JANUARY 2017
JANUARY 2017
EDUCATOR SUE RUNYON JOINS NICC BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Sue Runyon has joined the Northeast Iowa Community College ( NICC ) Board of Trustees . At its November meeting , the NICC Board approved Runyon ’ s appointment . She will represent District 1 , which includes the school districts of Riceville , New Hampton , North Fayette Valley , West Central , and the area within the former Fredericksburg school district boundaries . Runyon replaces Trustee John Rothlisberger , of Fredericksburg , who in October announced that he would be resigning from the board due to his moving out of the NICC district .
The new trustee is a retired mathematics teacher and consultant for Keystone Area Education Agency ( AEA ). Runyon was administered the oath of office on November 28 .
A native of Southern California , Runyon moved to Missouri to begin high school and continue her education and career in the Midwest . She earned an M . A . in middle school mathematics from University of Northern Iowa ( UNI ) and a B . S . in business administration from the University of Missouri in Columbia , Mo . The new trustee is also a graduate of a community college , having earned an A . S . from Crowder Junior College in Neosho , MO , and believes strongly in the opportunities two-year community colleges and technical schools offer for all students .
SENIOR EXECUTIVES TRANSITION AT AMERICAN TRUST
After a remarkable banking career that spanned more than four decades , Senior Executive Vice President Robert J . Donovan , CTFA , has announced he will retire from American Trust in 2017 . Bob joined the bank in 1969 as a part-time coin-wrapper . His first full-time position at the bank was as a teller at the Kennedy Rd . office . Bob joined the bank ’ s Trust Division in 1975 . Christy Armstrong was president of the bank at the time , and Charles J . “ Charlie ” Schrup was Executive Vice President , Trust Officer , Chairman of the Trust Committee , and Bank Director .
Attorney and Senior Vice President Leo J . Meier was Charlie ’ s right-hand in the Trust Department . Together they mentored Bob , who was soon administering wealth and trusts for many clients . Over the years , Bob ’ s expertise grew and his responsibilities continued to expand , and in 1979 he was promoted to Trust Officer . In 2003 , Bob assumed responsibility for the Financial Management Group , comprised of investments , personal trust , and employee benefits functions . In 2010 , Bob was promoted to Senior Executive Vice President as the division achieved record results and made significant enhancements in recordkeeping technology . As of September 2016 , FMG has $ 2.24 billion in assets under management and more than 100 professionals .
To ensure American Trust ’ s continued commitment to excellence and leadership in the community , Senior Executive Vice President Kurt D . Wedewer will work in tandem with Bob as Assistant Manager for the Financial Management Group until Bob ’ s retirement . Kurt has over 25 years of experience in the banking and qualified retirement plan industries . He began his career at IDS / American Express Financial Services in Waterloo , IA , where he provided various financial services products . As his career progressed he joined CIGNA in Dubuque as a Pension Underwriter , and then Mercantile Bank where he served as Trust Officer for the Cedar Rapids and Dubuque areas .
Since joining American Trust ’ s Retirement Division in 1997 , he has been responsible for managing the Retirement division , including sales and the continued development of the retirement solution . In 2003 , Kurt was promoted to Senior Vice President and a member of the bank ’ s executive management team . In 2010 , Kurt was promoted to Executive Vice President , and recently Kurt was named Senior Executive Vice President .
After a significant banking career built over four decades , Senior Executive Vice President Peter A . Soraparu will also retire from American Trust in 2017 . Pete began his banking career in 1975 as Loan Officer at First Federal Savings in Des Plaines , IL . He continued to build his career in the Chicagoland area and after a few years assumed new responsibilities as Assistant Vice President at North West Federal Savings in Chicago .
Pete joined American Trust in 2007 and was responsible for all retail banking functions , including branch administration , brokerage services , and consumer and mortgage lending . In time , Pete expanded his role at the bank to include commercial lending in a new Relationship Banking Group , and he built a great team of banking professionals who grew the bank to new levels by deepening their relationships with their clients .
Senior Executive Vice President Darin P . Fischer is working in tandem with Pete as Assistant Manager for the Relationship Banking Group until Pete ’ s retirement . In his new position , Darin will develop commercial and retail banking strategies for product and services solutions and manage the various banking lines of business . Darin began his career as a Portfolio Analyst at Merrill Lynch Business Financial Services in Chicago . During the next ten years , Darin held various positions at ABN AMRO Bank in Chicago , working his way up to Vice President and Relationship Manager in AMRO ’ s corporate banking division with a loan portfolio exceeding $ 1.5 billion .
Darin joined American Trust in 2010 , bringing with him more than 20 years of banking experience with focused expertise in credit , commercial banking , and business development . In 2013 , Darin was promoted to Executive Vice President – Director of the Commercial Banking Group . Recently Darin was promoted to Senior Executive Vice President , will also be responsible for the Retail Banking , Consumer Lending , Small Business , and Mortgage Lending business lines .
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