The executives named to Arkansas Money & Politics’ list of 2022 Women in Banking were nominated by readers. In a male-dominated industry, their perseverance, hard work and expertise have propelled them to influential positions in Arkansas banking and finance. We’re proud to recognize them in this month’s issue.
Janice Acosta
SVP, Wealth Management
Division Manager
Relyance Bank
Heather Albright
President of Arkansas Market
Bank of America
Heather Albright serves as President of Bank of America Arkansas. As the senior executive for the State of Arkansas, she is responsible for connecting clients, teammates and communities to the full power of the franchise. In addition to being president of BoA Arkansas, Albright is a senior vice president and senior relationship manager in middle market at BoA. Albright joined BoA in 2005 as a senior credit products analyst. Prior to that move, she was a portfolio account administrator in the brokerage accounting group at Stephens Inc. in Little Rock.
Having earned her undergraduate degree in Economics and Finance from Arkansas Tech University, she later pursued her Master of Business Administration (MBA) from University of Central Arkansas. She also holds FINRA certifications for Series 7 and Series 63 securities licenses.
In 2018, Albright was named the market integration executive for the Arkansas market, supporting the company’s business integration referral efforts. An active member of the Arkansas Leadership Team and of the Bank of America Leadership, Education, Advocacy & Development for Women, she also co-leads the Little Rock Power of 10 group. She also volunteers with several local organizations, including Junior Achievement, Arkansas Foodbank, Economics Arkansas and Our House.
Natalie Bartholomew
Community President, Northwest Arkansas
First Community Bank
Natalie Bartholomew is the community president in Northwest Arkansas for First Community Bank. She is a career banker with 21 years of experience in a variety of areas of banking – including lending, deposit operations, culture building and marketing. Bartholomew has a passion for philanthropy and sits on various boards and committees that serve the Northwest Arkansas region. She was recognized as the 2015 Young Woman of the Year by the Greater Bentonville Area Chamber of Commerce for the NWA Business Women’s Conference, and was a member of the 2020 ICBA Forty Under 40 Class. She received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Arkansas and is an alumna of the Graduate School of Banking in Boulder, Colorado.
Bartholomew launched the Girl Banker blog in November 2017, to create a voice for women in banking and working moms. In addition to advocacy for women in banking, she has a passion for educating young women about the banking industry and highlighting those who started their careers at a young age. The Girl Banker has since been featured in American Banker, the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal, the ABA Bank Marketing newsletter and a variety of financial industry newsletters. Subsequently, she has also visited 12 states to speak about the Girl Banker platform and has participated in a variety of webinars and podcasts. In 2019, Batholomew launched the Girl Banker podcast.
Michele Beasley
Consumer Loans
Telcoe
Matuschka Lindo-Briggs
VP, Regional Executive
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis – Little Rock Branch
Julie Bristow
Mortgage Lender, Jonesboro Market
First Security Bank
LaTricia Hill-Chandler
Chief DEI Officer
Southern Bancorp
LaTricia Hill-Chandler is the latest addition to the executive team of Southern Bancorp, an Arkansas-based Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). In July, she was named its chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion officer, selected to lead the company’s commitment to representation, fairness and belonging among its employees, customers and communities. Hill-Chandler has three decades of experience in the DEI field; prior to joining Southern, she led similar efforts at Walmart and Arvest Bank.
Lisa Chrzanowski
Senior VP/Specialty Credit
Officer
Simmons Bank
Lisa Chrzanowski currently serves as senior vice president and specialty credit officer for commercial and industrial lending for Simmons Bank. For 18 years prior to being with Simmons, Chrzanowski served as senior vice president and senior credit products officer for a large national financial institution. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Master of Business Administration from Purdue University. She currently serves on the Advisory Board for the Salvation Army of Central Arkansas.
Allison Cox
Chief People Officer
Encore Bank
Tabitha Eddington
Community President, Harrison Market
First Community Bank
Tabitha Eddington is the community president for First Community Bank in Harrison. In her role, Eddington oversees and manages all operations of the Harrison area market for the financial institution. She opened that bank’s location in 2019.
With 21 years of experience in the banking industry, Eddington earned her bachelor’s degree in Finance from the University of Central Arkansas. An active member in her community, she currently serves as president of the Harrison School District PTA council; chairperson for the City of Harrison Homeless Committee; board member with the Harrison Public Schools Foundation; member of the Harrison Rotary Club; and chairperson of the fundraising committee for Camp Jack, a local veteran’s resource center.
Stephanie Edwards
Senior VP of Operations
Bank of England Mortgage
Stephanie Edwards joined the Bank of England Mortgage family in 2014. Shortly after joining, she became the director of operations and now serves as the senior vice president of operations. Edwards has brought more than 29 years of extensive mortgage expertise to the Bank of England Mortgage team. It is her commitment to excellence, caring and passion to assist its customers in achieving their homeownership dream that makes her excel in what she does. Her mortgage journey started in St. Louis with several industry leaders, including CitiMortgage, Wells Fargo and Washington Mutual; roles included risk, channel chief underwriter and operations. Edwards had accepted an opportunity in Houston, Texas, as service delivery director and eventually returned home to Little Rock to work for Bank of England Mortgage.
Valerie Erkman
SVP & Chief Marketing Officer
Arkansas Federal Credit Union
Valerie Erkman, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Arkansas Federal Credit Union, is an experienced marketing and communications professional. With a career that started in marketing at Alltel, Erkman has spent over 25 years working in the financial and telecommunications industries. She is skilled in ecommerce, lead generation and conversion, brand management, direct marketing, multi-channel marketing, corporate communications, change management and coaching for excellence. Erkman has a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She lives in Little Rock with her husband, Nez, and son, Nico.
Alana Girard
VP/Deposit Application Project Manager
Generations Bank
According to her colleagues, Alana Girard has been raised in banking. As a small child, she tagged along as her mother, Charlene, who worked at the branch in Junction City. Decades later, she now serves as the deposit application project manager, is known as the guru of all things deposits and plays a vital role in back-end operations of the bank. Her colleagues say that if ever comes a question or an issue, she is one of the first people to call, due to her vast knowledge and kind disposition. Girard is always happy to let others take the spotlight and is adept at working with Generations’ customers to find the best solution or support our team as they do so. Girard represents what all women in banking strive to be – kind. When you’re having an issue and call Alana Girard, you know you’re never going to be bothering her, and you will walk away more knowledgeable than before.
Janette Hayes
VP/Director of Retail Operations
Generations Bank
Janette Hayes’ colleagues believe she is a wonderful addition to the 2022 Women in Banking list because she represents the best of community banking. Hayes was recently awarded with her 40-year Milestones in Banking award from Arkansas Bankers Association. During those 40 years, she has worked for a handful of institutions and brought along compassion for her customers everywhere she goes. According to her colleagues, Hayes is known in the Siloam Springs community to be a competent banker who customers trust to lead them along the right path. She currently serves as the director of Retail Operations for the bank, overseeing all of Generations’ 11 branches, treasury management and Hispanic community outreach.
Sharon Ingram
Assistant Vice President
U.S. Bank
Cara Lank
SVP, Chief Credit Officer
Stone Bank
Megan Lee
Chief Product Officer
Smiley Technologies
Megan Lee, chief product officer, is responsible for working collaboratively with clients and internal stakeholders to lead product development, design and implementation efforts. She is also responsible for managing conversion teams as needed. Lee joined Smiley Technologies in 2012 as a member of the customer support team, after graduating from the University of Arkansas Little Rock with a Management Information Systems degree in 2011. Over her tenure at Smiley Technologies, she has also performed the roles of business analyst and conversion manager while developing expertise in conversions, loans, general ledger and debit cards.
Stacey Marlar
SVP & Director of Retail Deposits, West Region
Southern Bancorp
Stacey Marlar joined Southern Bancorp after graduating from Henderson State University in 1999, later attending the Barret School of Banking. She has held many roles during her time with the CDFI, working up the ladder from teller and deposit operations manager, to branch manager and finally her current position, director of retail deposits. In this role, Marlar leads the region’s deposit staff, programs and operations. The Clark County native is also very active in her community, including as a member of the Economic Development Corporation of Clark County.
Stacey Martin
SVP & Director of Brand Partnerships and Community Marketing
Simmons Bank
Stacey Martin is senior vice president and director of brand partnerships and community Marketing at Simmons Bank. Martin and her team have spearheaded local marketing efforts. Under her direction, they have also activated Simmons Bank’s growing sponsorship portfolio, including Simmons Bank Arena in North Little Rock and Team Simmons Bank golfers – most notably PGA TOUR 2021 Rookie of the Year and 2022 FedEx St. Jude champion, Will Zalatoris. Martin leads the bank’s efforts at the Korn Ferry Tour’s Simmons Bank Open in Nashville, Tennessee, and the inaugural Simmons Bank Cup held in Memphis in 2021. She and her team are also proud to support activation and marketing for Simmons Bank’s presenting sponsorship of women’s athletics at ten universities in the bank’s footprint, a first-of-its-kind partnership in the space.
Nicole Matsoukas
Chief Information Officer
Arkansas Federal Credit Union
Nicole Matsoukas, a 34-year veteran of Arkansas Federal Credit Union, has held key management positions in the credit union’s account research, call center, strategic Initiatives and information technology departments. As chief information officer, she holds responsibility for organizational project management, strategic initiatives and information technology to include all data centers, help desks, voice and data communication networks, host systems, imaging systems, computer networks, computer program development and computer system operations. Matsoukas has a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Park University.
Claire McClellan
SVP, Director of Marketing
Simmons Bank
Claire McClellan is the senior vice president and director of Marketing leading all product marketing, customer communication, marketing technologies and brand insights at Simmons Bank, connecting both internal and external customers through strategic initiatives, such as a recent partnership with Disney Institute. McClellan’s efforts have been recently recognized by the American Bankers Association, with a campaign winning the 2022 Brand Slam Out-of-the-Box Idea award. Her team has fostered new marketing capabilities, ranging from customer engagement channels through the launch of Simmons’ marketing automation system, text marketing and a customer feedback channel to other behind-the-scenes technologies that enable Simmons Bank to build upon customer relationships and develop brand insights.
Tammie Neal
Chief HR Officer
Signature Bank of Arkansas
Tammie Neal’s first taste of banking came from work as a part-time teller for a small community bank during her senior year of high school. In 2004, she became one of the first 20 team members of the then-fledgling Signature Bank of Arkansas. Neal’s skills quickly landed her appointment as director of human resources. Over the last 17 years, she has worked closely with the C-Suite, Board of Directors and Shareholders of White River Bancshares. In those 17 years, she has also shepherded the growing number of team members, from 20 to almost 200 – of which a significant number started in the first half of 2022. She has led the hiring and onboarding of 48 new bankers over the last eight months alone, including moving into two new market areas and building an entirely new, bilingual team for Banco Sí! Such accomplishments have resulted in Neal’s recent promotion to chief human resources officer.
Marnie Oldner
Chief Executive Officer
Stone Bank
Cathy Hastings Owen
Chairman
Eagle Bank & Trust
Kathryn Pannell
SVP, Director of Treasury Management
Citizens Bank
Michelle Reesor
Executive VP, Director of Risk Management
First Community Bank
A seasoned banker with 35 years of experience in the industry, Michelle Reesor is the executive vice president, director of risk management for First Community Bank. As one of the bank’s original 14 employees, she took a leap of faith, along with 153 shareholders, to establish a locally owned and managed community bank that would put the needs of its customers and community first. In her position, Reesor’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to, overseeing the bank’s risk management function; strategic planning; project management, including entrance into new markets, branch construction and opening; bank acquisitions; and policy formulation. She is a member of the bank’s executive committee and product development team; she also serves on numerous other bank committees.
Reesor is a graduate of Lyon College in Batesville and the School of Banking at Louisiana State University. Invested in community service, she serves on the board of directors for the University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville’s board of visitors and is a past board member for United Way of Independence County.
Sarah Salsbury
Private Banking Officer, Bank of Fayetteville
Farmers and Merchants
Jantel Stamps
Vice President, Small Business Banker
Bank of America Arkansas
Jantel Stamps serves as the local small business banker for the state of Arkansas. In this role, she provides financial solutions to small businesses in the community to help them grow, manage and protect their businesses. Through listening, planning and insight, Stamps is a strategic partner for businesses and helps them focus on their priorities. She provides credit financing and all other banking solutions. She stands by her clients daily, giving them the power to realize their personal and business financial goals, and help improve their financial lives.
Stamps is on the leadership team and has held several roles with the bank as a Financial Center assistant manager, relationship manager, personal banker and teller. She currently resides in Little Rock with her twin daughters, Mariah and McKenzie, and has been part of the Bank of America family for over 15 years.
Sandy Straessle
SVP Retail Banking, DEI Officer
Stone Bank
Ali King Sugg
Board of Directors
First Arkansas Bank & Trust
Donna Townsell
SVP, Director of Investor Relations
Home Bancshares/Centennial Bank
Lorrie Trogden
President & CEO
Arkansas Bankers Association
Lorrie Trogden serves as the President and CEO of the Arkansas Bankers Association. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Central Arkansas, a Master of Science in Operations Management from the University of Arkansas, and is an ASAE-certified Association Executive.
Trogden serves as the Chairman of the Board for the Graduate School of Banking at Madison, Wisconsin; a trustee for the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University; Economics Arkansas Executive Committee; Arkansas Capital Corporation Executive Committee; State Alliance of Banking Associations Executive Committee; American BankPAC Board of Directors; and the American Society of Association Executives Government Relations Committee.
Christie Turner
SVP/ Commercial Loan Officer
First State Bank
Christie Turner is a senior vice president and commercial loan officer with First State Bank. As a relationship-driven banking professional with over 15 years of experience in positions of increasing responsibility, Turner delivers exceptional results through leadership, portfolio management, business development, relationship management and market growth strategies. Prior to joining First State, Turner served as SVP and private bank manager for Signature Bank of Arkansas. Her passion for helping others, along with her diverse banking background, makes Turner a strong resource for her clients.
Tara Walker
Loan Officer
Bank of Little Rock Mortgage
Jennifer Williams
SVP & Regional Deposit Operations Director, Central Region
Southern Bancorp
A long-time and dedicated member of the Southern Bancorp mission, Jennifer Williams brings more than 30 years of experience to her new role of deposit operations director of the community development bank’s Central Region. She was promoted to that position in June after previously serving as regional deposit operations manager for its markets in Arkansas, Sevier and Mississippi counties. In the director role, Williams oversees all deposit operations in the region.
Lindsay Wilmott
Chief Operations Officer
Generations Bank
Lindsay Wilmott first joined what would later become Generations Bank in 2006 as a part-time teller while finishing up her bachelors degree. According to her colleagues, at the time, Wilmott had dreams to become a math teacher, but when graduation came around, she found herself reluctant to leave banking. After conversations with Jon Harrell, CEO/Chairman of Generations Bank, it was decided Wilmott would join the bank full time. Over the next few years, Wilmott would move into a head teller role, until her branch was acquired in 2010. She worked alongside Sandy Ferguson, previous AMP Power Women in Banking recipient, to move into the loan department. Together, they established the bank’s first loan operations department, which Wilmott led while simultaneously working as the bank’s compliance officer. In 2017, Wilmott was appointed to the role of chief operations officer, making her the youngest executive of the bank. Now, she is still the youngest executive of the bank and one of three women serving within its C-suite.
Ashley Wiser
Chief Operating Officer
Chambers Bank, Danville
Ashley Wiser is the chief operating officer at Chambers Bank in Danville, Arkansas. In this role, she oversees the bank’s retail, deposit and branch operations, as well as quality assurance, business development, treasury management and operations support services departments. Wiser also collaborates with members of the executive management team to plan deposit goals and work toward establishing and attaining the overall goals of the bank.
