RON WITHERSPOON TO LEAD LITTLE ROCK MARKET FOR ARVEST BANK

Ron Witherspoon was named as the new local bank president and CEO for Arvest Bank in Little Rock, which includes parts of central and southwest Arkansas, effective Nov. 1.

Ron Witherspoon President and CEO

Witherspoon is returning to Little Rock after serving as local bank president for Arvest in Oklahoma City since March 2014. Prior to that, Witherspoon served as sales manager in Little Rock from 2001-2014. He began his career with Arvest in 1997.

“Ron has been a strong leader within our bank for many years now,” Arvest regional executive Craig Rivaldo said. “His experience, leadership capabilities and deep knowledge of Little Rock and all of central Arkansas make him an ideal fit for this position. We have enjoyed and sustained significant growth in Central Arkansas, and I’m confident Ron will continue to lead us on that trajectory.”

Witherspoon replaces Jim Cargill, who will retire at year-end. Cargill and Witherspoon will work together during a two-month transition period.

Witherspoon is a graduate of the University of Arkansas, the American Bankers Association School of Bank Marketing and Management at the University of Colorado, and the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University.

LaTricia Hill Chandler Chief DEI Officer

SOUTHERN BANCORP NAMES LATRICIA HILL-CHANDLER NEW CHIEF DEI OFFICER

Little Rock-based Southern Bancorp Inc. said that LaTricia Hill Chandler of Rogers is the company’s new chief diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) officer.

“We are thrilled to welcome LaTricia to our leadership team,” CEO Darrin Williams said in a statement. “When searching for a candidate to fill this position, we knew we needed someone with both a wealth of experience in the field along with values that align with our mission-focused work. LaTricia’s expertise, principles, and guidance will be invaluable as we prepare for growth that is reflective of our inclusive founding principles, which have from the beginning included a strong focus on increasing economic mobility in minority communities.”

Hill-Chandler has nearly 30 years of experience in DEI work. In 2019, she was named Arvest Bank’s first DEI officer, overseeing the initiative across the company’s four-state footprint. Before that, she worked in Walmart’s global DEI office, responsible for creating strategy and implementing the inclusive leadership initiative.

Hill-Chandler, a Magnolia native, said she would continue living in Rogers, working remotely and traveling to Little Rock as needed.

Southern Bancorp and its subsidiaries — Southern Bancorp Bank, Southern Bancorp Community Partners and Premier Bank of Arkansas — has $2.3 billion in assets with 54 locations in two states. Southern Bancorp is a certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDIF).