Meet Our Trust Team

Kirk Johnson serves as Director of Trust & Investment Services for CoreFirst Bank & Trust. He is a native of Northeast Kansas and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and a Masters of Business Administration from Kansas State University. Kirk is a graduate of the College of Financial Planning and is a Certified Trust and Financial Advisor. He started his career in the Trust field in 1981.

Kirk is an active member of the Topeka community, and the Calvary Lutheran Church. He served as President of the Topeka Rotary Club, and on the boards of various community foundations. Kirk enjoys running as a hobby and has participated in several marathons. He and his wife eagerly spend free time with their three grandchildren!

Roger Aeschliman grew up in the Perry-Lecompton area. He is a K-State graduate that started as an award-winning newspaper reporter in Topeka. He held a leadership position in public relations, and then served as an executive in Kansas government agencies before joining the Trust Department. He also served 32 years in the Kansas Army National Guard as an armor officer, rising to Colonel and volunteering to serve two combat tours in Iraq and Kosovo. His best-selling memoir about the Iraq War is titled “Victory Denied: Everything You Know About Iraq is Wrong.” Roger loves hard physical labor, especially cutting firewood and a cold beer afterwards. He also is a closet junk food junkie but gets up early every day to exercise it off.

Aaron Anderson moved to Topeka with his family in 1980 and graduated from Washburn Rural High School.  Aaron attended Baker University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree.  He started at the bank in 1991 as a teller and worked on the retail side of the bank for 14 years.  He moved over to the Trust Department in 2005 and has enjoyed it immensely.  He and his wife Karen have been married for over 25 years and they have three children Sydney, Adam, and Joshua.

Bill Kanaga has been a part of the financial services industry for over two decades. He attended the University of Kansas and received his MBA in Finance from the University of Colorado. Bill enjoys developing strong relationships with his clients and taking care of their needs. As a CFP^®, Bill gains an understanding of his client’s goals and objectives and designs a plan to achieve them. He is active and has had leadership roles with the Navy League, Leawood Chamber of Commerce and the Society of Financial Service Professionals.

Ryan Hellmer practiced law in Topeka prior to joining CoreFirst in 2014.  He received his Juris Doctor from Washburn University School of Law. Ryan is a graduate of Leadership Greater Topeka, past president of the Civitan Club of Topeka and served on numerous community boards including the Topeka Public Schools Foundation, the Midland Care Planned Giving Committee, and Most Pure Heart of Mary Church and school.  Ryan enjoys time with his wife and four daughters and spending time in his woodworking shop.

Kristina Crawford practiced law with a focus in estate planning, business succession planning, and real estate transactions before joining CoreFirst in 2021. Kristina attended Greenville University and received her Juris Doctorate from Washburn University School of Law. Kristina is an active member of the Kansas Bar Association, Topeka Bar Association, Rotary Club of South Topeka, Forge, and the Washburn Law Alumni Association. She is also a member of the Community Leadership & Development Council for the Kansas Children’s Service League. In her free time, Kristina enjoys the outdoors with her husband, daughter, and pup.