MADISON – Five individuals were honored by the Wisconsin Bankers Association for their excellence in banking, community service and civic involvement. 

A celebration was held on Friday, Oct. 29 at the WBA headquarters in Madison, where a Leaders in Banking Excellence Wall installation displays a tribute to outstanding current and former bankers. The wall was established in 2020, and the five Class of 2021 honorees join the 12 inaugural honorees.

“These leaders have made significant contributions to Wisconsin’s banking industry and to the economic wellbeing of our state,” said Rose Oswald Poels, WBA president and CEO. “Part of what makes them exceptional leaders is that they have inspired others to succeed in their professions and in service to their communities.” 

The honorees in the 2021 Leaders in Banking Excellence Class are: Jon Bernander, Bank of Wisconsin Dells; Robert Gorsuch, Oak Bank, Fitchburg; Mary L. Staudenmaier, The Stephenson National Bank & Trust (SNBT), Marinette; John Godfrey Thomson, The Bank of New Glarus; and Merlin E. Zitzner, Baraboo State Bank.

John Godfrey Thomson, known to all as Gof, worked for more than 30 years at The Bank of New Glarus, making lifelong connections and positively impacting Wisconsin’s banking industry.

Gof is a graduate of Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa. He received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Minnesota. He served in the U.S. Navy Reserves as a JAG officer.

Gof served on the Board of Directors for the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) in the 1990s. He was chair of ICBA’s Regulatory Review Committee for several of those years. In addition, he served on ICBA’s Long-Term Planning and Nominating Committees. He was a Board member and president of ICBA Reinsurance. He has been involved with many aspects of the Community Bankers of Wisconsin (CBW) and Wisconsin Bankers Association. Gof served as president of CBW from 1993–1994 and was named “Banker of the Year” by CBW in 1999.

In his community, he is a member of New Glarus Lions (president from 1990–1991 and 2020–2021) and is active with the New Glarus Chamber of Commerce, the Wilhelm Tell Play, and Green County Development. He has served on the Clean Wisconsin Board for nearly 30 years, taking his turn as president, treasurer, and member of the Executive Committee.

Gof loves the political scene, occasionally mustering for public office. He ran for a seat in the Wisconsin Legislature in 2004 and remains humbled by the experience. He found that the friendships and shared values of his fellow community bankers were of primary importance and the respective politics were a distant second.

To read the bios of each of the 2021 Leaders in Banking Excellence honorees, visit www.wisbank.com/excellence2021.