Leadership Team

Dave Waligoske

CEO/President
Fishback Financial Corporation

Kevin Tetzlaff

Chief Operating Officer
First Bank & Trust

Keith Eichacker

Chief Lending Officer

First Bank & Trust

Carrie Wilson

Chief Financial Officer

First Bank & Trust

John Fishback

Chief Product &
Customer Experience Officer

First Bank & Trust

Thomas M. Fishback

Market President, Brookings

First Bank & Trust

Kristina Schaefer

General Counsel &
Chief Risk Officer

First Bank & Trust

Chris Kreul

Chief Technology Officer

First Bank & Trust

Van Fishback

Chairman, Board of Directors

Fishback Financial Corporation

Robert E. Fishback

Director, Board of Directors

Fishback Financial Corporation & First Bank & Trust

Dave Waligoske

CEO/President
Fishback Financial Corporation

Dave joined the organization in 1992 with First National Bank, Brookings as an auditor. Through his career with FFC, he has held various national product and corporate administrative management positions before being selected as CEO in 2011.

He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of South Dakota. He is currently the Chairman of the Board of First Bank & Trust, Sioux Falls and a Board member of Kid’s World Learning Center. He has worked with Advance as Board president and Board member, and was selected to serve on the Community Depository Institution Advisory Committee for the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, 9th District.

Kevin Tetzlaff

Chief Operating Officer

First Bank & Trust

Kevin Tetzlaff joined the Fishback family of banks as a college intern in 1991. After graduating, Kevin was a full-time Agricultural/Business Banker in Brookings, SD until 1998. At that time he assumed the position of President of First Bank & Trust in Milbank, SD. Kevin returned to Brookings in 2008 to take on the role of President/CEO of First Bank & Trust, Brookings, becoming the first non-Fishback family member to hold that title. Today, Kevin serves as the President/COO of First Bank & Trust, which includes overseeing all 23 locations in 18 communities throughout South Dakota and Minnesota.

A native of Hayti, SD, Kevin attended South Dakota State University, where he earned his bachelor's degree in Agricultural Business and Commercial Economics. He was a Jackrabbit All American football player and is now a member of the SDSU Jackrabbit Athletic Hall of Fame. Kevin enjoys spending time with his wife Erin and their four children; Preston, Baylee, Zoe, and Bergan. He also enjoys hunting, golfing, and participating in various professional organizations, including being a member of the South Dakota State University Foundation Board of Governors, the South Dakota Board of Economic Development and many local economic development groups.

Keith Eichacker

Chief Lending Officer

First Bank & Trust

Keith joined the Fishback organization more than 25 years ago as an Ag Lender. In 1998, he was promoted to Vice President and served as the Ag Department Manager in Brookings, SD. In 2000 he was selected to spearhead the Emerging Markets division as the bank became more involved with financing ethanol, winds, carbon credits, and large dairies throughout the upper Midwest. In 2006 he joined the corporate management team and is responsible for managing the overall credit quality throughout the organization. Keith is also on the Board of Directors of First Bank & Trust. A Salem, SD, native and a graduate in Banking/Finance from Lake Area Technical Institute, he has over 30 years of lending experience.

Keith, his wife Dawn, and their two children, Allison and Jack, enjoy time at their lake cabin along with fishing and hunting.

Carrie Wilson

Chief Financial Officer

First Bank & Trust

Carrie Wilson joined the organization in 2007 and is the Chief Financial Officer. In her role as CFO, Wilson is responsible for the overall financial strategy of the organization, as well as areas such as Treasury and Accounting. After earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from The University of South Dakota, Carrie began her career at Deloitte & Touche as a CPA before moving into the banking industry.

A native of Montrose, Carrie now resides in Sioux Falls. She stays active in the community by volunteering at her church and for organizations that aim to help the youth of Sioux Falls. In her spare time, Carrie enjoys reading, boating and hiking. She and her husband, Bob, have three children: Brady, Isaac, and Kaci.

John Fishback

Chief Product & Customer Experience Officer

First Bank & Trust

John Fishback began serving on the First Bank & Trust, Brookings Board of Directors in 2008 and joined the Fishback Financial Corporation Board of Directors in 2009. He worked as a management consultant focusing on banking prior to joining the FFC team in 2019. John is now the Chief Product and Customer Experience Officer. He has a BA from Georgetown University and an MA from New York University.

John and his family split their time between Brookings and San Francisco.

Thomas M. Fishback

Market President, Brookings

First Bank & Trust

Tom Fishback is the Brookings Market President. A Brookings native, he has been with the bank since 2007. Prior to his current role, Tom served as a Sr. Wealth Management Officer and manager of the Brookings’ Private Banking department. He has also held positions as a Credit Review Officer, Consumer Loan Officer, and Retail Banking Associate.

After joining First Bank & Trust, he earned a master’s degree in economics from SDSU, graduated from the Graduate School of Banking at Colorado, and passed the Certified Trust and Financial Advisor exam following completion of the Cannon Trust School with honors. Tom holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Fishback invests time and energy in a range of organizational efforts, which strengthens and enriches the Brookings area. He is the founder of the $10 Lunch Club and serves on the Brookings Reconciliation Council, Wokini Leadership Council, SDSU Tiospaye Council, and Brookings Health System Foundation.

He spends the majority of his free time with his wife, Mary Beth, daughter, Mae, and son, Ollie.

Kristina Schaefer

General Counsel & Chief Risk Officer

First Bank & Trust

Kristina Schaefer serves as Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Chief Risk Officer. Prior to joining First Bank & Trust, Kristina practiced law at the Davenport Evans Law Firm in Sioux Falls, where she was a member of the financial institutions practice group. She graduated from South Dakota State University in Brookings, South Dakota, received her Juris Doctorate from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, and is a Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager (CRCM).

Kristina is actively engaged in efforts to prevent elder financial exploitation and was appointed to the South Dakota Elder Abuse Task Force. She is a member of several local, state, and national professional organizations, serving on a number of committees and advisory councils, as well as Chair Elect of the South Dakota Bankers Association. Schaefer regularly coaches Girls on the Run, serves on the Helpline Center Board of Directors, and mentors two children as part of the Lutheran Social Services School Based Mentoring Program.

In her free time, Schaefer enjoys watching Minnesota Twins Baseball, reading, and running. Her family includes her daughters Olivia and Harper, and husband, Scott. She is originally from Miller, South Dakota.

Chris Kreul

Chief Technology Officer

First Bank & Trust

Chris Kreul, Chief Technology Officer, joined the organization in 2000 as an IT intern after gaining a Bachelor’s of Science in Information Systems from Dakota State University (DSU) in Madison, SD.

Chris is currently a board member for Infragard, as well as the Cyber Security Industry Advisory Board at DSU. He belongs to various professional organizations, such as the Siouxland CIO Exchange and the South Dakota Bankers Association Technology Work Group. Chris, who prides himself on empowering his team to achieve business goals for the organization, has his CISSP certification.

He and his family live just outside of Dell Rapids, SD.

Van Fishback

Chairman, Board of Directors

Fishback Financial Corporation

A third-generation banker and native of Brookings, SD, Van Fishback joined his family’s banking organization in 1972. He attended Stanford University, the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the University of Minnesota Law School.

Van has been involved in many professional and civic organizations and has a passion for sports, community and mission work, and higher education. He and his wife Barbara live in Brookings, SD, and have three adult sons, Thomas, Paul and James.

Robert E. Fishback

Director, Board of Directors

Fishback Financial Corporation & First Bank & Trust, Brookings

Bob Fishback joined his father, Horace, at First National Bank in Brookings in 1961. He had the pleasure of being introduced personally to our community and farm customers by his father, and very much enjoys dealing with the people of this area. He saw fit to provide more service by establishing a trust department in 1969 and by purchasing several area banks.

Bob graduated from Oberlin College in Ohio and got his MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. He has been active in many civic organizations.

Bob enjoys music and sports including tennis and basketball. He and his wife Patricia have two children, John (spouse Amanda, children William and Francesca) and Ann (spouse Joel, children Abby and Toby).