Mary Ellen Stanek Award for Diversity in Corporate Governance Announces Two Winners in 2019

Gina Peter, of Wells Fargo, and Associated Bank are chosen honorees

MILWAUKEE- The Greater Milwaukee Committee in conjunction with Milwaukee Women inc, awarded the sixth annual Mary Ellen Stanek Award for Diversity in Corporate Governance to Gina Peter, Executive Vice President – Division Manager of Wells Fargo and Associated Bank on February 11 at the GMC Monthly Membership Meeting. The Mary Ellen Stanek Award is given to an individual or entity demonstrating a commitment to promoting diversity in their corporate structure resulting in increased gender diversity in leadership and on corporate boards in the Milwaukee Region. Past winners include the awards namesake Mary Ellen Stanek, Managing Director of Baird; Gale Klappa, Executive Chairman of WEC Energy Group; Susan Schmitt of Rockwell Automation; and John Daniels, Jr., Chairman Emeritus of Quarles & Brady.

Gina Alberts Peter was recognized for her long history of diverse and inclusive leadership both within and outside of the workplace, acting as a mentor to many. She co-chairs the Diversity and Inclusion Council within Wells Fargo, a part of the Women in Leadership Committee. Internally, her team has hired 25 team members in the past two years, with 64% of them being of coming from underrepresented communities. Her leadership is recognized far and wide as she is often called upon for expertise in Board best practices by both private and public companies.

Associated Bank is a nationally recognized leader in diversity and inclusion practices including their commitment to CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion, on which they were a founding signatory. In 2017, 61% of all management-level hires contributed to the company’s gender or racial diversity Additionally, 81% of Associated Bank employees feel the organization values diversity and inclusion. In 2018, Associated Bank launched a MKE Workforce Strategy pilot to further attract, retain, and develop minority professionals within the Milwaukee workforce. The objective of this initiative is to mirror the diversity of the communities they serve.

MWi and the GMC Future Workforce Committee review nominees for the Mary Ellen Stanek Award on an annual basis, and the award is announced and granted to the recipient(s) at a GMC membership meeting.

About the Greater Milwaukee Committee

The Greater Milwaukee Committee comprises 200 passionate CEOs who work together to make

Milwaukee the best place to live, learn, work and play. Currently led by President Julia Taylor and Chair Ted Kellner, the GMC creates new ideas and implements solutions in innovation and talent, economic prosperity and vibrancy of place. For more information, please visit gmconline.org.

About Milwaukee Women inc

Milwaukee Women inc is a nonprofit organization dedicated to achieving balanced representation of women on boards of directors to maximize the performance of Wisconsin businesses. The group carries out annual research and produces an annual report on the gender diversity of the boards and C-suites of Wisconsin’s 50 largest public and private companies. MWi promotes awareness on the benefits of gender diversity and offers educational programs to increase the number of qualified women board candidates. For more information, please visit milwaukeewomeninc.org.

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