Community Bankers of Iowa named Mike Gathman as its next CEO, according to a Jan. 23 email to members from Board President Tim Wolf. Gathman was hired after CBI CEO Dave Caris announced his plan to retire this year.
Gathman has worked at Johnston, Iowa-based SHAZAM since 2018, most recently as senior regional director-EFT solutions. He previously held leadership roles over an 18-year career at State Bank in Spencer, Iowa. Gathman, who expects to start in his new role in early March, has a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in finance from Iowa State University, Ames.
Sixty-nine applications were reportedly received for the CEO role by the Dec. 15 submission deadline. CBI had invited its members to provide candidate recommendations. Nine applicants were forwarded to a transition committee appointed by Wolf. The field was eventually whittled to three, all of whom were interviewed Jan. 10. Two candidates were then referred to the full CBI board, with both interviews taking place Jan. 16.
Caris expects to remain employed on a full-time basis at CBI until the end of March, before transitioning to a part-time role through the CBI’s annual convention in July.