Heartland Financial USA Inc., a diversified financial services company operating as HTLF, has announced in a news release that Kathryn Graves Unger will serve as an independent director on its board of directors.

Unger was elected at HTLF’s annual shareholder meeting, held on May 19, 2021.

Unger, who is a CPA, is currently a vice president at Cargill, a global food corporation headquartered in Minnetonka, Minn., and serves in government relations for North America at that company. She received a B.A. degree in Spanish education and a master's degree in accounting from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as well as an M.B.A. from Stanford University.

Headquartered in Dubuque, Iowa, Heartland Financial USA Inc., has $18.2 billion in assets and provides a diversified line of financial services that include residential mortgages, wealth management, investment and insurance.