Bankers on the Move

If you have an announcement that you would like to include, please send it to Carla Bush at carlab@minnbankers.com.

Al Kjenstad

Dacotah Bank is proud to announce the promotion of Al Kjenstad to Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Al joined Dacotah Bank on May 1, 2013, as the director of credit risk management. He then served as a director and vice president of credit administration for several years before moving into his current role as vice president and controller.

Justin Gode

Citizens Bank Minnesota is pleased to announce the promotion of Justin Gode to Chief Credit Officer. Gode joined the Citizens team as Vice President of Ag Lending at the Lafayette Branch in 2018 and brings 22 years of banking experience with an emphasis on agricultural and commercial lending.

Daniel Batten

Drake Bank has promoted Daniel Batten to senior vice president, chief credit officer. Batten joined the bank in February 2017, previously serving as assistant vice president, commercial banker. Batten will oversee the bank’s credit department and be responsible for leading the bank’s credit risk management and credit administration efforts, including credit underwriting, credit approval, and problem asset management.

Dr. Julie Van Der Wilt

Dr. Julie Van Der Wilt has joined Merchants Bank as Senior Vice President/Chief Risk Officer (CRO). Van Der Wilt will replace current CRO, Cindy Adolph, who retired at the end of 2024. Van Der Wilt has spent most of her professional career in the banking industry, with more than a decade of experience in compliance, security and risk management.

Roger Erbes

Roger Erbes has joined the team at Border Bank. Erbes will serve as SVP Ag/Business Banker for the Fargo and Moorhead area markets. He brings extensive experience in business banking to Border Bank, having spent the last twelve years serving as an Ag Officer.

Samantha Kerr

National Bank of Commerce (NBC) continues to grow and expand its commercial lending team, with Samantha Kerr coming on as an AVP—Commercial Banker from the Signature Banking department. With 14 years in banking, Samantha brings a wealth of skills and expertise to the commercial team at NBC. Samantha came to NBC in 2017 and became a Signature Banker in 2019.

Jeff Carter

Prime Security Bank is excited to welcome Jeff Carter as the new Market President for our Eagan office. Jeff brings over 25 years of experience in commercial and consumer lending and leadership roles.

Becky Wilson

New Market Bank has hired Becky Wilson as a Senior Loan Officer in the mortgage department. Wilson has worked more than 25 years in lending roles for local community banks.

Tara Berndt

Reliance Bank is excited to announce the promotion of Tara Berndt to the position of Head of Credit. With an impressive 34-year career in the banking industry, Tara brings a wealth of experience and expertise to this new role where she will oversee the safety and soundness of the bank’s commercial loan portfolio, manage the bank’s credit functions and corresponding risks, maintain a consistent credit culture, and participate in bank management decisions. Tara is a 2024 graduate of MBA’s Leadership Development Academy.

Monika Wick

Reliance Bank is delighted to announce the promotion of Monika Wick to HR Officer. Over the past two years, Monika has shown exceptional dedication and hard work in her HR role, building on her impressive nine-year tenure at the bank, successfully progressing through various positions, from Universal Banker/Teller to Business Banker to HR.

Jason Koski

Reliance Bank is pleased to announce the appointment of Jason Koski as the new Head of Sales-Senior Vice President. With an impressive 23-year career in the banking industry, Jason brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the role. In this new role, Jason will oversee and lead all sales functions for the bank, including Retail, Commercial, Treasury Management, and Mortgage.

Josh Eifert

Luminate Bank has appointed Josh Eifert as Chief Financial Officer, succeeding the retiring Dave Turk, a respected leader who played a pivotal role in shaping the bank’s financial success. With 26 years of banking experience, including his tenure as CFO at Tradition Capital Bank, Josh brings strategic expertise to drive Luminate Bank’s continued growth and innovation in financial services.

Jessica Glaser

Jessica Glaser, VP/Core Operations Manager at Premier Bank, Maplewood has been elected as Class President for the 2025 class of MBA’s Leadership Development Academy.

Jodi Ehrenberger

Coulee Bank is pleased to announce the promotion of Jodi Ehrenberger to the position of Market President – Wisconsin. Ehrenberger has worked at Coulee Bank since 2016 in the role of SVP, Business Banking Officer.

Jeff Stukel

Jeff Stukel has joined Bravera Wealth in Albertville in the role of wealth advisor. In this role, Stukel administers fiduciary and investment accounts and creates or reviews retirement and estate plans.

Announcements

Ginny Knudson

National Bank of Commerce (NBC) continues its growth and expansion with the addition of a new board member, welcoming Ginny Knudson to the NATCOM and NBC Board of Directors. Ginny Knudson is the president and a shareholder for Borden, Steinbauer, Krueger & Knudson, P.A.

Seth Madole

Locally owned and operated Community Bank Owatonna and the Board of Directors are pleased to announce that Seth Madole has been appointed to the bank’s Board of the Directors. Seth is employed by Viracon where he is responsible for customer-facing activities including technical services, inside sales, supply chain, production schedules and logistics..

Merchants Bank

The 10 Days of Giving food drive concluded its 36th year with a total of 287,910 pounds of food collected. The drive supports the food shelf programs at Winona Volunteer Services. The 10 Days of Giving food drive is an annual community collaboration between Merchants Bank and WVS to make sure no one in Winona County goes hungry each winter. Since 1989, the drive has collected more than four million pounds of food helping thousands of people. In addition to the Winona drive, other Merchants locations partner with their local food shelf in a similar effort.

Profinium

In 2024, Profinium reaffirmed its commitment to building stronger, thriving communities by distributing funds to 204 organizations across all of its branch locations – Fairmont, Mankato, Owatonna, and Truman. These contributions supported a variety of causes, from empowering nonprofit organizations to maximizing the impact of community events through strategic partnerships.

First State Bank and Trust

The Greater Stillwater Chamber of Commerce Foundation in partnership with the city of Stillwater kicked off the fourth annual World Snow Celebration on January 15, 2025. Welcoming 12 teams spanning five continents, this snow sculpting competition combines art and sport celebration, in addition to a wide array of community events and activities. First State Bank and Trust, located just south of the competition site in Bayport, Minnesota, was once again excited to be part of the World Snow Celebration and to host Team Mela, coming from Malta.

NATCOM Bancshares, Inc.

NATCOM Bancshares, Inc., and its wholly-owned subsidiary, National Bank of Commerce (collectively “NBC”), announced the completion of their acquisition of Great River Holding Company and its wholly-owned subsidiary, RiverWood Bank. This acquisition helps ensure local dollars remain in the region. NBC strives to remain a local, independent community bank, and this acquisition was a strategic move that aligns with NBC’s long-term vision for growth and expansion.

Forward Bank

Forward Bank has committed $100,000 to the Lake City Lincoln High School Scoreboard Project and their efforts to bring an ongoing curriculum that demonstrates a creative career path for students. When fully complete, this initiative is designed to equip students with hands-on experience in live game operations, providing them with skills that can translate into college work-study opportunities and professional careers in sports media and entertainment. The athletes, community, and fans can enjoy the state-of-the-art boards bringing the game experience to the next level.

F&M Bank

In 2023, F&M Bank employees established the F&M Bank Employee Charitable Organization Match Program, a program in which F&M Bank employees voluntarily donate an amount of their choice with each paycheck. F&M Bank then matches the funds collected dollar for dollar, up to $5,000.

Last year, F&M Bank team members in Vadnais Heights and Lino Lakes chose the Ronald McDonald House Charities, Upper Midwest. The team was able to raise $3560 for the organization with the Match Program.

Unity Bank

Unity Bank, a local community bank with 16 locations across Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Montana is excited to announce that they will be donating $9,152.75 to local schools through their School Spirit Debit Card program. Unity Bank’s School Spirit Debit Card program allows customers to contribute to their local school with every purchase they make. With every swipe of their School Spirit Debit Card, Unity Bank donates $0.05 to the local school district.

In Memory

Belva H. Rasmussen

It is with great sadness that Northeast Bank announces the passing of Belva H. Rasmussen, Chair Emeritus of the Board of Directors. A prominent figure in the
banking industry and a tireless advocate for her community, Mrs. Rasmussen passed away peacefully at the age of 86.

Belva Rasmussen was a driving force behind Northeast Bank’s growth and success,
transforming it into the thriving community institution it is today. She assumed leadership of the bank in 1991 following the passing of her husband, Walter C. Rasmussen, who had purchased the bank in 1958. Under her leadership, Northeast Bank experienced a period of significant expansion, more than doubling its assets in just ten years.