Board of Directors & Executive Officers

Farzin Ferdowsi, Chairman

Farzin Ferdowsi has a long history of building successful franchises and serving in leadership roles in the banking and finance community in Middle Tennessee.

He is chief executive officer of Brentwood, Tennessee-based Management Resources Company. Formed in 1971, MRCO manages more than 80 Taco Bell restaurants throughout the Southeast and owns and operates 17 Pizza Hut restaurants in the Dominican Republic.

Farzin’s commitment to community service includes participating on numerous corporate and nonprofit boards. He currently serves as a board member for the Tennessee State University Foundation, Goodwill Industries, Boys and Girls Club of Middle Tennessee and the Taco Bell Foundation. He also serves on the board of trustees for Leadership Nashville and is a member of the Rotary Club of Nashville.

A native of Iran, Farzin immigrated to the United States in 1965 and earned his bachelor’s of science degree in industrial and mechanical engineering from Kansas State University.

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Homey Aminmadani

Homey Aminmadani is a veteran restaurateur with more than 40 years of experience in the YUM! Brand Company as a franchisee of various brands.

Currently, he is a partner of Brentwood, Tenn.-based Management Resources Company. Formed in 1971, MRCO manages more than 80 Taco Bell restaurants throughout the Southeast and owns and operates 17 Pizza Hut restaurants in the Dominican Republic.

Homey is a former organizer and executive board member of Premier Bank of Brentwood, which merged with Bancorp South in December 2004. He is a member of the board of trustees for Franklin Road Academy.

A native of Iran, Homey immigrated to the United States in 1964 and earned his bachelor’s of science degree in civil engineering from the University of Kansas.

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DeVan D. Ard, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer

DeVan Ard, Jr. is a 25-year banking veteran. He began his career with AmSouth Bank in 1981 and held various positions through 2004 before leaving to form Reliant Bank. In his previous position with AmSouth, he served as president for the bank’s Middle Tennessee region where he led a team of over 1,000 employees operating out of 80 branches.

Playing an active role in the business and nonprofit community, DeVan’s current board positions include the Adventure Science Center, Middle Tennessee Council of Boy Scouts of America, Nashville Symphony and United Way of Williamson County. DeVan also is a member of the Rotary Club of Nashville. He is past president of the PENCIL Foundation and is a graduate of Leadership Nashville.

DeVan holds a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa and earned his bachelor’s of arts degree in business administration and history from Vanderbilt University.

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Laura W. Baugh

Laura Baugh is an award-winning real estate agent at Worth Properties in Nashville. In 2005, she was the company’s top sales producer and was ranked as the 18th largest selling agent in the Nashville market area in 2004 by the Nashville Business Journal.

Prior to becoming a Realtor, Laura opened Executive Travel and Parking in 1986 serving corporate travel accounts and offering tour management travel services to the music industry. In 1994, the company began the first valet parking and shuttle service for the Nashville Airport, initiating the concept of "service while you fly" offering auto detail, gas and repair services to the business traveler. She sold the business in 1996 to former Christie Cookie Executive, David Hornsby.

She earned her bachelor’s of arts degree in business management from North Carolina State University.

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Robert N. Clement

Bob Clement is a distinguished leader in government, business and education, including serving eight terms as a U.S. Congressman from the State of Tennessee.

His legislative accomplishments include initiating funding for the first regional mass transit hub in Tennessee and national achievements in energy, transportation, consumer protection and education.

As owner of Bob Clement Consulting based in Nashville, his firm represents private sector and nonprofit businesses in Tenn., Washington, D.C. and overseas. Bob also serves as an Ambassador to the Global Peace Initiative, an organization that provides humanitarian work in Asia and Africa.

In addition to his 15 years as a U.S. Congressman, Bob’s public service career includes serving as a college president, public service commissioner and a Tennessee Valley Authority director.

Bob holds a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Memphis and earned his bachelor’s of science degree from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

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J. Daniel Dellinger, Chief Financial Officer & Chief Operations Officer

Dan Dellinger has more than 14 years of community banking experience. In 1997, he helped organize Premier Bank of Brentwood where he served as chief financial officer until its merger with BancorpSouth at the end of 2004. Dan also served as chief operations officer and chief financial officer at Erwin National Bank in Erwin, Tenn. Prior to entering community banking, Dan spent 11 years in public accounting, including serving as a partner in a local public accounting firm and holding supervisory positions with regional and national public accounting firms.

Dan is a certified public accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Tennessee Society of Certified Public Accountants. He is a member of the Brentwood Rotary Club and is actively involved with the Boy Scouts of America. He has served in Board positions with the American Red Cross and United Ways in the Northeast Tennessee area.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration with emphasis in accounting from East Tennessee State University. Dan is also a graduate of The Southeastern School of Banking.

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Michael B. Dye

Mike Dye is president and managing partner of GroupXcel, a facility services company headquartered in Brentwood, Tenn., that provides janitorial, HVAC and landscaping to commercial properties throughout Tenn. and five additional Southeastern states.

Prior to forming GroupXcel, Mike was a 35-year travel industry veteran, spending 18 years as a marketing executive at American Airlines.

Mike has served on several boards, including the Nashville Symphony, which he chaired during the 1997-98 season.

He earned his bachelor’s degree from Eastern Michigan University.

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Darrell S. Freeman, Sr. 

Darrell S. Freeman Sr. is the president and CEO of Zycron, Inc., an information technology service and solutions firm he founded in 1991 in Nashville, Tenn. Zycron employs more than 150 IT professionals across the country. Freeman is also the co-founder and co-organizer of Tennessee-based Reliant Bank where he serves on the Board of Directors, the Audit and Compensation Committee, and the Executive Loan Committee. Reliant Bank is one of the fastest growing banks in Williamson County. He is also a partner in DC Properties, a real estate development company that owns and develops properties throughout the Nashville area.

Freeman’s commitment to the Nashville community is evident through his current service as chairman of the board of both the Nashville Chamber of Commerce and Stone Crest Medical Center. Also, as former chairman of the board of the 100 Black Men of Middle Tennessee, he led the organization to achieve chapter of the year in 2005.

 

Other organizations for which Freeman serves or has served on the board are: Nashville Community Foundation, the Nashville Downtown Rotary Club, the Federal Reserve Advisory Board, the African American Museum of Music Art and Culture, Middle Tennessee State University Board of Trustees and the Nashville Broadband Task Force.

 

Freeman’s favorite pastimes include spending time with Gloria, his wife of 16 years, and his four children Ebony, Kenya, Darrell Jr. and Nathan. He is an avid runner and has completed seven marathons and numerous half marathons. He is an instrument rated pilot with more than 700 hours and is an Angel Flight Pilot. Golf and history are also two of his favorite hobbies.

 

Freeman holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from Middle Tennessee State University.

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Donald M. Ghareeb

Don Ghareeb is a restaurant industry veteran that owns and operates Tacala, a Taco Bell franchisee with 160 restaurants throughout the Southeastern United States.

Don leads a group of the 12 largest Taco Bell franchisees, meeting routinely to discuss issues related to franchisee financing and costs structures. He was instrumental in creating a franchisee captive insurance company for the group.

He is a member of St. Stephens Episcopal Church and serves on the board of directors of the Taco Bell Foundation, which oversees Taco Bell’s involvement in the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

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John R. Wilson, Executive Vice President/Chief Loan Officer

John Wilson has 20 years of community and regional banking experience. Prior to joining Reliant Bank, he launched Cumberland Bank’s entry into the Spring Hill market where he served as community president. John also held positions at Tennessee National Bank and First National Bank of Lewisburg, which was later acquired by Nations Bank.

John is a graduate of the Tennessee School of Banking and the Graduate School of Banking of The South, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He also holds a bachelor’s of science degree from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

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