Maxine Wallin

​Mr. Winston Wallin was always the face of the Wallin family’s philanthropy in the Twin Cities, but it was his wife, Maxine Houghton Wallin, who was the impetus that inspired their work in the community. It was through her encouragement that the Wallin Foundation was formed in 1986 with both Win and Maxine acting as collective trustees. Their dedication to the Twin Cities was evident as they helped support numerous organizations. Yet, it was in 1992 when Win and Maxine began giving scholarships to students at South High School in Minneapolis that the community was forever changed. Win and Maxine believed that our community could only sustain itself if there were more citizens with a four-year degree but realized that the cost of higher education was making it difficult for high-potential students to go to college. The funding of scholarships was their way of systemically changing the community and improving lives.

For over 75 years, Maxine has been engaged in the community, giving her time to different organizations and causes. She has served on numerous boards and advisory councils and has been honored with several awards including the 2013 Katharine Phelps Lifetime Achievement Award.  Maxine, a Junior League Sustainer, often says that the Junior League was a lifeline for her when the family moved to Ogden, Utah in the 1950’s. Winston and Maxine together received the Edgar M. Carlson Award in 1997 from Minnesota’s Private Colleges.

Maxine serves on the board of Wallin Education Partners and has since fall of 1992 when the scholarship program was first established.  She also currently serves on the board of the Wallin Foundation and, in more recent years, she has also served on the boards of the Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches, Presbyterian Homes, the Hill Monastic Manuscript Library, the Hennepin County Library Foundation, the Edina Community Foundation and the Minnesota Orchestra.
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Maxine was born in Duluth and attended elementary and secondary schools in her hometown.  She attended Macalester College, St. Paul, followed by University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, B.A. Magna cum laude, International Relations (1948) and Library Science, cum laude (1950). She was the recipient of a college scholarship herself and was able to arrange a scholarship program in her hometown of Duluth in conjunction with the Duluth-Superior Foundation, helping to fund still more college educations in Minnesota. 

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Maxine Wallin is a Co-Founder of Wallin Education Partners and serves as Founding and Life Trustee