SOUTHERN BANCORP COMMUNITY PARTNERS
NAMES WONDA LONDON COMMUNITY INCLUSION LENDER
S Wonda London Community Inclusion Lender
outhern Bancorp Community Partners (SBCP) announced Wonda London as its newest Community Inclusion Lender. SBCP is the nonprofit arm of Southern Bancorp, a community development financial institution. London will be based out of Southern Bancorp’s new 12th Street branch in Little Rock, primarily serving that market and surrounding areas. “We’re excited to bring Wonda’s skillset and experience to Southern Bancorp Community Partners, as well as her heart and passion for helping to provide financial tools and resources to best serve the needs of the underserved and unbanked, which directly aligns with the mission of Southern,” said Ralph Brown, SBCP’s Chief Lending Officer. “I couldn’t be more excited to have Wonda as an integral part of my team and look forward to seeing her thrive in this new role and the positive impact she will make in the Little Rock community.” London, a native of DeWitt, brings more than two decades of combined experience in business
development, relationship management, banking, lending, and credit analysis. Most recently, London served as a Claims Analyst for Priority1, and before this worked as a Consumer Underwriter for Simmons Bank, a Contact Center Consultant for Arkansas Federal Credit Union, an Acquisition Analyst for Ally Financial, Inc., and a Student Loan Assistant for Regions Bank. In the Community Inclusion Lender position, London will work to increase the awareness of SBCP’s loan products and financial development services within her market, with a targeted emphasis on low- and moderate-income borrowers and communities with less access to responsible financial resources. Additionally, she will assist the institution with recruitment efforts, provide financial development services such as credit counseling, and facilitate financial literacy programs such as economic skills classes and financial education training sessions.
FORMER COMMERCE SECRETARY MIKE PRESTON JOINS STEPHENS INC.
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ormer Arkansas Secretary of Commerce and Arkansas Economic Development Commission director Mike Preston joined Stephens Inc. to start a new Site & Incentive Advisory (SIA) practice. Preston served eight years as AEDC director for former Gov. Asa Hutchinson. After government reorganization in 2019, Preston served as Commerce Secretary. He will be based in Little Rock. The new Stephens SIA group will advise businesses on their growth strategies by helping them understand the opportunities and challenges with site selection. This will include navigating complex incentive plans and assistance with negotiations in
order to produce optimal solutions for their shareholders, the company said. “Mike has built considerable expertise in understanding what is important to a company seeking to expand geographically,” said Brad Eichler, executive vice president and head of Investment Banking. “This expertise includes not only site selection but a thorough understanding of the workforce and incentive programs. We believe this expertise will be beneficial to clients throughout the country. We are excited to have someone of Mike’s caliber and reputation join our team, and to offer his skillset for the benefit of our corporate clients.”
“MIKE HAS BUILT CONSIDERABLE EXPERTISE IN UNDERSTANDING WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO A COMPANY SEEKING TO EXPAND GEOGRAPHICALLY.”
THE ARKANSAS BANKER
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