Paul W. Barret, Jr. Graduate School of Banking
Faculty Information
Click below to learn more about each of our faculty members!
President: Six Arrows Consulting
Eric’s long experience in banking as an executive has carried over into his consulting/teaching venture.
CEO and Owner: Transformation Keys LLC
Senior Consultant: Capital Performance Group
Having taught at several schools of banking throughout her career, Charlotte brings a depth of experience to our strategic planning curriculum.
Mr. Bodine is the Managing Director of the Memphis based law firm of Gerrish Smith Tuck, PC, Attorneys, and Gerrish Smith Tuck, Consultants. Mr. Bodine’s legal and consulting practice places special emphasis on compliance matters, bank regulatory matters, strategic planning, examination issues and appeals, enforcement actions (formal and informal), civil money penalties (“CMPs”), expense practices, incentive compensation issues, regulatory applications, removal and prohibition matters, bank insurance issues, corporate reorganizations, holding company formation and use, mergers and acquisitions, branch sale or purchase, corporate governing documents and practices, golden parachute payment and indemnification issues, and general banking and corporate law
Investment Strategist: Stifel
A long time faculty member, Ricky brings his experience in investment portfolio management and balance sheet management to Barret.
Founder & Chief Mentor: The LinkedBanker
Eric is one of the leading voices in the community banking industry when it comes to digital marketing and strategy for community banks.
A detailed examination of the psychological characteristics (e.g., attitudes, personality, and motivation) that influence the way we interact with our environment, including clients, peers, employees, and supervisors. Home study required
President at DD&F Consulting Group
Randy is one of the original founding partners and is President of DD&F Consulting Group. He has been involved in all phases of the bank consulting and has led DD&F to be annually ranked among the top financial advisors in the United States in mergers and acquisitions. He has served as the Principal or Senior Consultant for over 400 bank and thrift mergers, and is presently actively engaged in assisting bank clients evaluate and buyout loss share contracts with the FDIC for over 47 receiverships.
SVP Commercial Real Estate Problem Assets: Regions Financial (retired)
Within his 47 year career in banking, Aubrey has covered nearly every aspect of banking including community bank president. In addition, his nearly 30 years experience in the classroom makes him one of our highest rated faculty members.
Michael S. Erhardt is a Senior Vice President with Stifel. He works closely with financial institutions on balance sheet strategies, investment portfolio management, evaluation of asset/liability exposure, and liability and loan pricing. Michael has over 17 years of experience with financial institutions, including serving as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Paragon National Bank from 2004 until 2011. At Paragon National Bank, Michael was responsible for the investment portfolio, cash management, SEC reporting, asset/liability management, information technology, and deposit operations.
Managing Director: Stifel
With a nearly 20+ year career in asset/liability management for institutional clients, Jackie is a leader in the industry in this area and a well-respected faculty member on the Barret team.
CEO: PerformancePoint LLC
Member: Forbes Coaches Council
Frequent Contributor on numerous business TV programs
Proven, creative and results focused organizational leadership professional with 25 + years of experience building teams, strengthening leaders, improving cultures, running large scale projects, succession planning and improving individual and organizational performance. experience in operations, staff and field functions.
Prominent author, speaker, board director, consultant and coach seeking to leverage background in each and every role and project he is involved in.
President & CEO, Potomac Bankshares, Inc and Bank of Charles Town at BCT – Bank of Charles Town
Alice has a long and extensive career in banking, an at-large member of ICBA’s Executive Committee and a leading voice advocating for community banks.
Owner: Advantage Consulting LLC
After a long career in credit and executive management in community banking, Richard has become one of the leading credit teachers in the country teaching at multiple schools of banking and RMA.
Principal – Financial Services/Regulatory Compliance at FORVIS
Shaun’s ability to communicate compliance issues to community bankers as well as his understanding of the complex regulatory environment has made Shaun one of our most consistently highest rated faculty members on the team.
President: Cross Financial
As President and jack of all trades at Cross Financial, my professional experience in banking, banking software, research and marketing services help our clients focus on desired results. My industry expertise comes from decades of working with financial institutions across the nation. I have strived to be at the forefront of research and planning to support financial institution sales and marketing activities.
President Emeritus and Vice-Chair: Bank of Zachary
Pres is one of the most respected voices in the community banking industry having served as Chairman of ICBA as well as his active voice in the advocacy sector of our industry.
Associate Professor: Arkansas State University
Dr. Kern’s long tenure as a finance and banking professor in the classroom added to his experience as a community banker makes him one of our most popular faculty members.
President: The Kafafian Group
A well-respected speaker and podcast host, Jeff teaches at several banking schools across the country as well as being a highly sought after consultant.
Vice President/ Chief Administrative Officer at Community Spirit Bank
A former ICBA “Top 40 under 40” banker, member of the Social Bankers, and banking social media expert Emily brings her experience to the faculty in marketing and community development.
SVP Innovation Programs: ICBA
Wayne teaches at other graduate schools across the country and is one of the leading voices in bank innovation and technology. His long experience in private equity in this space brings a unique perspective to the classroom.
Owner: JTM Compliance Training
Justin’s long resume includes training in some of the world’s largest financial firms on both compliance and soft skill building.
Executive in Residence: Tennessee Technical University
With a long resume in banking executive management, Mike excels in teaching bankers from his experience as well as leading the Bank Simulation course for several schools of banking.
EVP and Chief Innovation Officer: ICBA
Potts is a recognized leader in financial technology with 25+ years of hands-on experience in building, growing, leading and nurturing organizations. In addition to starting his own companies, Potts’ ability to achieve profitable revenue growth and exceed business objectives in a combination of start-up, early-stage and public-companies has landed him Executive roles at Jack Henry, Goldleaf, Fiserv and most recently First Performance, where he led the start-up’s Business Development activities. His expertise in mergers and acquisitions, corporate strategy, business development and product management as well as his international leadership success brings important insights to investors and management teams on crucial matters dealing with the evaluation, integration and deployment of financial services and emerging payments-related technologies with a key focus on digital and mobile channels and their related operational efficiencies.
A frequent industry speaker and author, Potts is an active member and former board member and past president of The Association for Financial Technology Providers (AFT), former director for The Financial Managers Society and former board member of PROFORMANCE. Potts currently serves on the advisory boards of several start-ups.
Jim has a long record of serving the industry in speaking roles and assisting banks with their bond portfolios.
J. Trigg & Bettye Baskin
Wood, Jr. Endowed
Professor LSU’s Rucks
Department of
Management
Chairman & Co-Founder
Sawyers & Jacobs LLC
Jimmy Sawyers helps banks tackle issues ranging from strategic technology planning and system
selection to cybersecurity and enterprise risk management.
A graduate of Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Tennessee, Jimmy started his career in financial
services technology at a fast-growing bank, where he was chosen at the young age of 21 to lead the
bank’s operations and technology division, becoming one of the youngest officers in the history of the
100-year-old bank. Later, he directed the consulting division of a prominent CPA and consulting firm
before joining a tech startup and then co-founding Sawyers & Jacobs LLC.
Jimmy is on the faculty of the Barret Graduate School of Banking at Christian Brothers University, the
Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University, The Southeastern School
of Banking at Belmont University, the Virginia Bankers School of Bank Management at the University of
Virginia, and the Mississippi School of Banking at the University of Mississippi, where he teaches
technology, payments, cybersecurity, and/or risk management courses at all five schools.
Jimmy has authored two books on technology and risk management in community banks, is a frequent
contributor to industry publications, and is a regular on the banking industry speaking circuit.
Known as one of the most independent and informed voices in the industry, in addition to being
nationally recognized for his entertaining presentations that engage, inform, and educate, Jimmy always
delivers valuable takeaways, practical advice, and a fresh perspective on complex issues.
Investment Consultant: Stifel
Dan brings his experience in balance sheet management to our faculty. Stifel has a long and deep bench of experts like Dan and we are excited about them sharing their knowledge with our students.
Pres/CEO: High Performance Teams
Over 25 years experience in working with community banks and building a culture of sales and revenue generation in a way that is authentic and reflective of a bank’s culture.
Mr. Tuck is the President of the Board of Directors of both the Memphis based law firm of Gerrish Smith Tuck, PC, Attorneys and Gerrish Smith Tuck, Consultants, LLC. These two firms have assisted numerous community banks in virtually every state across the nation. Mr. Tuck’s legal and consulting practice places special emphasis on community bank holding company formation and use, community bank mergers and acquisitions, regulatory matters, corporate reorganizations, corporate taxation, general corporate law and community bank strategic planning.
President & CEO at Torrington Savings Bank
A well-respected banker as well as an outstanding faculty member at the Connecticut Bankers Association’s School of Business, Lesa brings her skills in the classroom and the board room to our faculty and students.
Ready to take your banking career to the next level with the leading experts in banking?
Barret School of Banking is endorsed by:
Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA)
The Independent Community Bankers of America®, the nation’s voice for more than 6,000 community banks of all sizes and charter types, is dedicated exclusively to representing the interests of the community banking industry and its membership through effective advocacy, best-in-class education and high-quality products and services. Visit website
Community Banker University
Community Banker University® (powered by ICBA) is a modernized educational platform that provides community bankers with premier and industry-specific professional development and educational opportunities for all stages of their careers. Visit website
Arkansas Community Bankers
The Arkansas Community Bankers Association is committed to preserving and promoting community banks, their franchise values and the communities they serve. Visit website
Arkansas Bankers Association
The Arkansas Bankers Association will promote the banking industry, function as the government relations liaison, offer educational opportunities and promote services to its membership. Visit website
Community Bankers Association of Georgia
The mission of the CBA is to promote the preservation and continued development of locally, independently-owned community banks in Georgia and the philosophy of hometown banking through unified efforts of its membership and staff. Visit website
Indiana Bankers Association
Our mission is to advocate for and sustain an environment in which banks can succeed. Visit website
Community Bankers Association of Kansas
Collectively creating value for Kansas community banks through advocacy, education, and services for the benefit of their customers and the communities they serve. Visit website
Missouri Independent Bankers Association
The Missouri Independent Bankers Association is an organization of small and medium-sized banks, locally owned, operated and dedicated to meeting the financial needs of their communities. Visit website
Community Bankers Association of Ohio
Community Bankers Association of Ohio is organized to establish and maintain an informed network of independent community banks in the state of Ohio that will have the influence and commitment to effectively serve, protect and promote the interests of its members. Visit website
Community Bankers Association of West Virginia
Our mission is to represent the interests of banks in West Virginia. Visit website
ICBA Securities
We provide community bankers with quality investment products, services and education at competitive prices.
Visit website
Community Bankers of Michigan
At the Community Bankers of Michigan (CBM), community banking is our mission. Community bankers are the heart and soul of every community and the single focus of our association. Working together under one mission, we ensure community banks have an equal voice and an equal place in the financial industry.
Affiliated Organizations:
Christian Brothers University (CBU) www.cbu.edu
The Barret School of Banking offices are located on campus. CBU offers baccalaureate programs and specialized graduate programs. Barret School of Banking graduates are eligible for six hours of graduate credit upon admission to the MBA program at CBU.
ICBA Securities https://www.icba.org/icba-securities
ICBA Securities Corporation is a service of the ICBA Services Network®, a wholly owned subsidiary of ICBA. Through our exclusively endorsed broker Stifel we provide community bankers with quality investment products, services and education at competitive prices.
Sawyers & Jacobs LLC www.sawyersjacobs.com
.Leaders in innovation, risk management, cybersecurity, and technology, with a mission of “Making Banks Better”.
Gerrish Smith Tuck www.gerrish.com
Gerrish Smith Tuck LLC and Gerrish Smith Tuck, PC, Attorneys offer business consulting, financial advisory and legal services to community banks and thrifts nationwide.
Reynolds Bone & Griesbeck www.rbgcpa.com
Reynolds, Bone & Griesbeck specializes in accounting, tax and advisory services for financial institutions.
National Registry of CPE Sponsors www.nasba.org
Barret School of Banking is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA), as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors.
DD & F Consulting Group www.ddfconsulting.com
DD&F Consulting Group provides comprehensive bank consulting services to the financial services industry nationwide.
PerformancePoint, LLC https://www.performancepointllc.com/
What originated as an idea to simply provide more uniquely relevant human resources and talent management solutions has blossomed into a proven organization with a strong track record. Our emphasis is squarely on amplifying brands by leveraging culture, customer and associate relationships.
Holtmeyer & Monson www.holtandmon.com
We cover every stage involved in SBA Lending— from loan packaging and closing, to securitization and sale, through portfolio servicing.
In-Synk Consulting www.in-synk.com
We bring business leaders the clear perspective and proven tools they need to successfully align strategies, actions and goals.
Risk Management Association (RMA) – Memphis Chapter www.rmahq.org/memphis
RMA is a not-for-profit, member-driven professional association, whose sole purpose is to advance the use of sound risk principles in the financial services industry.
Arkansas State University – MBA Program www.astate.edu
Barret School of Banking graduates are eligible for six hours of graduate credit upon admission to the MBA program at Arkansas State.
High Performance Teams https://highperformanceteams.net/
High Performance Teams is a sales, marketing and management resource company that focuses on providing your company with management, consulting and training resources that will help you build a high performance team.
The Kafafian Group https://kafafiangroup.com/
We’re passionate about helping community financial institutions become more efficient and more profitable. We help you solve challenges and take advantage of opportunities in a rapidly changing industry and economic environment.
Social Assurance https://socialassurance.com/
Founded in 2011, Social Assurance provides the financial services industry with a suite of software solutions, services, and storytelling tools that help build Remarkable financial brands, cultures, and communities. With a mission to Empower, Ignite and Enable financial brands to be Remarkable, Social Assurance now serves over 1,500 financial brands across the country, helping them leave their mark and be the heroes of their community.