Arvest Bank on Wednesday announced it has filled two newly created executive leadership positions. Jason England, president of the bank’s Springfield, Missouri, market, has been named chief credit administration officer, and Jennifer Baker has joined Arvest as chief information officer.
Baker has more than 20 years of experience in business operations and technology, leading business transformations across fintech, retail banking, insurance, cybersecurity and technology. She previously held key leadership roles with several large and mid-size financial institutions, including a five-year tenure as CTO for Synovus Bank, a $58 billion asset regional community bank.
As CIO, Baker will be responsible for the cross-functional leadership of all technology departments and teams. The newly designed executive role aligns with the bank’s long-term technology and innovation goals. Under her leadership, Arvest continues its multi-year technology modernization strategy focused on positioning the organization for the future by enhancing technical foundations to elevate customer experiences, improve associate enablement, mature data accessibility and tools and optimize resource utilization.
Baker received her Bachelor of Science in Technology Management from Kennesaw State University. She holds a certification in AI Strategy from Cornell University and is a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt.
Her work has been recognized with honors, including being named one of the Top 3 Women of Impact in AI and Tech by Rotary International, DEI Tech Leader of the Year by the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) and a Top 5 CIO Orbie Award Finalist.
England has been with Arvest for 27 years and was most recently president of the bank’s Springfield market, where he has served since 2022. Prior to that, he held various leadership roles at the bank, including loan manager in Springfield and commercial loan manager for Arvest in Benton County.
As CCAO, England will lead Arvest’s credit risk strategy and governance, underwriting standards, portfolio monitoring and credit operations to support the bank’s continued growth and expansion. He will also play a crucial role in aligning technology enablement with credit, mortgage and bank operations.
England earned a bachelor’s degree in administrative management from the University of Arkansas and completed the American Bankers Association’s Stonier Graduate School of Banking program at the University of Pennsylvania.
He serves on six boards in the Springfield region, including vice chair of economic development with the Springfield Chamber, treasurer of Leaders for Ozarks Region Evolvement (LORE), treasurer of the United Way, treasurer of the Downtown Council of Champions, a member of the Mercy Board and a member of the Ozarks Tech Foundation board of directors.
“As we continue to advance our long-term strategy focused on technology and growth, having the right leadership in these key areas is essential,” said Yurik Paroubek, Arvest COO. “Jen’s extensive experience driving innovation and optimizing technology teams aligns nicely with our future goals, while Jason’s tenure and deep involvement with our credit strategy and culture will ensure we stay focused on smart growth for the organization. We are excited to see how their combined expertise will help drive operational excellence and move us forward.”
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