Brian Zabel of Brian Zabel and Associates, 1040 W. U.S. 6, Morris, has been appointed to the board of directors of First Ottawa Bancshares and its wholly owned subsidiaries, First National Bank of Ottawa and First Ottawa Financial Corporation.

Zabel holds the certifications of certified public accountant and juris doctor and has been in the general practice of public accounting in Morris and surrounding areas since 1997. Zabel graduated from the University of Illinois in 1997 and Northern Illinois University College of Law in 2004.

Zabel joins eight directors on the board of the banking organization with offices in Ottawa, Morris, Streator, Yorkville and Minooka. The bank has total assets of $270 million and deposits of $242 million.