Basten named president, CEO of Washington State Bank

WASHINGTON - Washington State Bank's board of directors announced that upon the retirement of CEO and President Steve Bohn, Executive Vice-President Sue Basten will take the dual role.

Bohn has announced his retirement plans, taking effect March 1.

Basten has been Washington State Bank's executive vice president since 2015 and has been a loan officer with the bank since June 2006. She graduated from the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin in 2014 and holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Northern Iowa.

A native of Gilmore City, Iowa, Basten and her family moved to Washington in 2004. Her husband Tom Basten is a parks district supervisor for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources; her son Kyle is a civil engineer in Cherokee, Iowa; and son Reid is studying audiology at the University of Iowa.

Basten is a Washington County Hospital trustee. She served on the boards of several nonprofit organizations including the Washington Economic Development Group, Washington Public Library, Washington Chamber of Commerce and Washington County YMCA. She a member and past president of the Washington Rotary Club and currently serves as treasurer of the Washington Community School District Foundation.

'I am honored that the board of directors has asked me to follow in the footsteps of such incredible leaders of the Washington State Bank,” Basten said. 'Steve Bohn has accomplished much in the time he has led the bank and has been a mentor and friend. I wish him the best in retirement and thank him for the success he accomplished in establishing strong footings for the future of the Washington State Bank.”

Washington State Bank directors thanked Bohn for his outstanding work for the bank. Bohn and his wife, Cheryl, moved to Washington in 1992; Bohn began his career at Washington State Bank as a loan officer in 1991.

As CEO and president since 2015, Bohn has overseen the growth of Washington State Bank with the addition of branches in Columbus Junction and Fairfield, the bank's assets increasing from $235 million to $423 million during his tenure.

'It has been a wonderful experience to lead such a talented team. The bank has been serving the needs of its customers in Washington since 1932 and the addition of Columbus Junction and Fairfield locations has served to provide significant growth across all metrics for our shareholders. Our strong capital and liquidity positions leave us well structured for future success,” Bohn said, reflecting on his years with Washington State Bank.

Washington State Bank's directors congratulated Bohn on a very successful presidency and also stated their readiness to work with Basten to see Washington State Bank achieve even higher bench marks while retaining its concern for the communities it serves.