Officers & Directors
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Senior Management
DeVan D. Ard, Jr. is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of both Reliant Bancorp and Reliant Bank. He is a 38-year banking veteran. He began his career with AmSouth Bank in 1981 and held various positions through 2004 before leaving to form legacy Reliant Bank. Legacy Reliant Bank was started by a group of businessmen and women in 2006 as a full-service community bank headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee. Prior to its merger with Commerce Union Bank, legacy Reliant Bank had grown to over $400 million in assets.
Playing an active role in the business and nonprofit community, Mr. Ard currently serves as Chairman of the board for the We Are Building Lives Foundation and is a board member and finance committee member for the Middle Tennessee Council of Boy Scouts of America. Mr. Ard is also a member of the Rotary Club of Nashville, past Chairman of the Adventure Science Center, past president of the PENCIL Foundation, and is a graduate of Leadership Nashville.
Mr. Ard holds a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration and history from Vanderbilt University.
John Wilson has over 30 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. Mr. Wilson also held positions at Tennessee National Bank and First National Bank of Lewisburg, which was later acquired by Nations Bank.
Mr. Wilson has served on the board of directors for the Boys & Girls Club of Franklin and Williamson County for over 10 years, during which time he served as the Club’s Treasurer and the Club’s Chairman. Mr. Wilson 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 degree from the University of Tennessee.
Jerry Cooksey is the Chief Financial Officer of Reliant Bancorp and Reliant Bank. Until First Advantage Bank merged with and into Reliant Bank, Mr. Cooksey oversaw all of First Advantage Bank’s accounting and operations, including internal policies and procedures, reporting, and regulatory compliance. Prior to joining First Advantage Bank in 2012, Mr. Cooksey was Senior Vice President and Controller for First Security Group, Inc./FSGBank in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he led reporting and accounting for the $1.1 billion bank and holding company. Before that he was Senior Vice President and CFO for Clayton Bank & Trust in Knoxville, Tennessee. Mr. Cooksey’s 29-year banking career includes executive management roles with other Tennessee-based institutions as well.
Mr. Cooksey holds a bachelor’s degree in Business from Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky, and a Master of Business Administration degree from Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tennessee.
Bill is the Chief Risk Officer of Reliant Bancorp and Reliant Bank. Prior to joining Reliant in 2019, Bill was an audit partner at a Top 20 public accounting firm. He has over 35 years of public accounting experience concentrating in financial institutions and public entities.
Mr. Fitzgerald holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Austin Peay State University, is a Certified Public Accountant, and holds both the Certified Financial Services Auditor and the Certification in Risk Management Assurance designations.
In his role as Director of Operations, Eddie oversees Deposit Operations and Electronic Banking, Retail Operations, Loan Operations, Information Technology, Facilities, and Project Management. Mr. Gammon serves as Chairman of the Bank’s Information Technology and Treasury Management Committees.
Alan L. Mims has over 30 years of community and regional banking experience, primarily in lending. Mr. Mims joined Reliant Bank in 2017 as Chief Risk Officer and was promoted to Chief Credit Officer in 2018 upon the retirement of Gene Whittle. Prior to joining Reliant Bank, he served as Loan Administrator/Chief Credit Officer and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors at CCB Community Bank in Andalusia, Alabama and Senior Loan Officer at SouthTrust Bank of Covington County, N.A., in Opp, Alabama.
Immediately prior to joining Reliant Bank, Mr. Mims served for six years as Case Manager and Senior Examiner with the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. There, Mr. Mims was commissioned as an Examiner by the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. In addition to leading safety and soundness bank examinations, he was responsible for supervisory activities for a portfolio of community banks across the Federal Reserve’s Sixth District ranging in size from $31 million to $1.2 billion. In a special project encompassing two years, he also led a team of examiners in focused horizontal reviews of commercial real estate (CRE) risk management for banks with concentrations.
Prior to his career in banking, Mr. Mims spent six years in public accounting. He is a certified public accountant in the state of Alabama and is a member of the Alabama Society of CPAs and the AICPA. Mr. Mims received his bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting from Auburn University.
Mark Ryman has over 34 years of commercial and retail banking experience. Prior to join Reliant Bank in 2005 he held various roles with First American Bank, The Bank of Nashville, and Premier Bank of Brentwood. Prior to his Chief Lending Officers role with Reliant Bank he served as the bank’s Market President for Williamson and Davidson County and Commercial Banking Manager.
Mr. Ryman is a graduate of Tennessee Tech University, Belmont University’s Executive Leadership Program , and the Southeastern Schools of Banking.
As Reliant’s Chief Strategy Officer, Kim is focused on overall strategic growth initiatives, but with a primary focus on data analytics, retail marketing and improving the bank’s digital infrastructure. With more than 20 years of experience, her areas of expertise include branding, culture, traditional and digital channel marketing, and retail administration. Kim is an employee advocate who knows what employees experience in the workplace impacts their behavior with customers. She develops and implements initiatives that help define the bank’s culture while emphasizing social investment and personal enrichment, and she collaborates with stakeholders and customers throughout the organization and community to build closer relationships, strengthen the brand, and increase profitability.
Board of Directors
DeVan D. Ard, Jr. is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of both Reliant Bancorp and Reliant Bank. He is a 38-year banking veteran. He began his career with AmSouth Bank in 1981 and held various positions through 2004 before leaving to form legacy Reliant Bank. Legacy Reliant Bank was started by a group of businessmen and women in 2006 as a full-service community bank headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee. Prior to its merger with Commerce Union Bank, legacy Reliant Bank had grown to over $400 million in assets.
Playing an active role in the business and nonprofit community, Mr. Ard currently serves as Chairman of the board for the We Are Building Lives Foundation and is a board member and finance committee member for the Middle Tennessee Council of Boy Scouts of America. Mr. Ard is also a member of the Rotary Club of Nashville, past Chairman of the Adventure Science Center, past president of the PENCIL Foundation, and is a graduate of Leadership Nashville.
Mr. Ard holds a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration and history from Vanderbilt University.
Qualifications: DeVan D. Ard, Jr. has over 38 years of banking experience and has served on the board of directors of Reliant Bancorp and/or Reliant Bank (or its predecessor) for 13 years.
Sharon H. Edwards is the former Finance Director of Willis Towers Watson North America, Finance Director of Willis Towers Watson Corporate Risk & Broking and the Chief Financial Officer of Willis North America, Inc., all units of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company. Ms. Edwards joined Willis Towers Watson in 1991 and has extensive financial and operational expertise. Prior to serving as Finance Director and CFO, Ms. Edwards worked as the Chief Administrative Officer of Willis North America, Inc. She is a Certified Public Accountant, a Chartered Global Management Accountant, and holds a Bachelor of Science in accounting from the University of Tennessee. Prior to joining Willis Towers Watson, Ms. Edwards worked for the public accounting firm of Arthur Andersen & Co.
Ms. Edwards previously served on the Willis Foundation Board of Directors and on the Board of Trustees for Pope John Paul II High School. In 2011, Ms. Edwards was selected as one of Business Insurance magazine’s 2011 “Women to Watch.” Additionally, Ms. Edwards was selected as a finalist for the Nashville Business Journal’s 2013 “Women of Influence” and a 2016 CABLE Board Walk of Fame honoree. She is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors, Women Corporate Directors, Private Directors Association, the AICPA, and Tennessee Society of CPAs. Ms. Edwards serves as the board’s Lead Independent Director, and she chairs the board’s audit committee.
Qualifications: Sharon H. Edwards is a Certified Public Accountant and a Chartered Global Management Accountant with experience in auditing companies both public and private. She also served for many years in numerous executive positions within a Fortune 500 public company.
Charles Trimble (Trim) Beasley is currently the president of Center Star, Inc., a research and development firm specializing in thermal reflective material properties. He graduated from Vanderbilt University with a Bachelor of Engineering degree in 1970 and went on to earn a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Tennessee in 1975. Mr. Beasley began his business career with Everett Beasley, Inc., serving as company president for 17 years before selling his business interest in 1997. Since that time, he has been involved in numerous small business ventures, securities, and real estate investments. Mr. Beasley has served in the past as president of the Robertson County Cancer Society, president of the Robertson County Chamber of Commerce, president of the Springfield Rotary Club, and a member of the inaugural class of Leadership Middle Tennessee. He currently serves on the advisory committee of the Jennings A. Jones College of Business at Middle Tennessee State University. Additionally, Mr. Beasley has previously served on community bank boards, including First National Bank, Springfield. Mr. Beasley is presently a director of Farmers National Bank in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Mr. Beasley is a member of the board’s audit committee and chairs the board’s compensation committee.
Qualifications: Charles Trimble (Trim) Beasley has served on three bank boards with 33 years of experience. He has served on every board committee, chaired several, and served as president of three companies. He also has an MBA with a finance concentration.
Robert E. (Brown) Daniel is founder and president of Compass Capital, LLC, an investment company located in Franklin, Tennessee, a position he has held since 1998. He is also a part owner and officer of several privately held companies in the real estate, finance, and manufacturing industries, including DSS Pro Diesel Partners LLC, Base, Inc., and Partners on the Lane.
Mr. Daniel is an active member in the Williamson County community, serving as the secretary of the Williamson County Medical Center Board of Trustees. He previously served as chairman of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Franklin, and as chairman of the Thompson Station, Tennessee Planning Commission.
Mr. Daniel was appointed to the board of directors of Reliant Bancorp following Reliant Bancorp’s merger with Community First, Inc. on January 1, 2018. He chairs the nominating and corporate governance committee of the board of directors.
Mr. Daniel is also a board member of the Bone and Joint Institute of Tennessee and the Williamson County Public Building Authority.
Qualifications: Robert E. (Brown) Daniel has a broad range of business experience in manufacturing, real estate, and finance. He also had prior board experience at Community First Bank & Trust.
William Ronald (Ron) DeBerry is a director and the former chief executive officer of Reliant Bancorp. He received a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Mississippi in 1969 and earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Tennessee in 1977. After graduating from the University of Mississippi, Mr. DeBerry was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army, serving on active duty from 1969 until 1971, including a tour of duty in Vietnam. Mr. DeBerry began his banking career with the former Commerce Union Bank in 1973. He was repeatedly promoted over the following decades, serving in an array of positions with increasing responsibility over strategic banking matters. Mr. DeBerry retired from Bank of America in January 2005, and on August 14, 2006, he established the new Commerce Union Bank, which was renamed Reliant Bank in 2015. Mr. DeBerry brings 46 years of banking experience and knowledge to the board of directors. Mr. DeBerry is a member of the audit committee of the board of directors.
Mr. DeBerry is an active member of the industry and the communities in which he works. He is a past director of the Tennessee Bankers Association. He serves as a board member and an executive committee member of the Middle Tennessee Council of Boy Scouts of America. He is a graduate of Leadership Nashville. He is a former president of PENCIL Foundation and past director of the Robertson County Chamber of Commerce.
Qualifications: William Ronald (Ron) DeBerry has over 46 years of banking experience.
Darrell S. Freeman, Sr. is the former chairman of Zycron, Inc., an information technology services and solutions firm he founded in 1991 in Nashville, Tennessee. Zycron employs more than 330 IT professionals across the country. Mr. Freeman was an organizing director of legacy Reliant Bank. He is also the co-founder and chairman of Pinnacle Construction Partners, which provides a full range of preconstruction planning and construction management services for the public and private sector. He is the current chairman of the board of directors and majority owner of S3 Recycling Solutions. Mr. Freeman also serves on the board of directors of BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee and Cross Country Healthcare, Inc., headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida.
Mr. Freeman’s commitment to the Nashville community is evident through his recently completed, two-term service as immediate past chairman of the Nashville Chamber of Commerce. He is a former board member of Centennial Medical Center, and as former chairman of the 100 Black Men of Middle Tennessee, he led the organization to achieve chapter of the year in 2005. Other organizations for which Mr. Freeman serves or has served on the board are: Stone Crest Medical Center, 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, the Board of Tennessee Board of Regents and the Nashville Broadband Task Force. Mr. Freeman holds bachelor’s and a master’s degrees from Middle Tennessee State University. Mr. Freeman is a member of the compensation committee of the board of directors.
Qualifications: Darrell S. Freeman, Sr. has considerable previous experience in starting and running businesses, and currently serves on the boards of directors of two other public companies.
James (Jim) Gilbert Hodges is the president of Hodges Group, Inc., a construction company he started in 1990. He currently directs the overall construction management, organization, and operations of all projects and related construction activities for the corporation. Over the course of more than 25 years, Mr. Hodges has succeeded in expanding his company’s portfolio, offering hundreds of services to his clients and building Hodges Group, Inc. into a multi-discipline construction company. In addition to his work at Hodges Group, Inc., Mr. Hodges has served in leadership positions at various community organizations, including the Chamber of Commerce of Sumner County, Mayor’s Advisory Council, Leadership Middle Tennessee, Portland Planning Commission, and Sumner County Industrial Board. He has also been the recipient of numerous awards, such as Citizen of the Year, Small Business of the Year, the Industrial Excellence Award, and the Governor’s Excellence Award. Additionally, Mr. Hodges served for 12 years on the advisory board for Cumberland Bank. He brings decades of experience in construction and small business management to the board of directors. Mr. Hodges is a member of the compensation committee of the board of directors.
Qualifications: James (Jim) Gilbert Hodges has decades of experience in construction and small business management.
William Lawson Mabry served on the First Advantage Bancorp board of directors since First Advantage Bancorp’s inception in 2007 and on the First Advantage Bank board of directors since 2006. He was the Chairman of the Board for both First Advantage Bancorp and First Advantage Bank.
Mr. Mabry has been a real estate broker in Clarksville, Tennessee since 1977. He is active in land development and construction in the Clarksville-Montgomery County, Tennessee real estate market. Mr. Mabry was one of the original organizers and a director of Heritage Bank, a de novo bank located in Clarksville, Tennessee, that originated in 1988 and subsequently sold to Old National Bank in 1999.
Mr. Mabry is currently president of the Aspire Clarksville Foundation and the Clarksville Academy Foundation. He also serves on the boards of the Customs House Museum, Clarksville Academy and is a member of the Trinity Episcopal Church finance committee. He has served previously on the boards of the Fort Campbell Historical Foundation, the Clarksville-Montgomery County Library Foundation, the Clarksville-Montgomery County Public Library, the Clarksville River District Commission, Leadership Clarksville, and was also a member of Austin Peay State University Foundation Investment Committee.
Mr. Mabry received a Bachelor of Science degree in English from Austin Peay State University.
Mr. Mabry was appointed to the board of directors of Reliant Bancorp following Reliant Bancorp’s merger with First Advantage Bancorp on April 1, 2020.
Qualifications: Mr. Mabry’s business experience, prior banking experience, deep knowledge of real estate markets, and extensive contacts in the Middle Tennessee business community qualify him to serve as a director.
Connie S. McGee is an experienced healthcare executive with a diverse background in technology sales, leading business development strategies, market research, consulting, and strategic account leadership. She has worked with numerous Fortune 500 companies, such as Humana, FedEx, Wal-Mart, Community Health Systems (CHS), and Hospital Corporation of American (HCA). Since 2017, she has been a member of the Microsoft Corporation leadership team supporting the global reorganization of Microsoft and its healthcare life sciences vertical. As a US East Area Sales Director, she is responsible for eight US East geographical business units and oversees the sales and technology account teams leading Microsoft’s go to market initiatives within the healthcare and life sciences vertical. Prior to joining Microsoft, Ms. McGee was an industry lead for business development initiatives for healthcare and life sciences with Intel Corporation, having joined Intel Corporation in 2015. Prior to Intel, Ms. McGee served as a Senior Vice President with the management consulting and public accounting firm Pershing Yoakley & Associates, P.C and held key leadership roles with both Dell and KPMG.
Ms. McGee is a co-founder of the Evolve Women Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides a platform of educational and developmental programs for women through all stages of a career lifecycle. She also serves on the Microsoft Women in Healthcare and Life Sciences Advisory Board for STEM Initiatives. Ms. McGee has previously served as board president of the Tennessee HIMSS Chapter, a member of the Intel WIN (Women of Intel) Board of Directors, and an advisory board member for Trinisys, LLC and the Tennessee Regional Workforce Committee. In 2014, she was recognized by The Tennessean as one of the Top 25 CEO’s to Watch and was the recipient of the Nashville Lifestyles 2014 Top Women in Business Award. Ms. McGee holds a Bachelor of Science, Business Administration from Athens University-University of Alabama Huntsville.
Qualifications: Connie S. McGee has significant experience in business management and over 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry.
Linda E. Rebrovick is President, Impact Corporate Consulting, which provides business consulting services. She has been in this position since August 2018. She was previously CEO, Integrated Healing Technologies, and was formerly Senior Client Partner and Leader, Healthcare Practice, at Morgan Samuels, responsible in this capacity for executive and director retained searches. Ms. Rebrovick was a candidate in 2015 for the office of Mayor, Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County Government, and was CEO of Consensus Point from 2009 to 2014 when she began her mayoral campaign as noted above. She was an Area Vice President of Dell Healthcare, and EVP and Managing Partner, Healthcare, at KPMG Consulting. She was the Chief Marketing Officer of BearingPoint, Inc. She began her career with IBM as a Marketing Representative, Marketing Manager, and Business Unit Executive. She has been a director of public company HealthStream, Inc. since 2001. Ms. Rebrovick holds a B.S. in Marketing from Auburn University and was selected as one of the university’s Top 400 Women Graduates of the past 100 years. She serves as co-chair and co-founder of Women Corporate Directors, Tennessee; board member of the Nashville Entrepreneur Center; Trustee of the Board, Leadership Nashville; and she previously served as Board Chair, Nashville Technology Council. Ms. Rebrovick was selected among “Directors to Watch”, Directors and Boards Annual Report, 2018.
Qualifications: Linda E. Rebrovick was an organizer and from 2001 to 2006 served as a member of the board of directors of Pinnacle Financial Partners, Inc., including its subsidiary Pinnacle Bank. Additional board experience includes Director and Chair Nominating Committee, KPMG, LLP, and 17 years as a HealthStream, Inc. director, including 14 years as Governance and Nominating Committee Chair and three years on the Compensation Committee. Relevant business experience includes CEO, Consensus Point, Software as a Service Company, and 20+ years of healthcare sales and consulting background at leading national technology organizations IBM, KPMG, and Dell. Ms. Rebrovick led the global marketing organization for BearingPoint with overall responsibility for public relations, field marketing, brand management, and the rebrand of the firm from KPMG consulting to BearingPoint. Other business expertise includes 33 years in the technology industry, 11 years in the healthcare industry, 21 years in management consulting, and 31 years serving Global Fortune 1000 and healthcare companies.
Ruskin (Rusty) A. Vest, Jr. is an entrepreneur and owner of several businesses in Maury County and surrounding areas. He is president and part-owner of Southeastern Shirt Corporation, a position he has held since 1986, and president and part-owner of Southeastern Pant, LLC, a position he has held since 1996. He is the former executive vice president of Service Partners Industrial Products Co., LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Masco Corporation that is a building materials distributor, a position he held from 1984 to 2015.
Mr. Vest is also an active member of the Maury County community and serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees of the Webb School in Bell Buckle, Tennessee.
Mr. Vest’s wide variety of business experience, including manufacturing and real estate development, allows him to bring to the board of directors a broad understanding of a number of industries in which many of the Company’s clients operate. His active involvement in a number of community activities in the Company’s Maury County market allows him to contribute valuable insight to the board of directors on key developments in the Middle Tennessee market.
Mr. Vest was appointed to the board of directors of Reliant Bancorp following Reliant Bancorp’s merger with Community First, Inc. on January 1, 2018. He is a member of the nominating and corporate governance committee of the board of directors.
Qualifications: Ruskin (Rusty) A. Vest has a variety of business experience which includes manufacturing and real estate development.
Michael E. Wallace, CPA/ABV, CVA has served on the First Advantage Bancorp board of directors since First Advantage Bancorp’s inception in 2007 and on the First Advantage Bank board of directors since 2006. He is the former Chairman of the First Advantage Bancorp Audit Committee. Mr. Wallace has 25 years of experience in public accounting and is currently a partner in Thurman Campbell Group, LLC specializing in business valuations. He is a certified valuation analyst (CVA) and accredited in business valuation (ABV) by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Tennessee Society of Certified Public Accountants.
Mr. Wallace serves as Chairman of the Finance Committee of Grace Community Church in Clarksville, Tennessee, and is on the board of Clarksville Academy.
Mr. Wallace received a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and a Master degree in Accounting from Samford University. He has also passed the National Association of Securities Dealers Series 7 and Series 66 exams to qualify as a Registered Representative. Mr. Wallace is also a Personal Financial Specialist, as designated by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
Mr. Wallace was appointed to the board of directors of Reliant Bancorp following Reliant Bancorp’s merger with First Advantage Bancorp on April 1, 2020.
Qualifications: Mr. Wallace’s extensive accounting and business experience qualify him to serve as a director.
