2023 Board of Directors

As CEO of The Boldt Company, Thomas “Tom” Boldt represents Boldt’s fourth generation of family leadership. Throughout the years, Tom has held a variety of executive and leadership positions at Boldt that have positively influenced the construction industry and local communities. Besides serving on Ascendium’s board, Tom also serves on the boards of several other organizations, including the Wisconsin chapter of The Nature Conservancy, Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, Cleantech Partners, Wisconsin Environmental Initiative and WMC Foundation. Tom holds a bachelor’s degree from St. Olaf College.

Emerson Brumback is the retired president, chief operating officer and director of M&T Bank Corporation. He spent over 40 years in the banking industry and was the chairman, president and CEO of Bank One Cincinnati before joining M&T Bank. Besides serving on Ascendium’s board, Emerson is a director emeritus of the Northern Kentucky University Foundation and serves on the Fifth Third Bancorp’s board. Emerson is a graduate of Northern Kentucky University.

Mary Burke is the CEO and founder of Building Brave, a nonprofit organization dedicated to women and girls discovering and being their most confident selves. Over the years, she has held leadership positions in private, public and nonprofit sectors. She was the vice president of finance for Intrepid Corporation, director of European operations and director of forecasting and planning for Trek Bicycle and secretary of commerce for the state of Wisconsin. Mary also cofounded the Advancement via Individual Determination/Teens of Promise (AVID/TOPS) college preparation program, which supports students in the Madison area aspiring to earn a college degree. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and her Master of Business Administration from Harvard University.

Roger Ervin is principal partner of Rosewood Global Advisors LLC and an adjunct professor at the Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs. Roger has extensive experience in both the private and public sectors. Some of his past roles include president and CEO of Blumont Inc., senior vice president for global markets at LMI Inc., secretary of revenue for the state of Wisconsin, senior advisor in the Bureau of African Affairs at the U.S. Department of State and regional director for the African Development Bank. Besides serving on Ascendium’s board, Roger serves on the Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs board of visitors. Roger holds a bachelor’s degree from Tulane University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Richard D. George has been substantially involved in finance and philanthropy for his entire career. Formerly a bond lawyer and an investment banker, he has also served as a public official and on numerous government task forces. He served as the founding chairman of the Wisconsin Covenant Foundation and the director and chairman of the Finance and Audit Committee for the National Student Clearinghouse’s Board of Directors. Additionally, he was a principal negotiator in the U.S. Department of Education rulemaking committees for Title IV loan programs in 1992, 1998 and 2007. Some of his other experience includes consulting on postsecondary educational finance for the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation subsidiary and authoring several published pieces on the student loan industry. In 2015, Richard received a Lifetime Service Award from the Council for Opportunity in Education and the Wisconsin Idea Award from the University of Wisconsin Colleges and University of Wisconsin-Extension. He currently serves as director of the National Association of Student Loan Administrators and as board chairman of Blumont Inc., an international humanitarian relief organization. Richard received his bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and his law degree from Syracuse University College of Law. He served on active duty as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Air Force from 1965 to 1969 and retired from the Air Force Reserve as a colonel in 1990.

Dave Hanson is a retired partner of the law firm Michael Best & Friedrich LLP. Dave’s law practice focused on regulated industries, including telecommunications, electric utilities, health providers and health insurers. Before joining Michael Best, he was assistant attorney general and deputy attorney general for the Wisconsin Department of Justice and assistant chancellor and legal counsel for the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Besides serving on Ascendium’s board, Dave serves on the Sand County Foundation’s board. He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School.

Linda Hoeschler has enjoyed a business and nonprofit career centered on building and managing organizations. Some of her professional roles include executive director of the American Composers Forum, vice president of the Dayton Hudson (now Target) Corporation, group vice president of National Computer Systems and president of Landmark Investors Ltd. She currently serves on the boards of the Regions Hospital Foundation and the Hampsong Foundation. She also chairs the PBS Under-Told Stories Project advisory board at the University of St. Thomas. Linda earned her bachelor’s degree from Barnard College and her master’s degree from New School University. She was awarded Doctor of Humane Letters degrees by St. John’s University and the University of St. Thomas.

Scott Klug is the managing director of the public affairs practice at the law firm Foley & Lardner LLP. For eight years, Scott served in the U.S. House of Representatives. While there, he specialized in health care, trade, financial services, telecommunication and energy policy. Before being elected, he was a reporter in Washington, D.C., Seattle and Madison. Scott serves on the board of advisers at SHINE Technologies and at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Lawrence University, a master’s degree from Northwestern University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Maria E. Gonzalez Knavel is an assistant general counsel at SSM Health Care of Wisconsin, Inc. where she primarily works on appeals for unemployment, equal rights, and workers compensation claims. She is also a retired partner with the law firm Foley & Lardner LLP. While there, she worked with health care clients on compliance issues, corporate matters, and general operational issues. Prior to entering law school, she managed a medical clinic for 12 years. Besides serving on Ascendium’s board, Maria serves on the boards for the Zoological Society of Milwaukee, COA Youth & Family Centers, Children’s Hospital & Health System, and Marquette University Law School. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Pennsylvania State University and Juris Doctor from Marquette University Law School.

Dr. Joan Prince has executive-level experience in health policy and education and is known as a global civil rights advocate with a commitment to educational and health equity. She retired in 2021 as the vice chancellor of global inclusion and engagement at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Some other positions she has held throughout her career include administrator at Medical Science Laboratories and alternate representative to the 67th General Assembly of the United Nations with the honorary rank of ambassador. In her role at the United Nations, she delivered policy statements on humanitarian issues, such as global health delivery systems and the education of women and girls, on behalf of the U.S. Besides serving on Ascendium’s board, Joan serves on the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System. She earned her bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Cynthia Walsh is a retired market president for US Bank. She spent her entire career in the banking industry, starting as a teller and working her way through various operations and management positions. Besides serving on Ascendium’s board, she serves on the boards of Presentation College and Homes Are Possible Inc. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Northern State University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of South Dakota. 

Richard Weiss is a retired partner with the law firm Foley & Lardner LLP. While there, he worked extensively in financing for general government units, hospitals, medical clinics, sports facilities, commercial and industrial expansion, downtown redevelopment, pollution control, waste disposal and electric utilities. Besides serving on Ascendium’s board, he serves on the board of the Physicians Realty Trust. Richard has a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University and a law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School.