UBB - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Chief Information Officer
- Chief Security Officer
- Executive Vice President
- Member of the Executive Team
Ben Eskierka - Chief Investment Officer, EVP
Job Titles:
- Chief Investment Officer
- Executive Vice President
- Member of the Executive Team
Job Titles:
- Assistant Vice President, Investments
Job Titles:
- Member of the Correspondent Banking Officers Team
- Regional Sales Manager
- Senior Vice President
Chris Knight received a Bachelor's of Arts degree from Albion College. He joined United Bankers' Bank in 2009 and directly calls on community banks in northern Indiana. As Regional Sales Manager, he oversees United Bankers' Bank's calling and sales efforts in the 11 states.
Prior to joining United Bankers' Bank, Chris began his banking career as a Branch Management Trainee at Manufacturers National Bank of Detroit in 1979, eventually becoming a Correspondent Banker in 1986. Chris went on to become a Correspondent Banking Officer for LaSalle Bank and Great Lakes Bankers' Bank.
Knight has current and past involvement with the Ohio Bankers League, Community Bankers Association of Ohio, Tri-States League, Michigan Bankers Association, Community Bankers of Michigan, Mid-Michigan Bankers Group, Michigan Traveling Circus and Financial Managers Society.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Correspondent Banking Officers Team
- Vice President
- Banking Officer
- Vice President, Correspondent Banking Officer
Darci Forkapa is a Vice President and Correspondent Banking Officer responsible for developing and strengthening relationships with community bankers in Michigan and Ohio.
Darci received a Bachelor of Arts in Communications with an emphasis in business and marketing from the University of North Florida. She joined UBB with over 20 years of B2B commerce experience in cybersecurity, software, and banking solutions.
Job Titles:
- Member of the UBB HR Team
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Investment Operations Manager
Job Titles:
- Chief Credit Officer
- Executive Vice President
- Member of the Executive Team
Job Titles:
- Member of the Correspondent Banking Officers Team
- Vice President, Correspondent Banking Officer
Donna Blake is a Vice President, Correspondent Banking Officer for the West Coast region where she provides correspondent banking solutions to community banks in Arizona, California, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. Donna's financial services industry experience began in 1991, calling on financial institutions and selling investment quality first mortgage loans. She is a graduate of Loyola University of Chicago with a B.A. in Business Administration and a paralegal certificate.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Member of the Executive Team
- President
Job Titles:
- Member of the Correspondent Banking Officers Team
- Vice President, Correspondent Banking Officer
Elizabeth is a Vice President, Correspondent Banking Officer. She started her banking career in 1991 at a Savings & Loan in Central Ohio. She later was part of an organizing group that formed a DeNovo, where she was Senior Vice President, managing Retail and Deposit Operations for the bank for five years. Before joining United Bankers' Bank in 2016, Elizabeth was Vice President of Operations for Great Lakes Bankers Bank for 10 years.
Elizabeth holds a Bachelor's of Science degree in Finance and General Business with a minor in Spanish from Miami University. She is a 2017 graduate of the Barret School of Banking in Memphis, Tennessee, and has earned both the AAP and NCP accreditations for her payments expertise.
Elizabeth is a Project Administrator. She started her banking career in 2009 and prior to joining United Bankers' Bank in 2016, was a Project Administrator for Great Lakes Banc Consulting.
Elizabeth holds a Bachelor's of Art degree in Communications from The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, where she graduated Cum Laude and was a member of The National Society of Collegiate Scholars. As a Project Administrator, she provides project management and support services to UBB's Compliance and Loan Review consulting services.
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Investments
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Investments
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Risk Management
James Nowak is Vice President of Risk Management. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud Minnesota. James joined the United Bankers' Bank Securities team in 2002 after eight years of experience in the fields of Asset Liability Management and Economic Forecasting. During his banking career, he has worked for financial institutions as large as $5 billion in assets.
James developed and manages ALMEdge®, UBB's asset/ liability modeling product. This product is currently used by over 250 community banks in 13 states. James hosts an annual users group conference which regularly draws over 200 community bankers from around the upper Midwest.
James is a former member of the faculty at the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where he taught courses in Asset/Liability Management. He is a guest commentator on Fox9 news and WCCO radio on matters of finance and economics and is a regular on the national speaking circuit for many banking and industry associations and events. Nowak specializes in the topics of risk management and economics.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President, Investment Sales and Trading Manager
Job Titles:
- Member of the Correspondent Banking Officers Team
- Vice President
- Banking Officer
- Vice President, Correspondent Banking Officer
Jason Pruitt is a Vice President and Correspondent Banking Officer responsible for developing and strengthening relationships with community bankers in Alabama, Tennessee, and partnering with Trey Moore in Georgia. Pruitt received a bachelor's degree from Reinhardt College & University in Waleska, Georgia, and has over 30 years of banking experience.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Correspondent Banking Officers Team
- Regional Sales Manager
- Senior Vice President
Jay Syverson is a Senior Vice President and Regional Sales Manager. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Minnesota. Jay joined United Bankers' Bank in 2001. Jay started his banking career is 1994 and has extensive experience in both lending and management.
Syverson's calling territory consists of the state of Minnesota and as Regional Sales Manager; he oversees United Bankers' Bank's calling and sales efforts in the states of Minnesota, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Oregon, Idaho, Washington and California.
As Managing Consultant, Jeff leads his team of compliance specialists in providing world class compliance solutions, advice and counsel to community banks throughout the United States. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Western Michigan University and has earned certifications including Certified Bank Auditor, Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager, and Certified Bank Compliance Officer.
Job Titles:
- Chief Human Resources Officer
- Member of the Executive Team
- Member of the UBB HR Team
- Senior Vice President
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Executive Vice President
- Member of the Executive Team
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Investments
Job Titles:
- Chief Marketing Officer
- Executive Vice President
- Member of the Executive Team
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Senior Compliance Consultant
Since 2003, Katie has supported financial institutions of various sizes and complexities by serving in key compliance, risk management, audit, consulting, and operational deposit and lending roles.
Katie is a graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi and the Barret School of Banking and maintains the Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager (CRCM), Certified Anti Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS), and Certified Regulatory Vendor Program Manager (CRVPM). Her passion is to be a reliable, authentic, and accessible compliance aid, so financial institutions can continue to thrive and innovate while also confidently managing the ever-evolving risk and compliance landscape.
Job Titles:
- Member of the UBB HR Team
Job Titles:
- Correspondent
- Member of the Correspondent Banking Officers Team
- Vice President
- Vice President, Correspondent Banking Officer
Lisa Lyman is the Vice President, Correspondent Banking Officer providing correspondent banking services to community bankers in Southern Indiana, Southern Illinois, and Kentucky. She has worked in the banking industry since 1981 and correspondent banking since 2000. A Certified Treasury Professional and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (Project Management), she also has her Series 63 and Series 79 investment banking licenses. Lisa studied Business Administration at Northern Kentucky University and is a member of the Association for Financial Professionals (AFP).
Job Titles:
- Chief Operations Officer
- Executive Vice President
- Member of the Executive Team
Job Titles:
- Correspondent
- Member of the Correspondent Banking Officers Team
- Vice President
- Vice President, Correspondent Banking Officer
Michael Hahn is a Vice President, Correspondent Banking Officer responsible for building and maintaining relationships with community banks in Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming. He came to UBB with over a decade of experience in finance and correspondent banking. Michael received his bachelor's degree from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities and a master's degree from Augustana University in Sioux Falls, SD. Hahn is also a graduate of the Southwest Graduate School of Banking.
Job Titles:
- Vice President
- Vice President, BankValue Manager
Michael Klinger is the Vice President, Bank Value Manager in the BankValue Advisory Services practice. In his role, Michael provides community banks with financial advisory services consisting of bank stock valuations, shareholder agreements, fairness opinions, market research, and confidential merger and acquisition assistance.
Michael joined UBB with over 5 years of business valuation experience. He has prepared business valuations for federal gift and estate tax returns, estate planning, employee stock ownership plans, financial reporting, and mergers and acquisitions. Michael received a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance along with a minor in Accounting from the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse. Michael is an Accredited Senior Appraiser with the American Society of Appraisers.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Vice President, Investment Trader
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Investments
Job Titles:
- Member of the Correspondent Banking Officers Team
- Vice President
- Banking Officer
- Vice President, Correspondent Banking Officer
Peter Ziegler is a Vice President and Correspondent Banking Officer. He joined UBB with more than 20 years of industry experience, specializing in commercial banking, business development, relationship management and electronic payment solutions. In his role, Ziegler calls on community banks throughout the state of Illinois, while building relationships and providing them with the product and service solutions they need to be competitive in the markets they serve.
An honors graduate with a Bachelor of Business Administration from Roosevelt University in Chicago, Ziegler received his MBA in Finance from Northern Illinois University, where he was awarded the James Bell Award as an outstanding graduate student in marketing management. He most recently earned a Certificate in Leadership Excellence from the Harvard Business School.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Vice President, Compliance Consultant
Sandy joins UBB with almost 20 years of experience in community banking and compliance. Prior to joining UBB she worked at a community bank as their Compliance, BSA, and CRA Officer. Sandy is a graduate of the Robert M. Perry School of Banking at Central Michigan University. She has also earned the professional certification as a Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager (CRCM).
Job Titles:
- Member of the Correspondent Banking Officers Team
- Vice President
- Banking Officer
- Vice President, Correspondent Banking Officer
Shane Bellefy is a Vice President and Correspondent Banking Officer. He is an Iowa native and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Finance from St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa. Shane joined United Bankers' Bank in 2014. He covers the state of Iowa, calling on community banks and providing them with solutions that will assist them in being competitive in their market place in addition to serving the needs of their customers.
Prior to joining United Bankers' Bank, Shane was a Vice President and Relationship Manager for Midwest Independent Bank, calling on community banks throughout the state of Iowa. His past experiences also include, Director of Business Development at van Wagenen Financial Services in Eden Prairie, Minnesota as well as Business Development Manager for MLN Wholesale Division, Chicago, IL.
Bellefy has served on various ABA and ICBA committees as well as the Coaches vs. Cancer Board of Ambassadors in Iowa.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Correspondent Banking Officers Team
- Vice President
- Banking Officer
- Vice President, Correspondent Banking Officer
Todd Schultze is a Vice President and Correspondent Banking Officer. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business with an emphasis in Finance from Saint Cloud State University. Todd began his career with United Bankers' Bank in the Lending department in 2001 as a Commercial Lender. Prior to joining UBB, Todd gained commercial banking experience from four locally owned, Twin Cities-based, community banking organizations. This translated nicely into his ability to grow the lending and credit departments at United Bankers' Bank, and included a five-year stint as Credit Administration Manager.
Todd served as United Bankers' Bank's Security Officer for seven years. He joined the Sales & Marketing Team in 2014 as a Correspondent Banking Officer and enjoys visiting banks, meeting their employees, learning more about their local communities, and finding ways for United Bankers' Bank to help them succeed through products, services and expert consultation. Todd has completed commercial lending courses from the American Institute of Banking, the Risk Management Association, and the National Commercial Lending School in Oklahoma.
Job Titles:
- Financial Analyst
- Compliance Services
- Financial Analyst in UBB 's BankValue
Tom Wittenberg is a Financial Analyst in UBB's BankValue division providing community financial institutions bank stock valuations, market research and other valuation services. Tom joined UBB with a background in residential appraisal and institutional risk management and a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from University of Wisconsin- La Crosse.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Correspondent Banking Officers Team
- Vice President, Correspondent Banking Officer
Yolanda Gu is a Financial Analyst for UBB's bank valuation services. She joined UBB in 2021 with experience in real estate appraisals, analytics and wealth management. Yolanda is a CFA Level II Candidate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, China and a Master of Science degree in finance from Hofstra University.