* Photograph by Shane Van Boxtel / Image Studios
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The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Bay & Lakes Region and U.S. Venture
As general counsel of U.S. Venture, Elyse Mollner Stackhouse kept two running lists on the glass walls in her department: things the team needs to stop doing, and processes that need improvement.
“Anybody in the department was free to grab a marker and write something on there,” Mollner Stackhouse says. “It was amazing to watch how people got much more ingrained in their jobs when they could look at a process that they had been doing for years and say I can improve this and I can make it better.”
Empowering teams was at the core of Mollner Stackhouse’s servant leadership philosophy during her eight years with the energy industry leader, where she oversaw legal, environmental, governance services and government affairs.
“You should surround yourself with smart and thoughtful people,” Mollner Stackhouse says. “Give them the tools and the support to succeed, and then just get out of their way.”
The Milwaukee native holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and government from UW-La Crosse and earned her law degree at UW-Madison. She held roles at Integrys Energy Group and Nicolet National Bank prior to joining U.S. Venture in 2014, and she is a self-described “governance geek.”
At U.S. Venture, Mollner Stackhouse led her department through a rapid series of acquisitions and a decade-long intellectual property battle, but it was the development of her 30-person team that meant the most.
“You do so much big and important work and you help grow the company, but at the end of the day all of those things kind of pale in comparison to the team you’ve built and the careers you’ve helped move forward,” says Mollner Stackhouse, who received the 2022 Top Corporate Counsel Award from the Milwaukee Business Journal.
Since Mollner Stackhouse retired in January 2023, she has been residing in Door County and focusing on nonprofit service, particularly as board chair of the newly formed Boys & Girls Clubs of the Bay & Lakes Region.
“I have never met someone more giving and more passionate about uplifting others than Elyse,” said nominator Johanna Wicklund, CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Bay & Lakes Region. “Elyse is a transformational leader who inspires women and girls across Northeast Wisconsin to achieve greatness.”
In 2023, Mollner Stackhouse facilitated the merger of the Green Bay and Shawano Clubs with Door County to create the organization that now serves 2,000 young people. During the integration, Mollner Stackhouse developed a corporate board structure to best represent each community.
“Over 40% of governing board members selected as directors are females. This is the highest percentage of women serving on our board in our organization’s history,” said Wicklund, who points out that Mollner Stackhouse was instrumental in her onboarding and development as the Club’s new CEO in 2024.
“She is a tireless champion for the advancement of women and the expansion of leadership opportunities for female professionals as a means to improve our community,” Wicklund said.
Mollner Stackhouse, who also provides free tax preparation services for underserved populations, says community service is a mutually beneficial relationship for corporate leaders like her because it broadens your business understanding.
“I’m very blessed to have stepped away from my career at a high point,” she says, “and now use my talents to help the Club and to further look at what’s next on my agenda of things I want to accomplish.”
