Citizens Bank promotes Ron Branscum to EVP, Northwest Arkansas market president

Batesville-chartered The Citizens Bank, which has three offices in Northwest Arkansas, has named its first regional president.

Ron Branscum, previously the lender’s city president in Rogers, is now executive vice president and Northwest Arkansas market president.

“Ron Branscum has proven his leadership capabilities as city president for our operations in Rogers,” CEO Phil Baldwin said in a statement. “We look forward to impressive results as he assumes command for our bank’s presence in all of Northwest Arkansas.”

Citizens Bank expanded into Northwest Arkansas in 2015 and now has one full-service branch in Rogers and two in Fayetteville.

A Jacksonville native, Branscum joined Citizens Bank last year. He previously worked for Arvest Bank in Benton County from 1998 to 2010, beginning as a senior credit analyst and then working his way up the commercial lending ladder. He is a member of the NorthWest Arkansas Community College board of trustees and was recently nominated to serve a three-year term as a director on the board of the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce.

“As we continue to expand our presence in this important region, we are confident that Ron Branscum’s strategic approach to business will be critical to serving our customers, soliciting new clients and motivating our employees,” Adam Mitchell, Citizens Bank’ president and chief lending officer, said in a statement.

Citizens Bank was founded in 1953 and has 20 offices in Arkansas. According to the most recent data from the FDIC, the bank has assets of $815.2 million.