WALLA WALLA, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 26, 2026--
The Banner Bank leadership team announces the promotion of Jennifer Krug to Executive Vice President and Enterprise Operations Executive. In this role, Krug will continue leading the Bank’s enterprise operations, supporting strong execution, operational excellence, and scalable infrastructure aligned with Banner’s long-term strategic objectives.
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“Elevating Jennifer to an executive-level leader recognizes her strategic vision, operational discipline and focus on execution that have strengthened our foundation and enhanced our ability to adapt in a rapidly evolving banking environment,” said Jim Costa, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. “Her deep institutional knowledge, strategic mindset and collaborative leadership style make her exceptionally well-suited to lead our enterprise operations strategy. Promoting Jennifer reflects our continuing commitment to thoughtful succession planning and the development of leaders from within our organization.”
With 32 years of banking experience, Krug’s expertise is broad and varied, adding tremendous value to her whole-bank perspective. Krug joined Banner in 1998 and has held several leadership roles with progressively expanding responsibilities, most recently as Senior Vice President, Operations Director. She has been instrumental in strengthening the Bank’s operational capabilities and driving enterprise-wide initiatives that support growth, efficiency and innovation.
Krug is a graduate of the Washington Bankers Association Executive Development Program and McKinsey’s Executive Leadership Program. She is active in her community, currently serving on the board of directors for Elijah Family Homes, a non-profit organization focused on stable housing and supportive services. Krug also represents the Bank on several state and national advisory boards focused on technology and operations. Krug reports to Jim Costa, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.
About Banner Bank
Banner Bank is a Washington-chartered commercial bank conducting business in Washington, Oregon, California and Idaho. Banner offers a wide variety of banking services and financial products to individuals and businesses. Banner Bank is part of Banner Corporation (NASDAQ GSM: BANR), a $16.35 billion in assets bank holding company headquartered in Walla Walla, Washington. Visit Banner Bank at www.bannerbank.com.
Jennifer Krug, Executive Vice President of Enterprise Operations, Banner Bank
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Education Department will relocate from its headquarters to a smaller Washington office as part of the Trump administration's dismantling of the agency, officials said Thursday.
The agency has seen its ranks thinned by mass layoffs since President Donald Trump took office, and its headquarters building has been 70% vacant, the Education Department said. In its place, the Energy Department will assume the lease in the building.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon hailed it as a milestone in the administration's efforts to shutter the agency, which Trump ordered to move toward closure a year ago this month.
“Thanks to the hard work of so many, we have made unprecedented progress in reducing the federal education footprint, and now we are pleased to give this building to an agency that will benefit far more from its space than the Department of Education," McMahon said in a written statement.
The Education Department's relocation to another office space in Washington is planned for August.
Administration officials said the move would save taxpayers money by eliminating wasted space and avoiding needed maintenance on the Energy Department's current headquarters building.
The move is the latest in a series of steps the Trump administration has taken to dismantle the Education Department, a campaign promise.
The union representing department workers condemned the move.
“The message the Secretary’s announcement sends to our staff and the American public is clear — education is next on the chopping block,” American Federation of Government Employees Local 252 President Rachel Gittleman said in a statement.
Only Congress has the authority to close the department, but the Trump administration has offloaded many of the Education Department's programs and functions to other parts of the federal government through so-called “ interagency agreements.”
Still, moving the Education Department out of its headquarters is one of the most “overt actions” McMahon has taken to shut down the agency, said Virginia Rep. Bobby Scott, the top Democrat on the House Education and Workforce Committee.
“This decision to close the Department's physical building is not just a symbolic move," Scott said in a statement. "It reflects a broader effort to reduce the federal government's role in ensuring people have equal access to a quality education.”
In the most recent effort to break apart the Education Department, the Trump administration last week assigned management of student loans in default to the Treasury Department. Responsibility for the rest of the $1.7 trillion federal student loan portfolio is to go to Treasury at an unspecified date.
Over the last year, programs that oversee a range of education initiatives, including family engagement, funding for low-income schools and teacher training have moved to agencies such as Health and Human Services and the Labor Department.
The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
FILE - The U.S. Department of Education building is seen in Washington, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
