TUSCALOOSA, AL — Bryant Bank announced this week it will make a series of leadership changes this fall, including naming Mike Mitchell as president as longtime President Claude Edwards moves into a new strategic role.
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The Tuscaloosa-based bank announced Wednesday that Mitchell, currently executive vice president, chief credit officer and chief administrative officer, will become bank president effective Oct. 1.
Edwards, who has served as president since Bryant Bank opened in 2005, will become president emeritus and chief strategy officer.
Patrick Hamner, executive vice president of commercial loans and credit administration, will succeed Mitchell as chief credit officer.
All three changes take effect Oct. 1.
"Claude has led Bryant Bank with the same strength and stability on which it was founded," Bryant Bank owner and Chairman Paul W. Bryant Jr. said. "His values and Bryant Bank's values are directly aligned. Security, strength, and stability are what our customers expect of Bryant Bank, and that has been the standard of leadership Claude has provided since the very beginning."
Bryant selected Edwards, a veteran community banker, to help establish the bank in 2005.
During Edwards' tenure, Bryant Bank grew from a single Tuscaloosa office to more than $3 billion in assets, 18 branches and more than 300 employees.
In his new position, Edwards will focus primarily on strategic growth planning and the bank's long-term future in Alabama.
"Bryant Bank has never been about just one person," Edwards said. "It has always been about the people who show up every day to serve their neighbors."
Edwards said his new role will allow him to focus on strategy while supporting the bank's next generation of leadership.
Mitchell joined Bryant Bank in 2019 as executive vice president and chief credit officer after more than three decades working in credit administration and commercial lending.
He added the chief administrative officer position in 2025, expanding his responsibilities to include operations.
Mitchell also served more than 35 years in the U.S. Army and Alabama Army National Guard before retiring in 2021 as a brigadier general.
Mitchell currently serves on the Community Foundation of West Alabama board of directors and the American Heart Association's Executive Leadership Team for Tuscaloosa. He is also a member of the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama's Public Affairs Council.
"Mike has spent the last several years earning the trust of our team, our board, and our customers," Bryant said. "His background in credit, his discipline, and his leadership experience make him well suited to this role."
Mitchell said his time working alongside Edwards helped shape his understanding of the bank and its approach to community banking.
"I am honored to step into this role and to carry forward the culture and the commitment to community that our founders built our bank on," Mitchell said.
Hamner was also part of the original group of bankers that helped establish Bryant Bank in 2005.
He was named executive vice president of commercial loans and credit administration earlier this year and will now oversee credit administration statewide as chief credit officer.
Hamner has also been active in numerous civic organizations in the Tuscaloosa area. He served two four-year terms as the District 4 representative on the Tuscaloosa City School Board, with his tenure ending in May 2025.
He also serves on the board of the Southern Development Council and has been involved with organizations including Junior Achievement of Tuscaloosa County, the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama and United Way of West Alabama.
"Patrick has a deep understanding of Bryant Bank's credit culture and the discipline that has kept our bank strong," Bryant Bank owner and Board Secretary Scott Phelps said. "That expertise, paired with his knowledge of our markets, makes him the right person to lead credit administration statewide."
Hamner said he was grateful for the opportunity to take on the expanded position.
"I've learned a great deal from Claude and Mike's leadership over the years, and I look forward to applying that in this role," Hamner said. "I'm honored to be part of this next chapter in Bryant Bank's story."
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