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 Corporate Board
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Thomas P. Abelmann Thomas P. Abelmann is BankFIRST’s Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Financial Officer. Tom has been employed with the bank since September, 1998 and has over 35 years of banking experience. Previous to BankFIRST, Tom Abelmann was employed with Sun Banks of Florida, Naples Federal Savings and Loan, and Enterprise National Bank of Sarasota. He also held positions as Research and Development Manager for one of the largest financial institution data processing companies in Florida, as well as a consultant / auditor for a CPA firm. Tom earned his B.S. in Business Administration from Illinois State University. During his professional career, he attended the Stonier Graduate School of Banking, and graduated from the Sheshunoff / LSU Executive Banking Institute. Tom is an active member in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants. J. William Arrowsmith Bill Arrowsmith is BankFIRST’s Executive Vice President and Area President for the bank’s Apopka area office. Bill has been employed with the bank since March, 2002 and has over 36 years of banking experience. Previous to BankFIRST, Bill Arrowsmith was employed for over 20 years with the Bank of Central Florida as its Executive Vice President for the bank’s Apopka office. Previous to that, he was Vice President – Marketing for the State Bank of Apopka. Bill Arrowsmith has been the Vice Mayor of Apopka for over 26 years. His other community activities include being the President of the Apopka Rotary Club, President of the Apopka Chamber of Commerce, President of the Apopka Jaycees and Scholarship Chairman for the North Orange Memorial Hospital Tax District. He is also a Charter Member of the Apopka Elk’s Lodge. Bill is also on the Corporate Board of Directors of BankFIRST. Bill is a graduate of the Lake Sumter Community College and received advanced professional degrees from the American Institute of Banking and the ABA School of Bank Marketing and Management at the University of Colorado. Richard O. Baldwin, Jr. Richard O. Baldwin, Jr. serves as a Member of the Board of Directors at BankFIRST. He began Baldwin is CEO of Celebris Memorial Services of Quebec, and founded Baldwin-Fairchild Cemeteries and Funeral Homes of Orlando in 1973, with 15 current locations. He sold Baldwin-Fairchild to Stewart Enterprises (STEI – NASDAQ) in 1999, where he continued to serve as President of Corporate Development. Baldwin acquired Celebris Memorial Services in 2002, as Senior Executive Investment Partner, Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO. Celebris has 72 funeral homes and 5 cemeteries in Quebec. In addition to his service to BankFIRST, Baldwin is a member of the Board of Directors and Treasurer of Winter Park’s Mayflower Retirement Center. Baldwin is a graduate of Winter Park High School, and earned his degree in Mortuary Science from Miami-Dade Community College. He is also a graduate of the University of Central Florida, with a degree in Accountancy. Jacqueline L. Bradley Jacqueline L. Bradley serves as a Member of the Board of Directors at BankFIRST. She joined the Board in April 2005, and has a diverse background, spanning both the financial and consulting fields. Bradley was appointed to the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority Board in May of 2000, and was elected Vice Chairperson in April 2004. In addition to this role, she continues to provide support to philanthropies throughout the Central Florida community. Two organizations to which she has strong ties include the Boys & Girls Club of Central Florida, where she serves as a Board Member, as well as the Cornell Museum of Fine Arts. She was also appointed to the Florida Arts Council in 2003. An alumnus of Yale College, Bradley received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics and Political Science in 1979. She continued her educational career by graduating from Columbia University Graduate School of Business with a Masters in Business Administration in 1982. Ms. Bradley currently resides with her family in the community of Isleworth in Windermere, Florida. Robert R. Cyrus Robert R. Cyrus serves as a Member of the Board of Directors at BankFIRST. Cyrus has spent over 35 years as an Attorney at Law, and is also a Certified Circuit Civil Mediator. He has been a Partner at the firms of Davis, McLin, Burnsted, Austin & Cyrus, as well as Cauthen, Robuck, Cyrus & Hennings. He has led a Sole Practice for the past 24 years, beginning in 1982. In addition to his involvement on the Board of BankFIRST, Cyrus is a Board member of the Boys and Girls Club and the Kiwanis Club. He serves as a member of the Leesburg Art Festival Board, and Past President of the Lake County Gator Club. Cyrus is also Chairman of the University of Florida Lake County Scholarship Endowment Fund. He is a Lay Reader at St. James Episcopal Church, a member of the Leesburg Police Pension Fund, Leesburg Police Chief Advisory Board, Leesburg Chamber of Commerce, and the Leesburg Downtown Partnership. Cyrus received his BS in Business Administration from the University of Florida. He also earned his Juris Doctor with High Honors at Florida State University. Anne K. Fray Anne Kelley Fray is BankFIRST’s Executive Vice President and Senior Lender. Anne has been employed with BankFIRST since 1996 and is responsible for overseeing all lending functions and credit policy for the bank. Anne has over 23 years of banking experience. Deeply rooted to the Winter Park community, Anne began her collegiate career at Rollins College in 1979, and went on to earn her BA in Mathematics / Business. Following graduation, she began her tenure at Barnett Bank of Central Florida, and rose to the position of Senior Vice President in charge of a Commercial banking Team for the Central Florida Region. While employed at Barnett Bank, she also received her MBA degree from the Crummer School of Business and graduated with distinction from the Stonier School of Banking at the University of Delaware. Anne Fray is a graduate of both Leadership Orlando and Leadership Winter Park. In addition, she is on the Corporate Board of Directors for BankFIRST, a Board of Director of Florida Hospital, a Trustee of the Winter Park Health Foundation, a member of the Crummer School Board of Overseers and Past President of the Winter Park Rotary Club. Previous Boards include the Winter Park Chamber, The American Diabetes Association, Rollins College Alumni Board and various Boards for Florida Hospital and its related entities. Warren O. Griffin Warren O. Griffin is a founding Member of the Board of Directors at BankFIRST, dating back to the bank’s inception in 1989. Griffin’s career in the architectural and engineering project management industry spans over 40 years. He is the former President of Mayes, Sudderth and Etheredge, Inc. serving as Principal-in-Charge. He was a Principal of Concorde Development Group, Inc., and a Licensed Salesman with Ferrari Realty, Inc., with activities oriented primarily toward the development of commercial real estate. Presently, Griffin serves as General Partner of Phillips Place, Ltd., as well as Sole Proprietor of a general engineering, construction management and construction inspection company. He is also Program Manager Consultant for WELBRO Management, Inc. Griffin received his Bachelor of Civil Engineering from the University of Florida. He also earned his Master of Science in Environmental Engineering at the University of North Carolina. Ralph V. Hadley, III Ralph V. Hadley, III has been an active member of the BankFIRST Board of Directors since 1989, and also serves as Legal Counsel for the bank. Hadley has served as Counsel for numerous Central Florida financial institutions and their respective Holding Companies, including: Orange Federal Savings and Loan Association, First Federal Savings and Loan Association of Osceola County, and General Counsel and Director of First State Bank of Winter Garden, and Tucker State Bank, where he also served as Vice Chairman of Tucker Holding Company. His practice areas include mergers and acquisitions, commercial law, banking, commercial real estate, corporate law, and mediation. Hadley is a Past Board Member of the West Orange Chamber of Commerce, the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce, and Spouse Abuse, Inc. Hadley is a Member of the Orange County and American Bar Associations, The Florida Bar, and the State Bar of California. He is a graduate of the University of Florida, where he received his Bachelor’s of Science degree in 1965, and his J.D. in 1968. George Kanistras George Kanistras has served on the BankFIRST Board of Directors since April, 2001. In addition, he has served as Past Chairman of the BankFIRST Goldenrod Local Board of Directors. He currently serves as Director, Treasurer, and Secretary of General Caulking & Coatings, Inc., and Director/ President of Florida Waterproofing Supply. He is also a real estate associate with Jack Thomas Realty. Kanistras is a member of First United Methodist Church of Oviedo, Past Chairman of the Board for the Oviedo Voice Newspaper, Coca Cola Club of Central Florida, Associated General Contractors (AGC), and Sealant Waterproofers Restoration Institute (SWRI). In addition he serves on the State Advisory Board and is a University of Florida Alumni Member. He received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Florida. Allan E. Keen Allan E. Keen has been a resident in the Orlando area since January 1964. He graduated with a BA in Economics from Rollins College and received an MBA from the Rollins College Crummer Graduate School of Business. He is the Chairman and CEO of The Keewin Real Property Company, a real estate investment, development and brokerage company located in Winter Park. He is the past Chairman and a Member of the Board of Trustees of Rollins College, past Chairman and a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Winter Park Health Foundation, and past Chairman and Member of the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority. Keen resides in Winter Park with his wife, Linda; and has two daughters. Craig M. McAllaster Craig M. McAllaster was appointed to the BankFIRST Board of Directors in February 2004. McAllaster is the current Dean of the Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins College, a role that he assumed in July 2000. Prior to that, he served for six years as assistant dean and director of the school’s executive and professional MBA programs. From 1995 to 1999, he also served as director of Crummer’s global business consulting practicum program. Dr. McAllaster’s background spans industry and academia. He spent more than a decade in the consumer services and electronics industry in management, organizational and executive development programs. He has served on the faculty at the ILR School at Cornell University and the University of Central Florida. While at Cornell’s Johnson Graduate School of Management, he taught executive development programs and was the Director of Executive Education. At the University of Central Florida, Dr. McAllaster established, directed and taught in the Executive MBA program. Dr. McAllaster earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona and his master’s degree from Alfred University, where his thesis focused on the performance of companies after acquisition. He earned his doctorate degree at Columbia University where his dissertation concentrated on assessing the value of management programs in changing company environments. Michael W. Poole Michael W. Poole has served on the BankFIRST Board of Directors since April, 1999. He has an extensive career in the financial services industry, spanning over 27 years. Poole is a founding principal of Poole Carbone Capital Partners, Inc., a licensed investment banking firm offering traditional corporate finance services to middle market companies. Prior to forming PCCP, he served as a partner in a private investment company, where he directed a number of mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures involving Fortune 500 companies and other firms and assisted foreign investors with the development and implementation of acquisition strategies. Poole also served as Executive Vice President at Barnett Bank of Central Florida with responsibility over real estate and corporate lending, and as President of Marine Savings and Loan Association. Poole has expansive involvement in civic affairs, including serving as Chairman (appointed by the Governor) of the State Board for WAGES, a Trustee for Winter Park Health Foundation, and as a member of the Board of Governors of the Winter Park Memorial Hospital. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Jacksonville Branch. A graduate of the University of Florida, Poole received a BS in Finance in 1978. In 1984, he went on to earn an MBA from Crummer Graduate School at Rollins College. |
