2025 Employee Promotions
Wausau, Wis. (January 22, 2025): Peoples State Bank President and CEO Scott Cattanach announces the following promotions:
Danielle Ballschmieder, branch manager and officer. Ballschmieder began her career at Peoples 10 years ago and has advanced herself to a leadership role. She is an integral part of the retail management team and has demonstrated leadership and decision-making skills to lead the bank’s Eastside branch and team.
Jacob Grell, private banking portfolio manager and officer. Grell is a critical member in the management and servicing of the private banking portfolio. He is the go-to for all questions on program parameters and product delivery and is, above and beyond, dedicated to serving customers.
Kari Krahn, treasury management sales representative and officer. Krahn has been instrumental in the sales of numerous cash management services to business customers, helping her team to exceed goals in 2024. She’s established a collaborative working relationship with the commercial bankers, branch employees, and operational staff. Her experience and continued support in treasury management benefit business customers and the bank.
Joe Stiehm, senior marketing strategist and officer. Stiehm is responsible for marketing analytics, reporting, and helping bank leadership make informed and logical decisions based on statistics and facts. His expert knowledge and contributions help move projects along efficiently and successfully.
Kevin Daniels, assistant vice president and IT systems manager. Daniels oversees the bank's information technology and data network and was instrumental in opening new office locations in Milwaukee, Stevens Point, and Dane County. He consistently demonstrates professionalism, integrity, accountability, and teamwork and is an active volunteer in the Wausau community.
Eric Humfeld, assistant vice president and senior controller. Humfeld is a trusted and respected leader within the accounting team and consistently demonstrates a high level of professionalism and integrity. His specialized technical skillset is very valuable to the bank, and his contributions have improved efficiencies within the organization.
Vicki Mauritz, assistant vice president and CSR area manager. Mauritz is a strong branch operations resource for both new and seasoned employees. She manages twenty-three employees across five locations and is a trusted and valued leader at the bank.
Kody McHugh, assistant vice president and credit manager. McHugh is a respected leader within the credit team and exceeds expectations as a supervisor and mentor. He continues to support development plans for his team that target building a strong credit foundation and providing analysts with a path to grow.
Michael Merritt, assistant vice president and commercial banker. Merritt is a true relationship banker, serving businesses with solutions for their banking needs. He has developed a network of customers and referral sources and continues to grow existing relationships and secure new to bank customers.
Amanda Schessler, assistant vice president and commercial portfolio supervisor. Schessler fosters an environment of teamwork, is a responsive partner to lenders, and strives to improve processes for her team and the bank. She exceeds performance expectations, leads nine team members, and is responsible for the success of the commercial portfolio specialist group.
Casey Jensen, assistant vice president and information security officer. Jensen, who became the bank’s first dedicated information security officer in 2023, built up the position to where it is today. Her work has led the bank to have a high-quality cybersecurity program, better education for our staff and customers, and proactive deployment of solutions to protect customer data.
Kevin Ile, vice president and commercial banker. Ile has developed a strong foundation of credit and sales attributes and continues to elevate his overall skillset as a commercial lender. He’s successfully grown his portfolio year after year and has obtained a wealth of knowledge in loan structuring, government guaranteed lending, and managing customer expectations. Ile was integral in opening the bank’s newest loan production office in Dane County in early 2024.
Matt Maigatter, vice president and commercial banker. Maigatter has been an integral part of the growth of the bank’s southeast market, and has constantly produced new money loans in the range of $7-8 million. He’s a dedicated team player, a critical thinker, and very detail-oriented. He represents the bank in a respectable manner and is involved in the Waukesha community.
Michael Poniewaz, vice president and senior credit officer. Poniewaz holds a key position with the bank’s commercial bankers to ensure the loan originations meet policy and profit goals. He manages a well-performing group that responds quickly to commercial borrower needs, important for new market growth. In addition, he’s an ideal team player with a true passion for Peoples.
Peter Kramer, senior vice president and commercial banker. Kramer has been with Peoples for 20 years and has built the bank’s most profitable portfolio of full-relationship customers. He is a member of the senior credit group and officers loan committee, providing leadership and insights to the team. His business acumen, steady demeanor, value-added relationship mindset, and Peoples-first approach are invaluable to the bank.
Gayle Boettcher, senior vice president and treasury management leader. Boettcher has been with Peoples for nearly 20 year. She has built a department that supports 5,000 active accounts and over $600,000 in annual fee income to the bank. Her expertise is strategic leadership in growing the business line across markets. She is an important voice on the commercial leadership team and her customer focus, passion for Peoples, and demonstrated track record of success have propelled the bank forward.
In addition, Craig Lau is promoted to senior vice president and northern market leader. Jeff Musa is promoted to senior vice president and southeastern market leader. These leaders will continue spearheading strategic banking efforts and drive growth and progress in their respective markets. Executive team members are promoted to executive vice presidents in their respective roles. Jessica Brown, executive vice president, chief financial officer; Robert McPherson, executive vice president, risk management; Erik Rajek, executive vice president, commercial banking group leader; Jeff Saxton, executive vice president, retail banking group leader; Tina Seidl, executive vice president, human resources; and Katie Tolokken, executive vice president, chief operating officer.
Peoples State Bank is a community bank headquartered in Wausau, Wisconsin, serving north, central, and southeast Wisconsin from twelve full-service banking locations in Marathon, Oneida, Vilas, Portage, Waukesha, and Milwaukee Counties, and a loan production office in Dane County. Peoples was founded in 1962 and has total assets in excess of $1.4 billion. Peoples is an Equal Housing Lender and Member FDIC. More information about Peoples can be found at www.bankpeoples.com.
Peoples provides financial services to business owners and individuals, as well as investment and retirement planning services through Peoples Wealth Management, a division of Peoples. PSB Holdings, Inc., the parent company of Peoples State Bank, trades its common stock under stock symbol PSBQ on the OTCQX Market.