First Commercial Bank adds 4 new executives

Alan Walters, President & Chief Executive Officer of First Commercial Bank, recently announced the addition of four new associates to its group of established banking professionals. Brian Rippee, Pam Ware, Leanne Stamper, and Joy Luke have joined the First Commercial team to grow the commercial and private banking areas of the bank, and to expand the bank's market presence.

Rippee, New Chief Private Client Banking Officer, began his career with Union Planters as a credit analyst in 1989 after graduating from the University of Mississippi with a degree in Banking and Finance.

He began his private banking career in 1994 with Deposit Guaranty and later re-joined Union Planters Bank. After the merger of Union Planters and Regions Banks, Brian also worked with Morgan Keegan Investments. In 2007 Brian was one of the founding members of Metropolitan Bank, serving as President of Private Client. During the transition of the merger with Metropolitan and Renasant Banks, Brian was named the President of Private Client and supported the multi-state footprint.

Ware, the new Chief Operations Officer, most recently served as the Director of Operational Process and Efficiencies for Renasant Bank. She began her career with Union Planters Bank in the Retail Leadership Development Program, following her graduation from Mississippi State University. She spent the majority of her career as the Chief Operations Officer with Metropolitan Bank.

Stamper joins as Director of Client Experience, and will be responsible for ensuring exceptional client service, both internally and externally. She will be leading the overall client experience while providing direct support to the First Commercial team. In addition, she will be instrumental in onboarding and servicing commercial clients for deposits, loans, and treasury management services, and will also oversee strategic initiatives for organizational experience, satisfaction, and alignment.

Luke comes to First Commercial Bank as Senior Lending Assistant. She brings over 29 years of experience. At 18, she started working summers at Trustmark Bank. Following her graduation from Belhaven University with a degree in Business Administration, Luke joined Security Savings in 1991 as a teller/CSR. In 1993, she moved to Eastover Bank as a CSR and loan assistant and transitioned with the company through multiple mergers including Sunburst Bank, Union Planters, and Regions. In 2007, she joined Metropolitan Bank and then Renasant Bank, where she served as Client Services Director.