Beloit, Wis.-based First National Bank and Trust recently launched a five-member product management team.
The group will be led by Director of Product Management Laura Pomerene, who has led the bank’s marketing work since she was hired two decades ago. Pomerene, who has 25 years of experience in banking, is a Certified Financial Marketing Professional. In 2011, she completed the three-year Graduate School of Banking program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Pomerene has an Associate of Applied Science degree in computer information systems, Bachelor of Science degree in business administration and Master of Science degree in business analytics.
“Laura is responsible for overseeing the product owners and will build on her analytics background and leadership strengths to enhance product development, ensuring FNBT is able to provide the best possible products and services for our customers,” according to the bank.
First National Bank and Trust also announced four officer promotions, including:
- Sean Gjestson to first vice president, director of operations. He joined the bank 16 years ago as a loan operations representative, and has been promoted multiple times since. Gjestson has a bachelor’s degree in business management and finance from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, and an MBA in 2014.
- Keith McCormick to FVP, agriculture banking manager. McCormick joined the bank 14 years ago as a commercial banking trainee. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from Iowa State University, Ames, and also graduated from the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
- Michael Montgomery to VP, enterprise architect. Montgomery, who has nearly 15 years of experience in information technology and financial services, was hired by the bank in 2019 as IT supervisor and officer. He has a bachelor’s degree in business management from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale and graduated from the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin.
- Kristen Jacobsen to assistant vice president, information technology development team lead.