Meet Our Board of Directors


William DeBruyckere, President/CEO

William (Bill) DeBruyckere is an Eau Claire native. He completed Certified Agronomist education in 1992. In 2002, Bill was recruited by Eastwood Bank (the largest agricultural bank in Minnesota) where he managed the St. Charles location. He spent 13 years with that organization before accepting the position of President/CEO at the Pigeon Falls State Bank.  In September 2018, he and a group of local investors completed the purchase of Pigeon Falls State Bank and renamed it Oakwood Bank. Bill serves on various boards in the greater Eau Claire area and is a member of the Eau Claire Chamber of Commerce. In his spare time, Bill enjoys golfing and spending time with his family.


Howard Ludwigson, Director

Howard is a Bloomer Native and grew up on farms and in the City of Bloomer. He attended UWEC earning a degree in Elementary Education. After teaching in Adams, Minnesota for five years he returned to the area and taught for the Eau Claire School District for 33 years. Then in 2001 Regis Catholic Schools recruited Howard. At Regis he served as an Economics and Personal Finance teacher, Dean of Students, Principal and System President. Howard retired from education in 2013. He was awarded the Wisconsin Elementary School Teacher of the Year in 1990. Howard has served on the Eau Claire County Board for 30 years and as the chair for 10 years. He has been on the Oakwood Bank Board for 17 years and is currently the President of the Eau Claire Rotary Club. Howard is a proud father of 4 and has 14 grandchildren.


Mike Beighley, Director

Mike is the Superintendent of Schools for the Whitehall School District.  The 2019-20 school year will mark Mike’s 17 th year as the District Administrator in Whitehall and his 23 rd year as a Wisconsin school superintendent. Mike’s wife Shannon is a Middle School Math teacher and they have 3 children between the ages of 14 and 24. 

In addition to his primary responsibility to the students of Whitehall Memorial Schools, Mike has served on the WASDA Board of Directors, The Gundersen Tri-County Hospital Board of Directors and the WIAA Board of Control.


David Adler, Director

Dave is the principal of Adler CPAs & advisors in Bloomer, WI. He has widespread business experience, including farm tax consulting, business planning, tax planning and preparation and estate planning. Dave began his career in the tax department of Deloitte & Touche and has worked at several national, regional and local accounting firms.  He also practiced law, focusing in tax, real estate, business probate and estate planning, and spent 5 years working as a trust officer with BMO Private Bank. Dave earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, specializing in finance (cum laude) from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School. Dave holds certification as a Certified Public Accountant from Wisconsin.  He is a member of the State Bar of Wisconsin, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Wisconsin Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Dave is actively involved in the Chippewa Valley where he formerly served 8 years on the Eau Claire City Council (4 years as President), and served on the boards of directors for the Eau Claire Economic Development Corporation, Downtown Eau Claire, Inc. and the Metropolitan Planning Organization. He also served on the City’s Economic Policy Advisory Committee and the Destination Development Committee of the Visit Eau Claire.  He currently serves as a Director on the Community Foundation of Chippewa County, is a current member of the Business Advisory Committee of Sacred Heart Hospital and is a member of the finance committee of his church. Dave and his family live in Eau Claire.


Mike Miller, Director

Mike was the owner of Mike’s Food Center in St. Charles, Minnesota for the past 40 years. He has a reputation for giving back to the community and taking care of his customers and employees. He has been active in many local service groups such as the Moose Lodge, Chamber of Commerce, Lions Club, Church Board and Men’s Group, Development Council and Snowmobile Club. Some of the local projects Mike was part of include downtown sidewalk and light replacement, aquatic center, new 18-hole golf course and construction of the Catholic church in St. Charles.

Mike has spent 12 years on the Minnesota Grocers Association Board and 23 years on the Eastwood Bank Board which encompassed 10 locations. He brings many years of past experience to our community bank. Mike enjoys hunting, fishing, golfing and traveling across the USA and abroad with his wife Wendy. Since recently selling his grocery business it will give Mike more time to spend with his 3 adult children and 4 grandchildren. Mike is looking forward to working with the staff and customers at Oakwood Bank.


Paul Madsen, Director

Paul is the founder and owner of RainMaster Lawn Systems, an irrigation and lawn care company with a well-known reputation for outstanding customer service.  In 2018, RainMaster was recognized as Small Business of the Year by the Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce. Along with RainMaster Paul and partners own and operate Eau Claire Realty a full-service real estate sales and development company.

For over 20 years, Paul has proven his dedication to helping people whether it is exceeding his customers’ expectations, or coaching and growing his team.  Paul served six years on the board of the Chippewa Valley Home Builders Association and currently serves on the board of both the Eau Claire Chamber of Commerce and Oakwood Bank. Paul, his wife, Emily, and their two sons live in Eau Claire.