Banker with career built on ‘firsts’ focuses on what’s next

It probably was not a surprise to anyone on her staff at Mound City Bank that in her first two weeks as president and CEO, Donna Hoppenjan welcomed a governor to the bank for the first time..The bill-signing event with Gov. Scott Walker last July was part of a busy first few months in the new role, during which four long-term staff people retired and she promoted nine people into officer positions of vice president and above. Today the southwestern Wisconsin bank has six locations, 70 staff people and $280 million in assets. The bank is community owned by 300 shareholders, none of whom own more than 5 percent of the bank holding company stock..Hoppenjan had not viewed banking as her long-term career when she started as a teller at the Platteville, Wis., office in 1977, but she liked working with people, accounting and paying attention to details.."I have a dedicated work ethic, which can probably be attributed to growing up on a dairy farm," she said. "I'm willing to dig in, and I'm willing to work at what I need to do in order to get a project completed.".Learning the business of the trust department was one of her early transitions and new starts. In that role, she worked for Bob Just. When Just became the bank's president and CEO, he looked to her to start the bank's internal audit department. Although she had no experience in that function, she earned internal audit certification through the Bank Administration Institute and she attended state bankers' association schools..That led to starting the bank's compliance department and establishing the bank's voice response unit. At the time, she did both internal audit and compliance while managing operations..When the bank decided to buy a former AnchorBank location and establish a branch in her hometown, Cuba City, Wis., – its first new location since establishing the Belmont, Wis., office in 1935 – Hoppenjan was there to train staff and manage the transition. She opted for the role of project manager rather than branch manager, returning to operations at the main location. She later served in the same capacity when the bank set up locations in Mount Horeb, Wis., and Mineral Point, Wis..Throughout the years, she held many different titles – including assistant vice president, vice president of retail services, senior vice president and secretary of the bank holding company. She's led or been a member of internal committees on human resources, compliance, marketing, business continuity and disaster recovery, information security, audit and exams, and more. She was the first in the bank to develop a spreadsheet for the bank's asset/liability management program, the bank's first female director and the first woman on the senior management team..Now, as the Mound City Bank's first female CEO, she's still thinking in terms of firsts. The bank recently named its first female ag loan officer and first male accounting staff member. Mobile banking is available to customers. Deposit documents are electronically scanned, and soon all loan documents will be, too. Next will be e-signatures on deposit documents and possibly online account opening..Hoppenjan also maintains the culture of mentoring and continuing education that her predecessors established.."We're very focused on making sure that our employees are educated so that they're not only experienced, but they're also experts in their field," she said. She stays involved in education-related roles, serving on the Wisconsin Bankers Association's Leadership Development Committee and as chair of the Banker Advisory Board for the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, having completed both programs..In addition to extensive industry involvement, Hoppenjan is president of the United Way of Platteville and serves on committees at her church and the local Chamber of Commerce. She also has served as president of the Southwest Health Center Foundation Board and has been involved with other organizations. But she is quick to point out accomplishments that don't appear on her resume.."Even while putting in many long hours with bank projects, I never missed a ball game or an event at school. That provided the balance," she said of raising her two children, Chad and Sara, with her husband, Rick. Now, as a proud grandparent of Colin and Keira, she's also looking forward to attending their activities. She credits a family-friendly culture within the bank for her own job satisfaction and the longevity of the bank's staff..Appropriately, as she reaches the end of her first year in her new role, the bank will soon celebrate another new event: its 100th anniversary. "Do you know of any good ideas?" she is quick to ask others. When the time comes, Hoppenjan and her team will be ready.