Dan Ford will retire from the Board of Crossroads Bank, Wabash, in October. He has served on the Board for 20 years, the last 10 as its chair. Cynthia “Cindy” M. Riemersma succeeded him as chair in April.
Shelby M. Bowen joined the Board of First Farmers Bank & Trust Co., Converse, in June. Founder and partner at Rebar Development, Bowen brings a wealth of experience in commercial real estate development with a strong focus on public-private partnerships, mixed-use communities and master development projects.
Andrew Seger joined the Board of German American Bank, Jasper, in July. Seger serves as chief financial officer and senior vice president of sales for Wabash Valley Produce Inc., one of the largest egg product suppliers in the nation. Headquartered in Dubois, the family-owned company was founded in 1964 and is now managed by second and third generations of the Seger family. Prior to joining the family company in 2011, Seger spent 10 years at a Chicago-based private equity firm and two years as an investment banking analyst at Goldman Sachs. He represents the Wabash Valley as chairman of the American Egg Board, is a member of the Advisory Board of the Indiana University Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and serves as president of the economic development and redevelopment commissions for the city of Jasper. Seger earned a bachelor’s degree from the IU Kelley School of Business.
Chris Bottorff joined the Board of NWSB, Charlestown, and its holding company, New Independent Bancshares Inc., in June. He serves as executive vice president, chief strategy officer for the bank, leading credit administration, loan operations, risk and compliance, security and facilities, and the title insurance agency. Bottorff has 37 years of banking experience, including 24 in senior leadership roles. He serves on the boards of New Hope Services, The Lincoln Heritage Council of the Boy Scouts of America, the Jeffersonville Planning and Zoning Commission, LifeSpring Foundation of Indiana and the Delta Upsilon Indiana Chapter.
James L. Wieser, JD, retired from the Board of Finward Bancorp, holding company for Peoples Bank, Munster, effective May 22, after 26 years as a member. A practicing attorney for nearly five decades, he brought significant experience to the Board in municipal and real estate development law as well as small business representation, helping the bank’s growth in commercial banking, small business lending and community development. Wieser dedicated professional and personal time to a number of public service opportunities, including as a Lake City councilman, county council president, town attorney of Highland and an officer in the U.S. Army. He was also appointed to the Indiana Transportation Finance Authority by Govs. Evan Bayh and Frank O’Bannon. As of this writing, the Board has elected not to replace Wieser’s seat at this time.
Alliance Junior Board Welcomes New Members
The Junior Board of Directors for Alliance Bank, Francesville, welcomed nine new members for the 2025-26 school year at their annual celebration on Sunday, May 4. Students are selected for the Board through an application process. Each of the participating schools are typically represented by two students, each from their junior and senior classes. Next year’s Board will be comprised of:
- Eastern Pulaski High School (Winamac): juniors Jaelyn Huddleston and Sean Stark, seniors Audrey Dickinson (marketing director) and Kandace Kroft (board chair)
- North White High School: juniors Olivia Dahlenburg and Katelyn Westerhouse, seniors Jacob Ramirez Menjivar and Carter Sterrett
- Twin Lakes High School: juniors Tatem Goyer and Mary Kate Waikel, seniors Brody Koppelmann and Ethan Need (board vice chair)
- West Central High School: juniors Makylah Holle and Katie Scholz, seniors Maddox Gutwein and Sydney Mellon (board secretary)
The celebration was also an opportunity for the 2024-25 Junior Board to share their experiences from the past school year with their families, educators, bank leadership and guests, including visits with the Community Foundations of Pulaski & White counties, BioTown Ag, Pulaski Memorial Hospital, Lightstream, Schlatter’s Inc., Standard Industrial Supply and BraunAbility.
Members volunteer individually and as a group throughout the year in the bank’s service footprint, with each hour of service recognized monetarily by the bank. The Junior Board was able to donate a total of $1,500 back to three community organizations. Representatives from the Boys and Girls Club of White County, the Community Foundation of Pulaski County and the Community Foundation of White County were present to accept a donation of $500 each.
Alliance Bank Junior Board of Directors existing and incoming members, including (back row) Carter Sterrett, Kaelyn O’Connor, Brendan Hines, Maddox Gutwein, Jalie Glasford and Brody Koppelmann; (middle row) Ethan Need, Cole Woodley, Sydney Mellon, Madyson Westerhouse, Heiden Morales, Genevieve Stroetz, Kandace Kroft and Audrey Dickinson; (seated) Tatem Goyer, Sean Stark, Olivia Dahlenburg, Katie Scholz, Mary Kate Waikel, Jaelyn Huddleston and Makylah Holle. (Not pictured: Conner Bunger, Katelyn Westerhouse and Jacob Ramirez Menjivar)
Alliance Bank Junior Board Member Madyson Westerhouse presents a donation of $500 to LeeAnn Wright, executive director of the Community Foundation of Pulaski County.
Alliance Bank Junior Board Member Madyson Westerhouse presents a donation of $500 to Lucy Dold, executive director of the Community Foundation of White County.
Alliance Bank Junior Board Member Madyson Westerhouse presents a donation of $500 to Dan Fry and Aby Jenkins, representing the Boys and Girls Club of White County.
