Philip Flynn, LoisGrace Golde: A giving community is a strong community

When Associated Banc-Corp CEO Philip Flynn and wife LoisGrace Golde moved from Los Angeles to Green Bay in 2009, they were struck by some key differences.

The size and climate of their new city, naturally, were a bit different than what they’d left behind in Southern California. But beyond those expected changes, there was something about the community that stood out.

“We came from a part of the country known more for its self-involvement than its community involvement,” says Golde, a former banking executive who maintains an active volunteer and community leadership schedule in greater Green Bay. “When we arrived here we saw firsthand the way in which the people of Wisconsin, in general, and Green Bay specifically, rally around causes they believe in to improve the lives of others. It may seem cliché, but observing this type of commitment firsthand is what inspired us to become involved in this wonderfully generous and giving community.”

It’s also what inspired them to give back to UW-Green Bay, where Flynn is a member of the Chancellor’s Council of Trustees/UW-Green Bay Foundation Board of Directors. In 2012, the pair established the Philip Flynn and LoisGrace Golde Endowed Scholarship, an award for students pursuing a major or minor in a program within the Austin E. Cofrin School of Business. The scholarship is designed specifically for students who have excelled academically and have demonstrated leadership qualities — the same types of qualities that enhance and strengthen the workforce.

“Like Lois, I was struck by the generosity of people in Wisconsin, and I have been inspired to give back to our community through a number of important institutions like UW-Green Bay,” Flynn says. “A majority of UW-Green Bay students stay in our area upon graduation and go on to work at local companies, start businesses and contribute to our local economy. Associated Bank is headquartered in Green Bay, so it is important to us and the hundreds of businesses we bank locally to see well-educated future leaders enter the workforce annually.”