Arvest Bank adds chief information officer, chief credit administration officer roles

Fayetteville-chartered Arvest Bank announced Wednesday (Dec. 3) that it has named Jason England as chief credit administration officer and Jennifer Baker as chief information officer. Both positions are new to the regional bank.

England was the president of the bank’s Springfield, Mo., market since 2022. Baker joins the bank with more than 20 years of experience in business operations and technology, fintech, retail banking, insurance, cybersecurity and technology. She previously held leadership roles for several large and midsize financial institutions, including five years as chief technology officer at Synovus Bank, a $58 billion-asset regional community bank.

Baker plans to relocate from Atlanta to Arvest Bank’s four-state region. Whether England decides to relocate from Springfield will be a personal decision, according to information from the bank.

As chief information officer, Baker will be responsible for Arvest Bank’s technology departments and teams. According to a news release, the new role “aligns with the bank’s long-term technology and innovation goals.” The bank has been undergoing a multiyear technology modernization strategy that’s expected to improve customer experiences and employee “enablement, mature data accessibility and tools, and optimize resource utilization.”

Baker received a bachelor’s degree in technology management from Kennesaw State University. She earned a certificate in artificial intelligence (AI) strategy from Cornell University and is a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt.

She’s received multiple honors, including being named a Women of the Year in Technology finalist by Women in Technology, DEI Tech Impact Leader of the Year by the Technology Association of Georgia, and a Georgia CIO Orbie Award finalist.

England has worked at Arvest for 27 years. Before being the Springfield market president, he worked in leadership roles, including as a loan manager in Springfield and a commercial loan manager for Arvest in Benton County.

As chief credit administration officer, England will lead Arvest Bank’s credit risk strategy and governance, underwriting standards, portfolio monitoring and credit operations to support the bank’s growth. He will also play a role in aligning technology systems with credit, mortgage and bank operations.

England earned a bachelor’s degree in administrative management from the University of Arkansas and completed the American Bankers Association’s Stonier Graduate School of Banking program at the University of Pennsylvania.

He serves on six boards in the Springfield area, including as vice chair of economic development with the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, treasurer of Leaders for Ozarks Region Evolvement, treasurer of the United Way, treasurer of the Downtown Council of Champions, a member of the Mercy board and a member of the Ozarks Tech Foundation Board of Directors.

“As we continue to advance our long-term strategy focused on technology and growth, having the right leadership in these key areas is essential,” said Yurik Paroubek, chief operating officer at Arvest Bank. “Jen’s extensive experience driving innovation and optimizing technology teams aligns nicely with our future goals, while Jason’s tenure and deep involvement with our credit strategy and culture will ensure we stay focused on smart growth for the organization.”

According to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., Arvest Bank has total assets of $27.34 billion as of Sept. 30. Arvest operates in more than 110 areas in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma, with 14 community-oriented banks.