University of St. Thomas Trustee Mark Zesbaugh discussed the different roles of trustees and how he has come to learn about the significance of balancing work and family life since graduating from St. Thomas in 1986 at an Undergraduate Student Government meeting on Nov. 7.
At 29 years old, Zesbaugh became the chief financial officer of Allianz Life. After a 17-year career running Allianz Life, he stepped down in 2007 to focus on growing closer to his young daughters.
“When I look back at it, it was the best decision I ever made,” Zesbaugh said.
Having a work-life balance and allowing his employees to follow suit has been a guiding factor in Zesbaugh’s leadership style.
“Having that balance is critically important,” Zesbaugh said. “I don’t expect people to work 80 hours a week.”
As a leader, Zesbaugh also focuses on building connections between himself and his employees.
“If you can create a culture where people are able to go above and beyond, not because you tell them that they have to, but because they want to, to me, that is the definition of a good leader,” Zesbaugh said.
Zesbaugh’s experience working at Allianz Life and strong leadership skills led him to be offered a trustee position in 2003.
“When they asked, it was really easy,” Zesbaugh said. “I said, ‘I’m in.’”
Since Zesbaugh joined, he said he has seen many positive changes to the university. In 2003, when he joined, the Board of Trustees was deciding whether or not to add the law school to St. Thomas.
Flash forward to 2024, and so many other positive changes have occurred, Zesbaugh said.
“There’s so much excitement going on at the university in total,” Zesbaugh said. “We are being recognized now as a national university. There’s more going on now than ever before.”
One of the topics trustees are focusing on is the university’s affordability.
“The affordability issue is a big deal, so that’s why one of the priorities of the trustees is philanthropic dollars being raised,” Zesbaugh said.
This could not be done without the St. Thomas’ strong team of trustees, he said.
“This board of trustees, I argue, is one of the strongest boards of trustees,” Zesbaugh said. “While I’m a little biased, what they do for the university is really selfless.”
The next general USG meeting will be at noon on Thursday, Nov. 21 at the Anderson Student Center in the Iverson Hearth Room.
Cecilia Wallace can be reached at wall1238@stthomas.edu.