Ameris 银行 ABCB

Mr. Proctor has served as Chief Executive Officer of Ameris Bancorp and Ameris Bank since July 2019, and as Vice Chairman of the Board since July 2022. Prior to the Company's acquisition of Fidelity, Mr. Proctor served as President of Fidelity since April 2006, as Chief Executive Officer of Fidelity Bank since April 2017, as President of Fidelity Bank since October 2004, and as a director of Fidelity and Fidelity Bank since 2004. Mr. Proctor also has served as a director of Brown and Brown, Inc., an independent insurance intermediary, since 2012, and serves as a member of the Advisory Board of Allied Financial and a director of Choate Construction Company and Inspire Brands. Mr. Proctor also served as Chairman of the Georgia Bankers Association from 2017 to 2018. With experience as an executive of Fidelity and the Company, Mr. Proctor offers expertise in financial services and a unique understanding of our markets, operations and competition, all of which qualifies him to serve as a director.

Nicole S. Stokes, Corporate Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Company and the Bank since January 2018; Chief Financial Officer of the Bank since June 2016; and Senior Vice President and Controller from December 2010 through May 2016.

Lawton E. Bassett, Chief Banking Officer of the Company and Bank President since February 2017; Corporate Executive Vice President since February 2016; Chief Banking Officer for Alabama and Georgia from February 2016 through January 2017; and Regional President and Market President from 2006 through January 2017. From 2003-2006, served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Citizens Security Bank, formerly a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. Prior to joining the Company, served in various commercial lending and leadership roles at Barnett Bank and SunTrust.

Ross L. Creasy, Corporate Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer of the Company and the Bank since July 2019. Prior to the Company's acquisition of Fidelity, Chief Information Officer of Fidelity Bank since July 2018, during which Mr. Creasy oversaw Technology and Operations. Prior to joining Fidelity, served in various positions with E*TRADE, Capital One and the Federal Reserve

Mr. Miller has served as Chairman of the Board since July 2019. Prior to the Company's acquisition of Fidelity, Mr. Miller served as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Fidelity since its inception in 1979. He graduated from Florida State University and Vanderbilt Law School. Mr. Miller served as a civilian army lawyer at Redstone Arsenal Facility in Huntsville, Alabama. He clerked at the Florida Supreme Court and served as Chairman of Ageka Wohnungsbau GmbH in Berlin, Germany, and other family investment companies since 1971. Mr. Miller was elected a director of Fidelity Bank in 1976. He has served on many public company and community boards, including serving as Chairman of the Dekalb County pension board for 20 years.

Mr. Hill has served as the Board's Lead Independent Director since September 2019. Mr. Hill is the founder and owner of Advisor Network Solutions, LLC, a consulting services firm, and he currently serves as Lead Independent Director of Transamerica Mutual Funds. Prior to his service with Transamerica, Mr. Hill held various positions in banking, including Senior Vice President and Senior Loan Administration Officer for Wachovia Bank of Georgia's southeastern corporate lending unit, President and Chief Executive Officer of Barnett Treasure Coast Florida with Barnett Banks and Market President of Sun Coast Florida with Bank of America. He has a bachelor's degree in management and a master's degree in finance, both from Georgia State University, and he has completed Louisiana State University's Graduate School of Banking. With his wide-ranging professional and banking background, he brings a wealth of business and management experience to the Board.

Mr. Lynch is the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Lynch Management Company, which owns and manages three automobile dealerships located in Jacksonville, Florida. He has been with Lynch Management Company for more than 40 years. Mr. Lynch's family also owns and operates Shadydale Farm, a beef cattle operation located in Shady Dale, Georgia. He holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Florida. Mr. Lynch resides in our Jacksonville, Florida market and currently serves as a member of the community board of the Bank for that market. His business experience is extensive and varied, which gives him a firsthand understanding of the challenges faced by not only the Company but also its commercial customers, as well as opportunities available to the Company and its commercial customers. This understanding informs his service as a director and is a key benefit to the Board.

Mr. Stern has been President and Chief Executive Officer of Stern Development, a real estate development firm doing work throughout the Southeast, since 1980. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board of the South Carolina State Ports Authority and as a member of the board of the South Carolina Coordinating Council for Economic Development. Mr. Stern currently serves as Chairman of the Bank's community board for the State of South Carolina. His knowledge of the real estate industry, in addition to his extensive business experience and economic background, makes Mr. Stern a valuable resource for the Board.

Mr. Jeter served as the Board's Lead Independent Director from July 2019 to September 2019, and from January 2018 to September 2018. Prior to first serving as Lead Independent Director in 2018, and again in late 2018 through June 2019, he served as Chairman of the Board of the Company and of the board of directors of the Bank from May 2007 through December 2017. He also serves on the community bank board for the Company's Moultrie, Georgia market. Mr. Jeter is the Chairman and co-owner of Standard Discount Corporation, a family-owned consumer finance company. He joined Standard in 1979 and is an officer and director of each of Standard's affiliates, including Colquitt Loan Company, Globe Loan Company of Hazelhurst, Globe Loan Company of Tifton, Globe Loan Company of Moultrie, Peach Finance Company, Personal Finance Service of Statesboro and Globe Financial Services of Thomasville. He is co-owner of Classic Insurance Company and President of Cavalier Insurance Company, both of which are re-insurance companies. Mr. Jeter is also a partner in a real estate partnership that develops owner-occupied commercial properties for office and professional use. He serves as a director and an officer of the Georgia Industrial Loan Corporation and as a director of Allied Business Systems. He received a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Georgia. Mr. Jeter's extensive experience in financial services, with a particular emphasis on lending activities, gives him invaluable insight into, and affords him a greater understanding of, the Company's operations in his service as a director.

Mr. Rodney D. Bullard, Prior to the Company's acquisition of Fidelity, Mr. Bullard served as a director of Fidelity and Fidelity Bank since 2018. He is the Chief Executive Officer of The Same House, a public benefit corporation dedicated to furthering economic mobility and bridging social division, which he established in January 2023. Previously, he led Global Social Responsibility at Chick-fil-A, Inc., which included Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility for Chick-fil-A, Inc., and served as Executive Director of Chick-fil-A Foundation from 2011 to 2022. Mr. Bullard served as Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia from 2009 to 2011 and as Legislative Liaison/Counsel in the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, The Pentagon from 2006 to 2009. Mr. Bullard's qualifications to serve as director include degrees earned in the Advanced Management Program from Harvard Business School; master of business administration degree from Terry College of Business, University of Georgia; and juris doctor degree from Duke Law School, and his various business and legal positions held during his career.

Mr. Douglas D. Strange, Chief Credit Officer of the Company and the Bank since April 2024; Managing Director of Credit Administration from January 2018 through March 2024; Executive Vice President of Colquitt Regional Medical Center from 2016 through 2017; Regional Credit Officer of the Bank from 2008 through 2015; and Senior Lender for the Bank from 2005 through 2008, with several years' experience prior to joining Ameris Bank in various lending and underwriting roles and as a certified public accountant.

Michael T. Pierson, Corporate Executive Vice President and Chief Governance Officer of the Company and the Bank since March 2020; Corporate Secretary of the Company and the Bank since January 2022; and Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer of Ameris and Ameris Bank from July 2019 to March 2020. Prior to the Company's acquisition of Fidelity, served in various leadership roles at Fidelity and Fidelity Bank for 21 years, including Head of Commercial Banking, Mergers and Acquisitions and Chief Risk Officer.