Belle Fourche Staff
Ashley Pearson – Senior Vice President
Ashley has been with Pioneer Bank & Trust since 2004. Her passion for agriculture and business has taken her down the career path of commercial/ag lending. As a correspondent lender, Ashley underwrites, originates and services long-term, fixed-rate loans for local businesses and producers.
Ashley received her Bachelor’s degree from Black Hills State in 2003 and her MBA from Colorado State in 2016.
In addition to volunteering with various school and athletic activities, she is an active member of the Belle Fourche Ag Committee, the UCC Christian Ed Committee and the BHSU Foundation Investment Committee. She is also a member of the Yellow Jacket Foundation Board of Directors, and currently serves as President.
Clay Birkeland – Senior VP/Director of Agricultural Banking
Clay has more than 20 years of agricultural and commercial banking experience. A 1993 graduate of Colorado State University, he completed the Graduate School of Banking at Colorado in 1999. He has been with Pioneer Bank & Trust in Belle Fourche since 1996, helping farmers, ranchers and area business persons with their diverse banking needs. He has been a trusted resource for hundreds of customers to help their business interests grow and thrive.
Clay is an active Board of Director member for the South Dakota High School Rodeo Association, the Belle Fourche Country Club and the Belle Fourche Development Corporation. He has coached a multitude of youth sports in Belle Fourche and is a past President of the Belle Fourche Chamber of Commerce.
Donna Bradley – Assistant Branch Manager & Vice President
Donna has been with Pioneer Bank & Trust since 1997, having started as a customer service representative. She has been a loan officer for 12 years.
Prior to banking, Donna was employed as a legal secretary and office manager for 19 years, and continues to draw from that experience into the banking field.
Donna is the active treasurer for the Belle Fourche Bronc Booster Club, a member of her women’s church board and also its treasurer. She has been involved with Belle Fourche soccer in one capacity or another since 1987.
Jay Cordell – VP/Commercial & Ag Lender
Jay has been with Pioneer Bank & Trust since September 2012. Prior to that, he worked four years as an Agricultural Lender for Dacotah Bank in the Lemmon, SD and Hettinger, ND markets.
Jay is a native of Camp Crook, SD where he was raised on a cattle and sheep ranch. He is a 2003 graduate of Harding County High School and a 2007 graduate of Black Hills State University with a B.S. degree in Business Administration specializing in accounting.
He holds additional certifications with completion of the ABA Commercial Lending course, the SDBA School for Beginning Agricultural Lenders and the ICBA Commercial Lending Institute.
Outside of the bank, Jay is active in the community by serving on the Board of Directors for the Belle Fourche Economic Development Corporation and the Belle Fourche Chamber of Commerce serving as Board President in 2016 and 2017.
Chad Pelster – Assistant Vice President and Ag Lender
Charli Davis – Personal Banking Officer
Charli graduated from Dickinson State University in 2003 with an Associate’s Degree in Office Administration. She began her career at Pioneer Bank & Trust on May 31, 2005 as a Teller; she moved to Vault Teller and is currently a Personal Banker.
Rapid City West Staff
Steve Conzet – Vice President of Business Banking/Manager
Steve has extensive experience in the banking industry and numerous leadership roles throughout the community.
Steve began his banking career as an Agricultural Banker Trainee for Community First Bank Systems in Windom, Minnesota in 1993.
In 1996, Steve accepted a management training program position within Wells Fargo in Rapid City. He started as a Personal Banker and as a Business Credit Analyst, eventually working his way up to Market President and Business Banking Manager of both the Rapid City and Northern Hills Markets. It was during this time that Steve graduated from the Pacific Coast Banking School in Seattle, a masters-level extension program for officers in the banking industry.
A leader in the community, Steve was formerly on the Board of Directors for the United Way of the Black Hills, holding various positions including President of the Board in 2006. He has served on Rapid City Economic Development Board (as board president in 2014), the Rapid Loan Fund, the Black Hills Vision Board, the Rapid City Economic Foundation Board, and the SD Bankers Association Legislative Committee. Steve has been a Junior Achievement volunteer for more than 20 years and currently serves on the Board of Directors for Behavior Management Systems where he has held various leadership positions, including President of the Board in 2014.
Jason Collins – VP/Commercial Loan Officer
Jason comes to Pioneer Bank with over 20 years of lending experience and dedication to community involvement.
Jason grew up in Spearfish, graduated from Spearfish High School and graduated from Northern State University in Aberdeen, SD. Jason’s love of the Black Hills brought him back to Rapid City in 1999 where he can be found outside year-round enjoying hiking, golfing, mountain biking and skiing.
Jason began his financial career in 1999 working as a lender in Rapid City for Black Hills Community Economic Development, a certified development company, focusing on marketing and partnering with local banks throughout the Black Hills to administer the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) 504 Fixed Asset Loan Program, the West River Revolving Loan Fund (US Department of Agriculture Rural Development Funds) and the Lawrence County Revolving Loan Fund (US Economic Development Administration).
In 2002, Jason accepted a Business Banker/Commercial Lending position in Rapid City working his way into a Sr. Business Banker position. Jason graduated from the University of Wisconsin’s Graduate School of Banking School in Madison, Wisconsin and received the Wisconsin School of Business Certificate of Executive Leadership.
Over the years Jason has been involved with Rapid City Rotary, Storybook Island Christmas (may have dressed up as Santa) and Rapid City Young Life. Jason has volunteered countless hours over the years coaching Little League Baseball, Youth Traveling Basketball as well Swim team.
Justine McKay – Assistant Vice President & Personal Banking Officer
Beginning her banking career with Pioneer Bank & Trust in March of 2013, Justine has held multiple positions within the bank. With a total of 15+ years in Customer Service, she enjoys building relationships with customers and helping them navigate the financial industry to the best of her ability.
Justine helps organize an annual event that includes employees, family and friends of Pioneer Bank & Trust to pack boxes of food for the holidays to be given to those in our communities through the Salvation Army.
Eltonjon Finck – Assistant Vice President / Commercial & Ag Loan Officer
Raised on a family farm and ranch near Ralph, SD, Eltonjon still manages operations today, while also bringing to the Pioneer team over 25 years of diverse financial experience. After earning his BS in Business Administration from Dickinson State University in 1997, he spent 13 years working for Ford Motor Credit and US Bank in Fargo, ND, where he earned numerous awards including Customer Service Award, Credit Analyst of the Month, Credit Analyst of the Quarter, and Top Quality Analyst. His Fargo career promoted him from Auditor, Credit Package Preparer, to Dealer Account Manager & Dealer Services Analyst, Prime and Non-Prime Credit Analysis / Underwriter.
Eventually, the Black Hills called him to head back West so that he could maintain operations on the family farm and enjoy snowboarding and mountain biking in his spare time. He moved to Rapid City in 2010 and spent five years with Ditech, training various teams in South Dakota, Arizona and Florida as a Senior Business Analyst before being recruited by Farm Credit to be an Insurance Officer for crop and hail.
He joined the Pioneer Bank & Trust team in 2020 as a Credit Analyst for the Senior Vice President and Rapid City Market Manager, he acquired his NMLS in 2021 and enjoys using his unique background to find financial solutions for area farmers, ranchers, homeowners and businessmen alike. He was awarded in 2024 the SBA 504 Lender of the Year for the Black Hills Community Economic Development, which is a certified development company originating SBA 504 Loans in South Dakota and parts of Nebraska and Wyoming.
Eltonjon has served on multiple volunteer committees and community service organizations and personally supports the Black Hills Suzuki School, Kidnotes Piano and Black Hills Ski for Light. Eltonjon currently serves on the Board of Directors for Rushmore Consumer Credit Resource Center.
Kasey Maciejewski – Personal Banker
Kasey’s been with Pioneer Bank & Trust since June of 2021. After being a teller for two years she has progressed into a Personal Banking position. She has over eight years of customer service experience and enjoys interacting with her customers and meeting new people.
Buffalo Staff
John Latham – Assistant Vice President & Commercial Loan Officer
John began working at PB&T in 2018. Prior to his career as a loan officer he was a teacher.
John attended and graduated from Chadron State College.
Spearfish Staff
Dan O’Shea – Senior VP/Manager
Dan has been in banking for over 30 years serving in a variety of roles. He’s an alumni of the Graduate School of Banking, Madison WI and San Diego State University.
Prior to joining Pioneer Bank & Trust in 2000 he worked for national banks in South Dakota, Colorado and California. Dan is active in the Spearfish community and enjoyed serving as the Chamber President, Rotary President and as a Junior Achievement volunteer and board member. Dan currently serves as a Board Member of the Spearfish Economic Development Corporation.
Josh Horak – VP & Commercial Lender
Josh joined Pioneer Bank & Trust team in 2022 – bringing 20 years of banking experience, ranging from student loan sales to branch President. Most recently he was the branch president at a bank in Sturgis. Josh is a graduate of Spearfish High School, having attended BHSU then graduating from SDSU with a bachelor’s degree in education. Josh has resided in Spearfish since 1994 and is heavily involved in the Spearfish community having held leadership positions on a number of non-profit boards such as Spearfish Chamber of Commerce, Northern Hills Training Center, Grace Balloch Memorial Library, N.H. CASA, Northern Hills Chapter RMEF, and Black Hills Christian Academy.
Kyle Smith – VP/Commercial & Ag Lender
Kyle has been in commercial and agricultural lending since July of 2002. Kyle graduated from Black Hills State University in May of 2002 with a double major in Business Administration and Human Resource Management. He is originally from a cattle ranch near Lodgepole, SD. He is a graduate of School for Beginning Agricultural Lenders, and Dakota School of Banking. He has served on various boards throughout the years with the most recent being the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Kyle has served as a volunteer in the communities he has lived in including volunteer referee and fireman.
Racheal Shank – Mortgage Loan Originator
Racheal started her banking career in 2007 as a mortgage loan originator. She has been recognized for her strong customer service skills as well as being a top producer in mortgage lending. She is excited to join Pioneer Bank & Trust and bring her passion for helping people achieve their dreams of home ownership.
Racheal is a native of Spearfish, graduating from Spearfish High School and Colorado Institute of Art with a degree in Interior Design. Racheal is active in her community helping with Zonta and participating in 100 Women of Spearfish.
Susan P. Ziegler – Personal Banker
Susan has been with Pioneer Bank & Trust since 2016 and has advanced into a Personal Banking Supervisor. She enjoys the daily interactions with all of her customers.
Susan also volunteers as part of the Spearfish Fire Department Auxiliary
Melissa Dean – Personal Banker
Melissa grew up on a Ranch west of Spearfish and is a South Dakota State University Alumni. Before joining Pioneer Bank & Trust as a Personal Banker, Melissa worked at various levels in a wide variety of industries such as family-owned businesses, government, higher education and a Fortune 500 company. Melissa always strives to provide exceptional customer service and enjoys spending her time volunteering and hiking.
Carrietta St. Peter – Personal Banker
Carrietta grew up on the family ranch located by Faith, South Dakota and graduated from South Dakota State University in 2017 with an Agricultural Science Degree. The agricultural industry is very important to her. She was actively involved as a Rodeo Queen, FFA Member, 4-H Member and with many other organizations through the years to promote and advocate for the rodeo industry and agriculture as a whole.
Carrietta started with Pioneer Bank & Trust in 2022 as a Teller and is now a Personal Banker. She was drawn to Pioneer Bank & Trust because of its strong support of small business owners and the agricultural way of life. Carrietta resides in Sturgis with her husband and son.
Kristine Beck – Personal Banker
Kristine was born and raised in Sturgis. While working in the service industry she completed her Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science and graduated from Black Hills State University in 2022. Her ongoing desire to learn led her to join Pioneer Bank & Trust in 2023. Kristine thoroughly enjoys getting to know people and building lasting customer relationships. Providing excellent customer service is her passion and this is why, she says, Pioneer Bank & Trust is such a wonderful fit.
Rapid City South Staff
Tim Merkle – Senior VP/Manager
Tim has more than 24 years of banking experience and has been with Pioneer Bank for a total of 16 years.
He has a Bachelor of Science with a Finance Emphasis from Adams State College in Alamosa, CO.
He has also served on various boards and has been involved in many volunteer activities over the years.
Timothy Palmer – Assistant Vice President
Tim has been in the banking industry for the last 5 years, as both an Analyst and Commercial Lender. He has a Bachelor of Science with an Emphasis in Economics and Finance from Black Hills State University in Spearfish, SD. Tim participates in several local non-profit organizations, including teaching Junior Achievement Classes in Rapid City Schools.
Bobbi J. Welch – Mortgage Loan Originator
Bobbi started working at Pioneer Bank & Trust in Rapid City in 1997 as a teller. Through the years, she has had various positions working her way up to mortgage lender 2011. In 2021 she transitioned to Sturgis to help expand the real estate department.
Bobbi has a passion for helping people and prides herself on providing excellent customer service.
She volunteered at the YMCA as chair of the spirit committee for the Kid’s Campaign for more than 10 years. She continues to volunteer as the treasurer of the Family Readiness Group for the Army National Guard Training Center and is on the board of the Piedmont Valley Chamber of Commerce.
Megi Plasencio – Personal Banker
Megi started her career in banking with Pioneer Bank and Trust in May of 2020 (smack dab in the middle of the pandemic!) She started off as a teller and continued to expand her knowledge as a Personal Banker. She takes pride in helping and getting to know her customers on a personal level.
Megi also spends time within her daughters Girl Scout troop helping them learn entrepreneurship, leadership, and money handling.
She is eager to learn and grow within Pioneer Bank as the years go on.
Maggie McElroy – Consumer Loan Officer
Maggie has been in banking for over 10 years and has been with Pioneer Bank and Trust since 2017. She graduated from Dana College with her Bachelor’s degree. In her free time she enjoys the Black Hills, the outdoors, and spending time with family.
Sturgis Staff
Brice Rock – Senior VP/Manager
Brice was born and raised in western South Dakota. He graduated from South Dakota State University in 2000 with a Business/Economics degree. Brice began his banking career in 2006 with Wells Fargo. He has over 15 years of banking experience. He has been the Branch Manager for the Sturgis location since August of 2013. Brice has been a very active member of the Sturgis community and has represented Pioneer Bank & Trust on numerous community boards over the years including Sturgis Area Chamber of Commerce, United Way of the Black Hills and Sturgis Optimists Club. He has also helped coach youth sports over the years.
Bryce Richter – VP/Commercial & Ag Lender
Bryce was raised in a cattle ranching family east of Enning, SD and is a proud graduate of Sturgis Brown High School. Being raised on a ranch, Bryce has an understanding of a rancher’s needs and way of life. He matches that background with 15 years of banking experience to find financial solutions for area farmers and ranchers.
Bryce is active in the Sturgis community, serving on the Sturgis Soccer Association Board of Directors, coaching youth soccer, and serving on the Meade 46-1 School Board.
Brooke Pickett – Assistant Vice President and Personal Banking Officer
Brooke began working for Pioneer Bank & Trust in 2011. Brooke has over 18 years of banking experience.
Brooke has volunteered for several non-profit community organizations including the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, United Way, Meals on Wheels, church events, and youth sports including volleyball, basketball, softball, and baseball programs.
