Heartland Financial has appointed Dan Patten to the position of executive vice president, Finance and Corporate Strategy. Patten will be responsible for developing external growth initiatives for Heartland including corporate acquisitions and mergers along with identification of new markets for revenue enhancement and diversification.

He will assume the position currently held by David Horstmann, who has announced his retirement from Heartland effective February 29, 2016.

Patten joins Heartland from CIC Bancshares, former parent of Centennial Bank in Denver and recently acquired by Heartland in a transaction completed on February 5, 2016. While at CIC Bancshares and Centennial Bank, Patten was executive vice president and chief financial offer. He served as chairman of the bank’s asset and liability committee and served on the CRA committee.

As CFO, he also worked closely with the company’s audit committee. In the last four years he played a lead role in three bank mergers and acquisitions and participated in raising more than $50 million in capital over the same time period, which included common stock, preferred stock, senior debt and subordinated debt.