At its annual meeting, the Nebraska Bankers Association announced its 2021-2022 chair, chair-elect and board members.
Kirk Riley, president, CEO and chair of Waypoint Bank, Cozad, Neb., became the association’s chair, succeeding Chris Hove, president and CEO of Nebraska Bank of Commerce, Lincoln, Neb.
Riley began his banking career as a teller at Platte Valley State Bank, Kearney, Neb., supplementing his pursuit of a degree in business administration from Kearney State College. Since graduating in 1981, his banking experience spans four decades, including leadership roles at First State Bank in Colorado Springs, Colo., First National Bank in Holdrege, Neb., First National Bank in Wisner, Neb., and State Bank in Palmer, Neb.
Riley joined Waypoint Bank in 2004 as an executive vice president, and was promoted to his current position in 2012, the same year he graduated from the NBA Leadership Program. He also has a degree from the Graduate School of banking at Colorado, and graduated from teh Dawson County Leadership Program.
Riley has been active at the NBA, serving on the board of directors, executive committee, government relations committee, BankPAC committee and the voluntary employee beneficiary association board of trustees. Most recently, Riley has led a number of local civic and charitable organizations, including the Cozad Hospital Foundation Board, the Cozad Development Corporation Board, the Dawson Area Development Advisory Board, the Dawson County Cattlemen Association and the Cozad Rotary Club.
The freshly minted NBA chair is a son of former bankers –– his father the president and director, his mother a teller and bookkeeper –– at First State Bank in Shelton, Neb.
As the selected chair-elect, Stephan Stull, president and CEO of Farmers State Bank, Dodge, Neb., will assume the NBA chair position in May 2022.
Starting his banking career at Western Bank in Alliance, Neb., Stull worked as a teller while attending the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he graduated with a degree in business administration and finance. After graduating, he worked across Nebraska at the Dakota County State Bank in South Sioux City, the Bank of Bennington, and First National Bank in Sidney. He was the chief financial officer at FirsTier Bank in Kimball, Neb., from 1999 until 2009, when he joined Banner County Bank in Harrisburg, Neb.
In 2011, Stull, his father Richard and brother Michael, organized an investment group and bought Farmers State Bank in Dodge, Neb., since adding five new branches and acquiring two additional banks.
A Graduate School of Banking at Colorado alumnus, Stull has been on the NBA board of directors, executive committee, BankPAC committee, NBAnk tech task force, and the Nebraska Bankers Insurance & Services Co., board of directors. He graduated from the KBA/NBA Schools of Banking’s Agricultural Lending School and Bank Compliance School, and is active in the Kimball community as its chair of the board of public works, president of its municipal airport authority board, president of the Lions Club, and vice president of the Kimball-Banner County Chamber of Commerce.
The Nebraska Bankers Association also elected its 2021-2022 board of directors, consisting of 26 bankers. New additions include: Curtis Heapy, Western Nebraska Bank, Curtis; Ryne Seaman, Cattle Bank & Trust, Seward; Nicholas Baxter, First National Bank of Omaha, Omaha; Cory Bergt, Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., Lincoln; John Kotouc, American National Bank, Omaha; Kim Hammes, Bank of the West, Omaha; Zachary Holoch, Cornerstone Bank, York; Joseph Sullivan, U.S. Bank, N.A., Omaha; Dan Svehla, Union Bank & Trust Co., Lincoln, and Chris Wiedenfeld, Great Western Bank, Omaha.