Florin Steps into Top Spot

Dave Florin

Although Dave Florin ’92 is entering his eighth year of service with WAA’s national board of directors, his involvement began long before that. His father was president of the Northeast Ohio Alumni Club (now the WAA: Cleveland Chapter), and Florin served on the Wisconsin Alumni Student Board as an undergraduate. Now president of the Madison-based marketing communications firm Hiebing, Florin has been named 2011–12 chair of the WAA board and will serve a one-year term.

“What I love about this role is the closer you get to the University of Wisconsin, the more amazing things you see are happening on campus every day,” says Florin. “But you also begin to see how complex some of the issues are, and that’s a fascinating dynamic within which to serve.”

Much of Florin’s work with the board has involved helping to develop and refine the WAA brand. As chair, he will help drive the organization’s strategic initiatives and focus on ensuring that the university maintains its level of prestige statewide and globally, which he notes will be challenging — but vital — in today’s tough economic environment.

“There simply aren’t any entities in the state that have the type of potential or impact on our future that UW–Madison has,” he says. “We are at a critical point in time as a university and a state. We need to continue to make forward-thinking decisions about UW–Madison, because the direction this university goes is likely to be the direction our state goes. It is simply that important.”

WAA also welcomes four new board members: Neena Buck ’79, senior industrial liaison officer, MIT Office of Corporate Relations, Cambridge, Massachusetts; Norman Doll ’77, president emeritus, Pieper Electric, Inc., Mequon, Wisconsin; Steve Lescohier ’71, MA’75, senior vice president, J.P. Morgan Securities, LLC, Arlington Heights, Illinois; and Karen Monfre ’86, partner, business valuation/merger and acquistion services for Wipfli LLP, Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Published in the Fall 2011 issue