Chairman
Church Mutual | Merrill
Associated Bank | Green Bay
Jay Williams joined the Church Mutual Insurance Co. board of directors in 2008 and the Associated Banc-Corp. Inc. board of directors in 2011. Today, he is chairman of both institutions.
His board service follows a 37-year career in banking, which included nearly 30 years at U.S. Bank and its predecessors and culminated in his role as founder and chairman of The PrivateBank N.A. (now CIBC).
In 2010, Williams was recruited to serve as president of the Milwaukee Public Museum. During his three-year tenure at MPM, he helped negotiate deals to pay off most of the $13.5 million debt owed by the museum at the time and brokered an agreement that provided $3 million to pay down the museum’s pension debt. After stepping down as president, he remained on as chairman of the museum board.
In addition to Associated and Church Mutual, he currently serves on the board of Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company Inc.
His past board service is extensive. He’s served as a director of the Medical College of Wisconsin, the Southeast Wisconsin Professional Baseball Park District, YMCA of Metro Milwaukee and Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance, among others.
In 2023, he was named one of the most influential leaders in corporate governance by the National Association of Corporate Directors.
Education: Bachelor’s, St. Norbert College; MBA, Marquette University