This post is part of an occasional series focusing on Leadership Development Academy graduates and what they have done, personally and professionally, in the years following their LDA experience. Please contact us if you would like to be profiled here, or would like to recommend a graduate for us to feature.
This post was written by Heidi Van Kirk, LDA Marketing Committee
The great Larry Bird is the only player in NBA history to be named “Rookie of the Year”, “Most Valuable Player”, “All Star MVP”, “Coach of the Year”, and “Executive of the Year”, landing these well-deserved titles over more than 20 years in his career.
While they do not share any physical similarities, Larry Bird and Mr. Tim Lindau share some very similar and very important characteristics. Both Bird and Lindau are known for their abundant contributions to their respective “dream teams”.
Tim Lindau, a 2006 Leadership Development Academy (LDA) graduate, is now a managing partner at Nowlan & Mouat Law Firm. Growing up, Tim dreamed of one day becoming a professional basketball player or a pastor. But life took him down a different and equally rewarding path.
Tim worked hard and passionately throughout his law career, ultimately leading him to where he is today. Tim loves what he does so much, that when asked who he would trade careers with for just one day he could think of no better place to be than right where he is with the people he loves to work alongside.
Both Bird and Lindau have dedicated much of their time to coaching others, Bird as part of the NBA and Lindau as part of the great Rock County community. Tim is actively involved in many areas of need within our community.
Tim volunteers with St. Paul’s Lutheran church, Junior Achievement, Forward Janesville, Stateline Community Foundation, Kandu, HealthNet, and the Janesville Generations Fund. Tim is inspired by the passionate work of community leaders such as Larry Squire and Ron Ochs.
When asked which celebrity Tim has been told he most resembles, he said “No one – My nose is too big.” Tim’s nose has never appeared big to us, but many icons (including Bird) share this trait with him. Perhaps the nose is the place where wisdom and legacy are derived from?
Tim has had quite an incredible journey in his professional career, paying great tribute to his participation in LDA. Tim credits LDA with introducing him “to the Janesville community and to so many awesome individuals with whom I still maintain contact. I tell people that this was the single most valuable thing that I did when I moved to Janesville.” He isn’t as involved in LDA as he would hope to be but believes LDA does a great job of engaging their alumni.
He places the responsibility to continue gaining value from your LDA alumni status on the individuals who have had the opportunity to participate, stating “The alumni need to own it and be more pro-active in supporting LDA.” More great advice from a strong community leader and fellow alumni.
The project that Tim’s team worked on during his time in the academy was focused on bringing wireless internet to Janesville. His thoughts on his project – “Little did we know that, a year or so later, cellular technology rendered us irrelevant. I didn’t see that coming!”
If you want to know what project Tim would likely consider being part of today, send him a text and ask– just for giggles. The answer, you can bet, will have something to do with education and family. Tim is “all in” on early childhood literacy programs happening right here in our community with various organizations.
Tim’s fondest memories from LDA include the ropes course and the bonfire. “I still remember how sore I was after the ropes course. I could not move my arms for 2 days. The bonfire was so fun!!”
Tim continues to encourage attorneys in his firm to participate in LDA, as he believes that LDA is an instrumental part of our community. In his spare time (yes apparently, he still has some of that) Tim most enjoys spending time with his “incredible wife and two awesome boys.” While Tim has not yet made his basketball court debut, he is very active with his church family at St. Paul’s Lutheran.
When asked about any regrets he may have, he responded as wisely as you might imagine by stating “I screw up all the time – Thank God for grace and forgiveness!” We are grateful to have Tim Lindau on our Rock County and LDA “dream teams”.