Jay Kim, EVP, Joins Heartland Financial USA, Inc.

DUBUQUE, Iowa, Jan. 13, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF) (“Heartland”) announced that Jay Kim joined the team as Executive Vice President, General Counsel reporting directly to Bruce Lee, President and Chief Executive Officer, Heartland.

“Jay has had an impressive career, and brings to Heartland extensive experience having advised executives in the financial services industry on growth, strategy and wealth initiatives,“ commented Bruce Lee, President and Chief Executive Officer, Heartland. “Having someone of Jay’s experience, integrated with our already exceptional Heartland team, strategically aligns us to meet and exceed our growth objectives. Jay is a key figure in building for our future and executing on a comprehensive succession plan,” stated Lee.

Jay has worked with banking and financial services clients for over 30 years, spending half of his career as general counsel and in senior management roles and the other half as an attorney in private practice. As a partner with Dorsey & Whitney in their Banking and Financial Services Industry group, Jay focused on advising banks, trust companies, wealth management firms, commercial and residential mortgage brokers and retirement plan administrators on mergers and acquisitions and regulatory and operational matters.

Before joining Dorsey & Whitney, Jay served as EVP, General Counsel and Director of Corporate Development for Alerus Financial, where Jay led the company’s acquisition efforts and supervised the legal, compliance, audit and risk management functions. As General Counsel and SVP with Marquette Financial Companies, he served on bank and trust company boards, was a vital member of the mergers and acquisition team, and supervised the legal and compliance functions. His experience counseling CEOs on strategic acquisitions and business strategy uniquely aligns him for his role at Heartland.

Jay earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Iowa State University and his Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from the University of Minnesota Law School. He is actively involved in his community, having served on several boards, including the University of Minnesota Law School Board of Advisors and several YMCA branch and program boards. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the Nature Conservancy for Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota, The Food Group, a Minnesota based food security organization, and is an active volunteer with the Wounded Warriors in Action Foundation.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at