The Leadership Division of the Independent Bankers Association of Texas (IBAT) elected new board members during its quarterly board meeting in June. Founded in 1985, the IBAT Leadership Division is dedicated to the development of tomorrow’s leaders in community banking.

The board’s executive committee will be led by Chairman Peter Smith, Lubbock market president at American Momentum Bank in Lubbock. Other executive officers named to guide the Leadership Division include Chairman-Elect Justin Steinbach, senior vice president at Frost Bank in Dallas, and Secretary-Treasurer Cory Flencher, vice president at Citizens State Bank in Brenham. Immediate Past Chair is Marty Rivers, Denton market president at American National Bank & Trust in Denton.

The IBAT Leadership Division is divided into 13 regions, each of which hosts education and networking events for community bankers in the area throughout the year. Each region has its own president, who also serves as the region’s board member. Several new board members were elected to represent their region.

The newly elected board members include Joseph Thomas, vice president of commercial lending at Texas State Bank in San Angelo, as the Region 2 president; Jay Bearden, president at Legend Bank in Bowie, as the Region 3 president; Chris Springer, vice president of commercial lending at Independent Financial in Houston, as the Region 9 president; and Brett Murphy, audit partner and Austin audit market leader at Whitley Penn in Austin, as the at-large associate member director.

The newly elected board members of the 500-plus member division will serve through 2020-21 with several members staying on through 2022. Click here for the complete list of Leadership Division board members. Austin-based IBAT represents more than 2,000 independent banks and branches in 700 Texas communities.