Alerus Financial announced Jon Hendry, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, will retire at year end. As part of his planned succession, he will transition his responsibilities to Karin Taylor, who will assume the role of Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, effective Jan. 1, 2025. In addition, Joe Birkholz has joined the company as Chief Risk Officer.

Taylor joined the Company as Chief Risk Officer in 2018, bringing approximately 30 years of experience in the financial industry, specializing in risk management. As Chief Operating Officer, she will continue to oversee the areas of risk management, regulatory compliance, legal, internal audit and operations, in addition to assuming oversight of information technology.

Birkholz has nearly 20 years of industry experience and has specialized in risk management for a decade. Before joining Alerus in December 2024, he served as Chief Risk Officer at Bridgewater Bank. Prior to that, he served as Senior Director of Risk Operations at TCF Financial Corporation/National Bank. As Chief Risk Officer, he will work closely with the risk committee to further enhance the Company’s risk management practices with a focus on continued growth.

“Jon Hendry has had an extraordinary 40-year tenure at Alerus. In addition to his leadership over countless technology initiatives aligned with the company’s strategy and decades of growth, expansion and evolution, he also saved the Company’s servers from the devastating Grand Forks flood and fire of 1997,” said President and Chief Executive Officer, Katie Lorenson. “We are thankful for Jon’s continued contributions as he works closely with Karin to ensure a smooth transition upon his retirement. As Karin’s role expands, we are excited to welcome Joe Birkholz, who brings an extensive background in risk management and will contribute additional expertise to this important area of our Company as we continue growing.”