Alerus Financial CTO Jon Hendry to retire, Karin Taylor to assume COO role

Alerus Financial (ALRS) announced Jon Hendry, executive VP and CTO, 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 VP and COO, effective January 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 COO, 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. 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.