MILWAUKEE, September 24, 2026 - Associated Bank today announced new hires and expanded leadership responsibilities to strengthen its private banking, trust and wealth management capabilities in Milwaukee, Madison and Chicago, including the appointment of Kelly Mould, J.D., as senior vice president, managing director of Trust and Advisory Services.
In her new role, Mould will lead Trust and Advisory Services across Associated's footprint, reporting to Heath Sorenson, executive vice president and CEO, Associated Trust Company, and based in Milwaukee. Mould will lead trust relationship managers and wealth advisors across the Private Wealth footprint with a focus on strengthening advice delivery, client experience and colleague development. Most recently, she served as Milwaukee region wealth manager for Johnson Financial Group, where she led regional wealth teams. She also brings legal expertise, having managed her own law firm focused on family and estate planning, with a judicial appointment as guardian ad litem for Racine County.
"I'm excited to join Associated, leading the Trust and Advisory Services team across the bank's footprint and be part of a team that is investing in Milwaukee, Madison and Chicago specifically," Mould said. "These are important markets with strong businesses, entrepreneurs and high-net-worth individuals. Associated has the resources, expertise and local relationships to serve them well. I look forward to helping build on that momentum and delivering the personalized service and sophisticated financial solutions our clients expect."
Jon Donahue, CWS®, also joins Associated Bank as senior vice president, regional director of Private Banking. In his new role, Donahue will lead private banking efforts across Milwaukee, Madison and Chicago, strengthening coordination among clients, bankers and wealth professionals in three important markets. He will focus on delivering a more integrated approach to private banking, wealth management and related financial services and is based in Milwaukee. Donahue joins Associated from Johnson Financial Group, where he was senior vice president, private client services manager. He reports to Lisa Buetow, senior vice president, managing director of Private Banking.
In addition to Mould and Donahue, Associated recently hired Tom Baranko, J.D., CTFA®, as senior vice president, senior director of Fiduciary Administration. Based in Chicago, Baranko brings national-level fiduciary expertise to Associated's wealth organization and will support clients and teams across the bank's footprint. Chicago's scale and concentration of businesses and financial institutions provide a strong strategic base for his role.
New strategic hires and role expansion - all based in Milwaukee - complement the growing roles for established Private Wealth senior leadership.
- Joe Haas, senior vice president, senior private wealth advisory market leader, Milwaukee, has expanded his responsibilities to include Illinois, further connecting Associated's private wealth capabilities across Wisconsin and Chicago.
- Dan McDermott, J.D., has been promoted to senior vice president, personal trust manager for Milwaukee, leading the Personal Trust team. In this role, he will be focused on delivering comprehensive advice, strengthening multigenerational client relationships, developing colleagues and partnering across Private Wealth and the broader bank to serve the evolving needs of the bank's clients across southeastern Wisconsin.
- Matt Krutza, AWMA®, joined the organization in July as senior vice president, Private Banking group manager for the Milwaukee market to further strengthen the bank's investment in its Private Wealth business and relationship-based approach to serving affluent clients.
- Jeff Holt, CFA®, joined the Investment Management team as a vice president, portfolio manager. Based in Milwaukee, Jeff brings over 20 years of investment management and research experience that will help advance the firm's investment management offerings across the region.
- Amy Kahhat, senior vice president, Private Banking team leader, will provide concierge service, ensuring a high-touch, relationship-based approach to day-to-day management, complex banking requests, and custom credit solutions.
"These appointments strengthen our ability to collaborate across functions and markets, bringing together private banking, wealth management and fiduciary expertise to better serve clients," said Jayne Hladio, executive vice president and president of Associated Bank Private Wealth. "They also add significant senior leadership experience to our team, helping us deepen relationships, connect clients to the right expertise and deliver a more coordinated experience across Milwaukee, Madison, Chicago and throughout our footprint."
ABOUT ASSOCIATED BANC-CORP
Associated Banc-Corp (NYSE: ASB) has total assets of approximately $52 billion and is the largest bank holding company based in Wisconsin. Headquartered in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Associated is a leading Midwest banking franchise, offering a full range of financial products and services from over 200 banking locations throughout Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri and Nebraska. The Company also operates loan production offices in Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, New York, Ohio and Texas. Associated Bank, N.A. is an Equal Housing Lender, Equal Opportunity Lender and Member FDIC. More information about Associated Banc-Corp is available at https://www.associatedbank.com.