Officers & Directors

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Senior Management

David A. Bochnowski

Executive Chairman

David A. Bochnowski is the Executive Chairman of the Bancorp, a position he has held since 2016. Mr. Bochnowski was previously the Chief Executive Officer of the Bancorp for 35 years and has 43 years of banking experience. He has an in-depth knowledge of the Bancorp and its subsidiaries having managed the growth and operations of the companies through numerous business cycles. An attorney with experience in federal laws and regulations applicable to the industry, he has also been actively involved in national and state issues impacting the community banking industry. He maintains a high profile in business and not for profit community activities throughout Northwest Indiana. Mr. Bochnowski also serves as the Chair of the Executive Committee.

Benjamin J. Bochnowski

President and Chief Executive Officer

Benjamin J. Bochnowski currently serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Bancorp. Mr. Bochnowski joined the Bancorp in 2010, became Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Bancorp in 2013, was promoted to President and Chief Operating Officer in 2015, and became the Chief Executive Officer in 2016. He is a Director and member of the Executive Committee of the Indiana Bankers Association, and serves on the Membership Committee of the American Bankers Association. He also serves on the Board of Directors of One Region, a non-profit business organization focused on population growth. Mr. Bochnowski volunteers with the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program for low-income individuals, and has been a mentor for the Entrepreneurship Boot Camp for Veterans at Purdue University.

Leane E. Cerven

Executive Vice President, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary

Leane E. Cerven is Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary of the Bancorp and the Bank. Ms. Cerven joined the Bancorp and the Bank in May of 2010. Prior to joining the Bancorp and Bank, she practiced law for sixteen years in Chicago, first as an Associate Attorney with Mayer, Brown & Platt where she practiced primarily in the banking area, which included transactions involving the Resolution Trust Corporation/FDIC, corporate, international, bankruptcy, and litigation practice areas, and then as Vice President and Legal Counsel for Bank One where she practiced primarily in the commercial finance area, including secured and unsecured transactions, mergers and acquisitions, workouts, purchase of assets out of bankruptcy, international and multicurrency transactions, syndications, ESOP financings, and capital regulations. She is licensed to practice law in Indiana and Illinois. Ms. Cerven holds a Juris Doctorate degree from Valparaiso University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. Ms. Cerven is actively involved in community service and serves on the Bioethics Committees for St. Catherine’s Hospital, East Chicago, and St. Mary’s Hospital, Hobart. She is a member of the Lake County Bar Association, the Indiana State Bar Association, the Chicago Bar Association, and the American Bar Association.

Robert T. Lowry

Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer

Robert T. Lowry is Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of the Bancorp and the Bank. He is responsible for finance, accounting, and financial reporting activities. Mr. Lowry has been with the Bank since 1985 and has previously served as the Bank’s Assistant Controller, Internal Auditor and Controller. Mr. Lowry is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA). Mr. Lowry holds a Masters of Business Administration Degree from Indiana University and is a graduate of America’s Community Bankers National School of Banking. Mr. Lowry is an instructor for the American Bankers Association online banking courses. Mr. Lowry is currently serving on the board of the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana as board treasurer and chairman of the finance committee. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Indiana CPA Society and the Financial Managers Society.

Tanya A. Leetz

Executive Vice President, Chief Information and Technology Officer

Todd M. Scheub

Executive Vice President, Chief Banking Officer

Board of Directors

David A. Bochnowski

CHAIRMAN

James L. Wieser

James L. Wieser, J.D., is an attorney with over 47 years of experience. He concentrates his practice in the areas of real estate development and the representation of small businesses. This experience assists the Bancorp and the Bank in their real estate and small business lending. He has also served on several audit and risk management committees of not-for-profit organizations. He serves as a member of the Executive Committee, the Strategic Planning Committee, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, the Compensation and Benefits Committee, and the Wealth Management Committee.

Edward J. Furticella

Edward J. Furticella, CPA (Inactive) served as Chief Financial Officer of the Bank from 1995 to 2004. Prior to that time, he served as Controller of the Bank. He earned his CPA license in 1992. He is a Professor Emeritus of Accounting at Purdue University Northwest, having previously served as Clinical Professor, Department Head, Quantitative Business Studies and Director of the Master of Accountancy Program. Currently he is an Adjunct Instructor of Accounting at Florida Gulf Coast University. This accounting background and experience enables him to provide valuable service to the Bancorp, including with respect to analyzing the Bancorp’s operating results, financial condition, and financial budgets. This experience assists him in his role as a member of the Risk Management Committee, the Executive Committee, and the Strategic Planning Committee.

Joel Gorelick

Joel Gorelick served as President and Chief Operating Officer of the Bancorp until January 2013, when he retired, and has over 40 years of banking experience including retail and commercial banking. He is a Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation and a Charter Chairman Emeritus of the Lake County Economic Alliance, Inc. He has detailed knowledge of commercial lending facilities as well as the intricacies of daily banking operations. His expertise has been utilized as an instructor for educational seminars offered by the Indiana Bankers Association. He has a high profile within the community and is active in numerous community activities. This experience assists him in his role as Chair of the Credit Committee, and as a member of the Strategic Planning Committee and the Executive Committee.

Kenneth V. Krupinski

Kenneth V. Krupinski, CPA (Inactive) is the retired past President of an accounting firm and was a CPA for 43 years. He is also actively involved in the Bank’s community. Mr. Krupinski’s extensive accounting background enables him to provide value to the Board in his role as the Board’s audit committee financial expert, as the Chair of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, and as member of the Bancorp’s Risk Management Committee, the Executive Committee, the Credit Committee, and the Wealth Management Committee.

Anthony M. Puntillo

Anthony M. Puntillo, D.D.S., M.S.D., founded Puntillo and Crane Orthodontics, PC, a dental specialty practice with multiple locations in Northwest Indiana, in 1994. He is the co-owner and managing partner of the practice. He also serves as the current President-Elect of the Great Lakes Association of Orthodontists and a member of various orthodontics associations. He is professionally active in the Bank’s communities. His experience and profile assist the Bancorp and the Bank with their business lending strategies. He serves as Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee, and is a member of the Risk Management Committee, the Compensation and Benefits Committee, and the Executive Committee.

Donald P. Fesko

Donald P. Fesko, O.D., FACHE, is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Community Foundation of Northwest Indiana, a position he has held since 2016. Prior to that, he served as Chief Executive Officer of Community Hospital from 2005 to 2016. Dr. Fesko has significant health care expertise, and is active in the Bank’s communities. These attributes are of value to the Bancorp in offering Bank products and services to the health care industry and to other Bank customers. He also served on a compensation committee for the Community Foundation of Northwest Indiana, bringing him expertise of value to his service as the Chair of the Compensation and Benefits Committee, and as a member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, and the Strategic Planning Committee.

Benjamin J. Bochnowski

Robert E. Johnson III

Robert E. Johnson, III, currently is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Cimcor, Inc., a position he has held since 1997. Cimcor, Inc. develops cutting edge IT security software to enable companies to maintain IT system integrity, take immediate action to change, and meet compliance regulations. Prior to Cimcor, Mr. Johnson was the manager of business systems for Kvaerner Metals and Manager of Process Automation & Control for Davy McKee Corporation. Mr. Johnson was appointed Vice-Chairman of the board of directors for The Methodist Hospitals in 2018. He has been a member of The Methodist Hospitals board since 2009, and is currently the Chair of the Finance Committee, a position he has held since 2015. Mr. Johnson is a member and the former Chairman of the board of directors of the Legacy Foundation. He is also a member of the board of IV Diagnostics, a biotech company. Mr. Johnson’s cybersecurity and information technology knowledge and record of community engagement and entrepreneurship add strong expertise and value to the Bancorp’s oversight responsibilities and community banking efforts. Mr. Johnson’s experience, as described above, assists in his role as the Chair of the Risk Management Committee, and as a member of the Strategic Planning Committee.

Amy W. Han

Amy W. Han, Ph.D., completed a Ph.D. in counseling/clinical psychology from the University of Notre Dame in 2003. Prior to graduate work, Dr. Han worked as a management consultant in the areas of human resource management and strategic management with Norrell Services and AT&T in Chicago. She currently serves as the Director for Clinical Affairs and Education at the Northwest campus of Indiana University School of Medicine. Dr. Han lends expertise to the Board in the human resources management and strategic management areas. She brings leadership skills and the ability to help individuals achieve their goals to the Board of Directors. She is also very knowledgeable about the means and methods of providing good customer service to individuals in Northwest Indiana and greater Chicagoland. Dr. Han also serves on several local boards. This experience assists her in her role as a Chair of the Wealth Management Committee, and as a member of the Compensation and Benefits Committee, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, and the Executive Committee.

Danette Garza

Danette Garza, J.D., CPA, served as Probate Commissioner for the Lake County Superior Court from 2013 to 2017. In 2015, she took ownership of Jack Gray Transport Logistics Network, a bulk and break bulk hauler and stevedore operation located in Gary, Indiana. She is a certified public accountant as well as a licensed attorney specializing in corporate, estate planning, and elder law. She brings to the Board financial expertise and strong business acumen. The Board draws on her professional strengths and civic involvement as resources to help with the Bancorp’s strategic direction and capitalize on strategic opportunities of the Bancorp. She is a member of the Wealth Management Committee, the Strategic Planning Committee, the Risk Management Committee, and the Credit Committee.