Hypnotherapy, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Child Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) and Brainspotting. 

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