37-Year Arvest Veteran Returns To NWA as Regional Executive
by March 2, 2015 12:00 am 104 views
After 16 years as market president of Arvest Bank in Tulsa, Don Walker has returned to Northwest Arkansas, where he began his banking career.
Walker started as a loan officer at Arvest in Bentonville in 1978, according to a press release from the bank. He later served as market president in Bentonville and then Siloam Springs.
In his new role as regional executive, effective Jan. 2, Walker oversees expansion opportunities, business plan execution, asset quality and budgeting for a group of banks throughout Arkansas, and also is responsible for the Fayetteville-chartered bank’s federal government relations, according to the press release.
“Don’s 30 years of exemplary service and experience as a bank president in three of our markets gives him unique insight and expertise that will prove invaluable to the local banks that he will be serving,” Arvest CEO Kevin Sabin said in the release.
Speaking of his move back to Arkansas, Walker said, “While I grew to love Tulsa as my home, the fact that my family and my wife’s family live in Northwest Arkansas made this opportunity very special to me. I’m especially excited to be returning and living in the same city as my daughter, her husband and my 4-year-old grandson.”
During his previous time in Northwest Arkansas, Walker served on the board of trustees at John Brown University in Siloam Springs for 18 years, including time as chairman, according to the press release.
While in Tulsa, his community involvement included the Tulsa Metro Chamber of Commerce, of which he served as chairman, the Tulsa Area United Way, River Parks Authority, Indian Nations Council-Boy Scouts of America, Oklahoma Business Roundtable, Morningcrest Foundation, Downtown Tulsa Unlimited and the 2007 Oklahoma Centennial Committee.
He also served on the boards of the Oklahoma Bankers Association, Hillcrest Medical Center and the Tulsa Community College Foundation.
The Arvest Tulsa market has 39 branches and $2.1 billion in assets, according to the press release.