Wisconsin Bankers Association

06/17/2026

Last week, members of the 2025–2026 WBA BOLT Leadership Academy cohort completed their year-long program at the BOLT Summer Leadership Summit!
Congratulations to the following 26 bankers for completing the program and arming themselves with new skills to advance their careers in banking and beyond:
1. Jaimie Adamavich, Prevail Bank, Medford
2. Tracy Allen, National Bank of Commerce, Superior
3. Michaela Barribeau, The Stephenson National Bank & Trust - SNBT, Marinette
4. Aubrie Bobholz, Horicon Bank
5. Ashley Burns, Community First Bank, Boscobel
6. Mollie Clapham, Mound City Bank, Platteville
7. Samantha Cochenet, Nicolet Bank, Ashwaubenon
8. Christian Del Aguila, Bank of Lake Mills
9. Brittany Gallagher, Waldo State Bank
10. Melanie Gauger, Citizens Bank - WI, Mukwonago
11. Raymond Koepcke, The Park Bank, Madison
12. Ashley Lawrence, Waldo State Bank
13. Jason Lindeman, Forward Bank, Colby
14. Todd Michek, Mound City Bank, Platteville
15. Nicki Moline, Security Financial Bank, Durand
16. Lindsay Monacelli, Peoples State Bank, Wausau
17. Danyel Moyle, National Exchange Bank & Trust, Fond du Lac
18. Tyler Mustard, Security Financial Bank, Eau Claire
19. Kendra Nichols, State Bank Financial, Sparta
20. Matthew Peterson, Horicon Bank
21. Kendell Rashid, FVSBank, Fond du Lac
22. Sara Simonis, FVSBank, Fond du Lac
23. Megan Waksdahl, The Park Bank, Madison
24. Emily Weiler, Paper City Savings Bank, Wisconsin Rapids
25. Shor Yang, Lake Ridge Bank, Verona
26. Sharilyn Zimmerman, Bank of Lake Mills

06/16/2026

WBA President and CEO Rose Oswald Poels drove to Waupaca to visit Farmers State Bank last month in her latest Rose on the Road. Rose spoke with the bank's new president and CEO, Dick Phillipsen, who entered the role at the beginning of 2026. Dick discussed the importance of Farmers State Bank supporting their communities and the pride he has in his team and all they do to give back.

06/12/2026

As we close out day two of the 2026 WBA BOLT Summer Leadership Summit, WBA would like to thank all of our summit sponsors for making this event possible. This morning, Ben Udell gave the bankers action items on how they can incorporate AI today, and Bill Marklein gave data points on why you can't have leadership without emotional intelligence. Thank you to all the attendees for joining us in Wisconsin Dells!

06/11/2026

Attendees are walking out of day one of the 2026 WBA BOLT Summer Leadership Summit with smiles. The day kicked off with Bradie Ewing, who reminded us that perfection is not the goal; it's what we can do each day to reach the best version of ourselves. Bankers then took part in a series of breakout sessions, peer discussions, and listened to a panel about advocating for the banking industry with WBA. To close us out, Danny Adams showed us how laughter is the best medicine. The whole room was on their feet and even coming up on stage to participate in the fun.

06/10/2026

WBA installed the 2026–2027 Board of Directors today during a ceremony at the Madison office. New, returning, and completed-term Board members, as well as Board officers and Committee chairs, were recognized for their service to the WBA and banking industry.
Read the press release for the full list of Board members on our website: www.wisbank.com/hortonville-banker-leading-wisconsin-bankers-association-board/

06/05/2026

WBA's second annual Fraud Summit took place in Wisconsin Dells on Wednesday. Attendees started the day learning from knowledge leaders, including Rochley Gross, fraud analyst at Forward Bank, who recommended a multi-layered approach for banks to combat fraud. With plenty of idea-sharing and learning from experiences, it was a full day of key takeaways! Thank you to everyone who joined WBA to better your banks and our communities.

WBA would also like to thank our event sponsor: Thomson Reuters!

06/02/2026

On the road again, WBA President and CEO Rose Oswald Poels was invited to tour the new Bank of Brodhead branch in Milton last month. Mike Olson, Bank of Brodhead president and CEO, walked Rose around the new building and explained why Milton was chosen as the location for the branch. With a community room, wellness room, and outdoor patio, the Bank of Brodhead team is excited to welcome customers to the building!

06/01/2026

"Bankers will continue to keep a close eye on the global supply chain, geopolitical issues, as well as the Fed’s interest rate decisions going into the rest of the year. Wisconsin consumers and business owners can continue to rely on Wisconsin banks as a consistent source of trusted financial partnership and a safe place to deposit their money." – Rose Oswald Poels, WBA president and CEO

Read more on the WBA website:

Wisconsin banks started the new year strong with total assets up 8.69% year over year from March 31, 2025 to March 31, 2026. Banks continue to be a trusted place for consumers and businesses to invest their money as total deposits were up 7.57% for the same period (up 4.17% quarter over quarter).

05/29/2026

Congratulations to several WBA, Inc staff members celebrating work anniversaries this month! Join us in thanking them for their dedication to the banking industry and our members.

Angie Swanson – 3 years of service (start date: May 1, 2023)
Chris McDermid – 10 years of service (start date: May 2, 2016)
Sandy Giese – 12 years of service (start date: May 12, 2014)
Rose Oswald Poels – 35 years of service (start date: May 23, 1991)

05/27/2026

Our staff attorneys are just a phone call away to answer your team's compliance questions! The WBA Legal Call Program can be reached at 608-441-1200.