Donna Townsell first woman elected to both Home BancShares, Centennial Bank boards
by February 8, 2019 8:53 am 775 views
Conway-based Home BancShares Inc., the publicly traded holding company of Centennial Bank, announced Friday (Feb.8) the election of senior executive vice president Donna Townsell to the board of directors for both organizations.
The company, founded in 1999, said Townsell is the first woman to serve on both boards simultaneously. She’s worked for Home BancShares for 12 years in a variety of roles including vice president of corporate efficiencies, co-chair of the strategic planning committee, member of the executive committee, director of marketing, director of investor relations and member of the operations committee.
“This is a great strategic move for the next generation of HOMB and Centennial Bank,” John Allison, chairman of Home BancShares, said in a news release. “Heading up corporate efficiencies gave her a well-rounded knowledge of the entire company. Serving as director of investor relations has given her a full understanding of the performance metrics that shareholders, analysts and investors are interested in and that are required for us to continue to be the ‘Best Bank in America’ year after year.
“This combination makes Donna an excellent choice for a board seat as her knowledge of and commitment to the company will serve us well into the future. She is one of the best [male or female] I have worked with, and I’m confident she will provide guidance, leadership and expertise to both boards for years to come.”
Townsell said she was both honored and excited for the opportunity.
“My 12 years with the bank have been the most rewarding and influential experiences of my business career and certainly a highlight in my life,” she said in a statement. “The learning process and unbelievable opportunities that have been afforded to me have helped to prepare me for the honor of serving on both the Home BancShares and Centennial Bank Board of Directors. I will do my best to properly represent the shareholders, employees, customers and investors of our company for many years to come.”
Home BancShares ended 2018 with a string of 31 straight profitable quarters and assets of more than $15 billion, the Arkansas regional banking group reported last month.
In early trading Friday, Home BancShares stock (NASDAQ: HOMB) was down 0.21%, or $0.04, at $19.10 per share. The bank’s shares have traded in the range of $15.35 as a low and $25.23 as a high over the past 52 weeks.