REINBECK, Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 16, 2026--
Lincoln Bancorp and Lincoln Savings Bank are pleased to announce the appointment of Rodney (“Rod”) Foster and John Teeple to their Boards of Directors. Both directors possess significant industry and executive experience and also demonstrate a strong dedication to community-focused financial services.
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Rod Foster, CPA, joins the Board following a 40-year career in public accounting as a retired Partner of RSM US LLP. Rod brings extensive audit, financial oversight, and risk management experience, and has served on several boards, including as President of the Iowa Society of CPAs (ISCPA) and as a Board Member and Audit Committee Chair for Allied Construction Services Holding Company, Inc. He earned a B.A. in Accounting from the University of Northern Iowa and holds a Business Advisor Designation from Chicago Booth School of Business. Rod will serve on the Audit Committee and the Risk Committee of the Board of Directors.
“Having spent four decades working with closely held and family-owned businesses in public accounting, I am enthusiastic about joining LSB, a community bank dedicated to serving those same owners and their companies with tailored services, financial products, and advice. LSB’s goal is to support clients in reaching their financial objectives—a mission I strongly support,” said Rod Foster about his appointment to the Lincoln Bancorp and Lincoln Savings Bank Boards of Directors.
John Teeple joins the Board with more than 30 years of global leadership experience across agriculture, technology, and advanced manufacturing. John currently serves as Chief Operating Officer of Bonsai Robotics, an agricultural technology startup. His prior roles include over 23 years at John Deere in technical, operational, and strategic leadership; Chief Operating Officer of Sukup Manufacturing; Global Director at Vermeer Corporation; Global Lead for Agriculture at Amazon Web Services; and Senior Vice President of Agriculture at DTN. He serves on the boards of Agrivision‑PrairieLand Partners and Precision AI. John holds a B.S. in Industrial Technology from Iowa State University, an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, and an Executive Certificate in Global Leadership from Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business. John will serve on the Risk Committee and the Technology & Innovation Committee of the Board of Directors.
Regarding his appointment, John said, “Agriculture, technology, and financial services are converging faster than at any time in history. I am honored to join the Board and help advance a community‑bank vision that supports innovation, strengthens rural economies, and puts customers and communities first.”
Board Chair Sally Hollis welcomed the new members, emphasizing: “Rod and John’s deep Iowa roots, combined with their exceptional strategic vision and financial expertise, make them outstanding additions to our Board. Their leadership in agriculture, commercial enterprise, and technological innovation aligns with our commitment to serving our communities and driving meaningful progress. We are delighted to have their guidance as we look to the future.”
About Lincoln:
Founded in 1902, Lincoln Savings Bank, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lincoln Bancorp, is a full-service financial institution dedicated to strengthening communities and helping individuals, families, and businesses thrive. With $1.8 billion in assets, Lincoln Savings Bank, along with its LSBX division, continues to build on its legacy of innovation, integrity, and exceptional service. For more information, visit www.mylsb.com.
Rodney Foster
John Teeple
BRUSSELS (AP) — European countries on Monday sought more details about U.S. President Donald Trump's plans for the war on Iran and warned that NATO must not become involved in it, as they weighed whether to agree to his call to send warships to help shore up security in the Persian Gulf.
The cool response to Trump’s demand reflects wide caution about the U.S.-Israeli war among allies kept in the dark before, and largely since, it was launched on Feb. 28.
Trump has asked partners — including France, China, Japan, South Korea and Britain — to help secure the Strait of Hormuz for global shipping. He said the United States was talking to “about seven” countries, but he wouldn’t say which ones and gave no indication of when such a coalition might be formed.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer insisted Britain “will not be drawn into the wider war,” and said British troops should only be sent into action that is legal and has “a proper thought-through plan.” But his country is considering other forms of help in conjunction with allies.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Trump also warned that “if there’s no response or if it’s a negative response, I think it will be very bad for the future of NATO.”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that “NATO is a defensive alliance, not an interventionist one. And that is precisely why NATO has no business being involved here.” He said he hopes that NATO allies “will treat one another with the necessary respect within the alliance.”
Merz agreed that “this Iranian regime must come to an end,” but he said that "based on all the experience we have gained in previous years and decades, bombing it into submission is, in all likelihood, not the right approach.”
Many are keen to know when the war will end.
At a meeting in Brussels, where European Union foreign ministers gathered to discuss Trump's demand, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said it's important for the U.S. and Israel to define “when they consider the military aims of their deployment to have been reached.”
“We need more clarity here,” Wadephul told reporters.
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna also said that U.S. allies in Europe want to understand Trump’s “strategic goals. What will be the plan?”
Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski invited the Trump administration to go through the proper channels.
“If there is a request via NATO, we will of course out of respect and sympathy for our American allies consider it very carefully,” he said. Sikorski made a reference to Article 4 of NATO's founding treaty, which allies can invoke if they believe their territory or security is under threat.
Still, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that “it is in our interest to keep the Strait of Hormuz open."
Kallas had urged the 27 member countries to expand the EU's Operation Aspides naval mission to protect shipping in the Red Sea up into the Persian Gulf. But after chairing the meeting, she said there had been “no appetite” to boost its mandate.
But Kallas said the EU would closely monitor threats to maritime security also in the Red Sea, where Aspides operates with three warships. “The risk that the Houthis get involved is real. So we must remain vigilant,” she said.
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have so far remained on the sidelines of the war even as it has spread across the Middle East, raising questions about why, and perhaps when, the battle-hardened group might join the fight.
It was not immediately clear whether some European countries might go it alone and form a “coalition of the willing” to provide military support on an ad hoc basis.
The war in Iran has driven up energy prices worldwide, with Brent crude up more than 40%. The conflict has also disrupted the wider global supply chain beyond oil, affecting things like pharmaceuticals from India, semiconductors from Asia and oil-derived products like fertilizers that come from the Middle East.
Cargo ships are stuck in the Gulf or making a much longer detour around the southern tip of Africa. Planes carrying air cargo out of the Middle East are grounded. And the longer the war drags on, the more likely that there will be shortages and price increases on a wide range of goods.
France has said it is working with countries — French President Emmanuel Macron mentioned partners in Europe, India and Asia — on a possible mission to escort ships through the strait but has stressed it must be when “the circumstances permit,” when fighting has subsided.
French senior officials, speaking anonymously on ongoing talks, said the Netherlands, Italy and Greece had shown interest and that Spain might be involved in some way.
Starmer said Britain is discussing with the U.S. and allies in Europe and the Gulf the possibility of using its mine-hunting drones already in the region.
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Associated Press writers Geir Moulson and Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin, Jill Lawless in London, and Sylvie Corbet in Paris contributed to this report.
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks to the media at Downing Street, in London, March 16, 2026. (Brook Mitchell/Pool Photo via AP)
Poland's Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski speaks with the media as he arrives for a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the European Council building in Brussels, Monday, March 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
Germany's Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul speaks with the media as he arrives for a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the European Council building in Brussels, Monday, March 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas speaks with the media as she arrives for a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the European Council building in Brussels, Monday, March 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
