Company:   Commonwealth National Bank

Title:   President & CEO

Hometown:  Jackson, Mississippi

What’s something you wish more people talked about?  Commonwealth National Bank

What were the two biggest choices that got you to where you are today?  Working to live a life that reflects my faith and keeping a positive expectation.  My usual greeting response is “It’s the greatest day of my life.”  This is a daily affirmation reflecting my expectation for something to happen today that will make this the greatest day of my life.  With such expectations, it’s hard to be down.

What is one thing you wish you had more time to do?  I want to finish writing my book that I hope will help people make good choices by understanding that, “You make your choices. Then your choices make you.”

What are the best qualities you think you inherited from your parents?  A solid work ethic, a competitive spirit and definitely remaining HOT. (Honest, Open and Transparent)

Podcasts or music while driving?  I mostly listen to books on Audible, but I put on my 70s/80s playlist near the end of a long drive to bring me on home.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? Coming out of high school, I wanted to be a lawyer.  One of my councilors suggested that I major in something I can use after four years, just in case.  I was always good with numbers, so they suggested that I pursue a degree in accounting.  In my senior year of college, I met a young freshman and upon graduation I wanted to get my career started and close the deal with a partner who has been my biggest motivator throughout my career.  Clearly this was great advice as we will celebrate 90 years of marriage in December (that’s 45 for her and 45 for me).  I said I was a numbers person.

The pandemic is officially over, and you can have one free ticket to anywhere in the world. Where are you going?  I would have to scrape together a second ticket and take my wife to Hawaii.

What has been the professional highlight of your past year?   Most banks never recover from the troubled condition that Commonwealth had fallen into under prior administrations.  Not only were we recently notified by the OCC that Commonwealth was no longer classified a troubled institution but through the grace of God, we completed the most productive year in the banks nearly 50-year history.  The future looks extremely bright.

What is your favorite Olympic event?  I don’t have a favorite Olympic event.  I just pull for the Americans to win.

What is “your” song?   “I Gotta Be Me” (Whether I’m right or whether I’m wrong, Whether I find a place in this world or never belong, I gotta be me).

 What occupation other than your own would you like to try?  After working in public accounting, my goal was to be a corporate treasurer or CFO.  I wanted to get two years of banking experience to be better prepared for dealing with bankers (the primary source of outside financing).  Because they kept promoting me, I have spent over 40 years in banking.

What is one rule you live by?   If you can’t find time to do it right, where will you find time to do it over?

 If you could rename yourself, what name would you choose?  I was named after my father and cannot think of a better name than the one I have.

What national/international event had the most impact on your life?  I am the beneficiary of the 1960s era affirmative action programs that opened doors to educational and career opportunities that were not available in my parents’ generation.

What sports did you play growing up?  I played baseball as a youth and softball as an adult.  I still have my “missile launcher” at home and believe I still have the power to knock the ball over the fence.

What are you most excited about for the future?  With the recent core conversion bringing new updated technology to Commonwealth and the implementation of a spirited new marketing campaign, I am optimistically excited to see the growth and development of Commonwealth and its impact on the gulf coast community over the next five years.

Company Description:  Commonwealth National Bank is a full-service commercial bank and the only bank in Mobile that is headquartered in Mobile. While we are a “Bank For All People,” we were created to serve Mobile’s historically underserved African American Community.  We provide a full array of lending and deposit products and services, and we have the same FDIC insurance coverage as any other bank in town.  Our goal at Commonwealth is to make “Wealth Common” by turning common opportunity into generational wealth.