Janet Brown joined Banner Bank as executive vice president and chief information officer. Brown will replace Steve Rust, who spent the last 15 years as CIO at Banner Bank before retiring.

In her role as CIO, Brown will provide direction and oversight for information technology and security across the bank, including existing and emerging initiatives. She also will lead a team of more than 85 employees. Brown has more than 25 years of information technology experience in the insurance, healthcare and legal claims administration industries. Previously, she was the CIO for Garden City Group.

“Janet is an excellent fit for Banner,” Mark J. Grescovich, president and CEO of Banner, said. “Her experience leading large, complex projects and technology environments will be instrumental in guiding our IT organization to the next level of transformation.”

Brown served eight years in the U.S. Marine Corps and is a Desert Storm veteran. She also is an active volunteer in several children’s welfare and development causes in the Puget Sound area and abroad.

Rust will work alongside Brown through Q1/21.

“On behalf of our entire leadership team and the board of directors, I extend our deep appreciation to Steve for his many years of dedicated service and we wish him well in retirement,” Grescovich said.

Banner Bank is a Washington-chartered commercial bank that conducts business in Washington, Oregon, California and Idaho.