Notable Women in Commercial Banking 2021

TCB’s 22 Notable Women in Commercial Banking were already responsible for managing trillions of dollars at some of Minnesota’s largest commercial banks and institutions. Add in a global pandemic and they were also responsible for steering clients through the complexities of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and other Covid-19 assistance programs, helping to keep Minnesota companies afloat in an especially difficult year.
Methodology: The individuals featured in Notable Women in Commercial Banking did not pay to be included. Their profiles were drawn from nomination materials. These lists are not comprehensive. It includes only people who were nominated and accepted after editorial review. To quality for this list, individuals must self-identify as a woman, be serving in a senior level commercial banking role at their company, bank, or institution in Minnesota, have at least five years of experience in the field, and have shown the abilities to create significant, positive, and measurable results in their field.

To nominate other best-in-class executives in their fields, click here.

Notable Women in Commercial Banking 2021

Sheri Ahl

Sheri Ahl

Executive vice president, deputy general counsel, assistant secretary, TCF National Bank
Sheri Ahl, who worked as a CPA before becoming an attorney, has been a legal advisor at TCF since 2001. Last year, she helped resolve numerous legal issues so TCF
Susan “Sue” Anderson

Susan “Sue” Anderson

Senior vice president, VisionBank
At St. Louis Park-based VisionBank, Sue Anderson advises small-business owners, real estate investors, and individuals to help make their entrepreneurial dreams come true. In late 2019, she began working with
Laura Gevik

Laura Gevik

Senior vice president, chief operations officer, Drake Bank
Laura Gevik has played a crucial role in leading St. Paul-based Drake Bank to create and adopt repeatable systems of operation and control to enhance its services. The numerous projects
Shannon  Hillesheim

Shannon Hillesheim

Senior vice president, Bank Midwest
Shannon Hillesheim took the helm at Bank Midwest’s New Ulm location in 2015. Under her leadership, the location has posted year-over-year asset growth of 31.2 percent. Commercial and agricultural loan
Kristi  Jacobson

Kristi Jacobson

Senior vice president, commercial banking, Old National Bank
In 2020, while continuing to serve her clients at Old National Bank in St. Paul, Kristi Jacobson spent several weeks processing 280 PPP applications totaling $168 million. She also continued
Susan  Johnson

Susan Johnson

Senior vice president, mortgage warehouse funding, Fidelity Bank
Susan Johnson joined Fidelity Bank in 1989, becoming a member of the bank’s warehouse team in 2002. In her current role, she oversees the Edina-based bank’s efforts to provide warehouse
Melissa Johnston

Melissa Johnston

Senior vice president, Highland Bank
Melissa Johnston has expertise in a wide range of lending sectors, including commercial and industrial, tax-increment financing, real estate, nonprofit, and mergers and acquisitions. In 2020, in addition to processing
Andrea Murphy

Andrea Murphy

Vice president, commercial loans, Northeast Bank
With a nearly two-decade career at Minneapolis-based Northeast Bank, Andrea Murphy has developed a knack for finding loan solutions for her clients. She has partnered with the City of Minneapolis’
Larissa  Nalipinski

Larissa Nalipinski

Vice president and relationship manager, commercial banking, U.S. Bank
Larissa Nalipinski leads a team of specialists who provide customized banking solutions for midsize companies, both private and public. The companies she supports account for trillions of dollars annually in
Laurie  Nordquist

Laurie Nordquist

Upper and Mountain Midwest lead region president/Minnesota CEO, community banking, Wells Fargo & Co.
A 30-year Wells Fargo veteran, Laurie Nordquist assumed her current role in 2018, where she is responsible for more than 700 bank branches. In addition, Nordquist has been an advocate
Laura Oberst

Laura Oberst

Executive vice president, head of the Central Region for commercial banking, Wells Fargo & Co.
Laura Oberst’s team provides industry expertise and a comprehensive suite of products focused on the financial needs of middle-market companies in 20 states. Over the last year, she has supported
Sarah Oquist

Sarah Oquist

Board chair, Woodlands National Bank
Sarah Oquist is the first woman and first Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe (MLBO) tribal member to serve as board chair of Onamia-based Woodlands National Bank, which MLBO owns via
Kael Peterson

Kael Peterson

Senior vice president, commercial banking relationship manager, Wells Fargo & Co.
At Wells Fargo, Kael Peterson handles all aspects of client management, including originating, structuring, and executing transactions related to commercial lending, investment banking, debt capital markets, and loan syndications. Peterson
Ruth  Peterson

Ruth Peterson

Executive vice president, head of banking, Union Bank & Trust
Early in her banking career, Ruth Peterson learned that she particularly enjoyed working with small-business clients. At Minneapolis-based Union Bank, she has ample opportunities to serve that market. In 2015,
Stacy Quick

Stacy Quick

Vice president and relationship manager, commercial banking, U.S. Bank
Stacy Quick’s banking career spans 17 years. At U.S. Bank, she has built a diverse, complex portfolio of regional midsize businesses, including private and public companies, nonprofits, hedge funds, and
Katie  Simpson

Katie Simpson

Senior vice president and global commercial banking market executive, Bank of America
Katie Simpson leads a team of commercial bankers who provide midsize companies with a variety of financial solutions, including treasury, credit, investment banking, and risk and wealth management across Minnesota,
Kelli  Starkey

Kelli Starkey

Senior vice president, warehouse and specialty lending, Fidelity Bank
Kelli Starkey joined Edina-based Fidelity Bank in 2003 as a commercial credit analyst. In her current position, she manages 15 percent of the bank’s employees and has led the team
Julie  Stewart

Julie Stewart

Senior business advisor, Alerus
Julie Stewart delivers comprehensive financial advice to business clients. With more than 30 years of experience in the financial industry, she has developed extensive expertise in commercial credit underwriting and