Bryant Bank Promotes Two Executives, Announces Other Promotions

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Bryant Bank on Wednesday announced a series of promotions across its Tuscaloosa market, including two key leadership appointments for longtime bank executives Patrick Hamner and John “Max” Maxwell Karrh Jr.

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Hamner was promoted to executive vice president of commercial loans and credit administration, a role that expands his oversight of Bryant Bank’s commercial lending and credit administration functions statewide.

Karrh was promoted to Tuscaloosa County president, where he will lead the bank’s Tuscaloosa market operations and guide teams serving local businesses and families.

“Patrick was here on day one, and his fingerprints are on so much of what Bryant Bank has become,” Bryant Bank President Claude Edwards said in a statement. “Promoting him to Executive Vice President is not just a recognition of his past contributions. It is an investment in our future.”

Edwards also praised Karrh’s leadership and ties to the community.

“Max was part of founding this bank, and watching him grow into the Tuscaloosa County President role is something that we’re all very proud of,” Edwards said. “He brings a level of genuine care for people that you simply cannot teach, and Tuscaloosa feels that in everything he does.”

A Montgomery native, Hamner moved to Tuscaloosa in 1989 and earned a finance degree from the University of Alabama in 1993. He later graduated from the Graduate School of Banking at LSU in 2013.

Hamner began his banking career in 1992 as a teller, spent more than a decade in commercial lending and helped found Bryant Bank in June 2005.

In addition to his banking career, Hamner has held numerous civic leadership roles in Tuscaloosa.

He served two terms on the Tuscaloosa City Board of Education as the District 4 representative and currently serves on the boards of Junior Achievement of Tuscaloosa County and the Southern Development Council.

Hamner also has been active with Canterbury Chapel, Reading Allies at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School and Tuscaloosa’s Adopt-A-School program.

His broader community involvement has included service with the West Alabama Chamber of Commerce, the Port Authority of Tuscaloosa, United Way of West Alabama, the Mental Health Association of Tuscaloosa and the Tuscaloosa County Diversion Program, among others.

Hamner received Bryant Bank’s Mary Ann and Sam Phelps Community Service Award in 2020 and a United in Service/West Alabama Young Leaders Award in 2017.

He is also a graduate of Leadership Tuscaloosa and a member of the inaugural 2018 class of the Alabama Bankers Association’s Bank Executive Leadership Program.

“For over thirty years, Tuscaloosa has been my home and my customers have been my neighbors. That will never change,” Hamner said. “But I’m excited to now serve in a role where I can support our bankers and customers across all of our banking footprint.”

Karrh, also a University of Alabama finance graduate, earned his degree in 1997 and later graduated from the Graduate School of Banking at LSU in 2013.

He spent eight years in commercial banking in Tuscaloosa before helping found Bryant Bank in June 2005. Since then, he has served as a senior vice president and commercial banker.

Like Hamner, Karrh was also part of the inaugural Alabama Bankers Association Bank Executive Leadership Program class in 2018.

Karrh currently serves as board chair of both the YMCA of Tuscaloosa and The Children’s Center of Tuscaloosa.

He also serves on the boards of Hospice of West Alabama and the DCH Foundation. His past civic roles include serving as board chair of the Tuscaloosa Tourism and Sports Commission and as a board member and treasurer of Arts ’n Autism.

Karrh received a United Way West Alabama Young Leaders Award in 2016 and is a graduate of Leadership Tuscaloosa’s Class of 2009.

“Tuscaloosa is where I was made, professionally and personally, and Bryant Bank has been a huge part of that story,” Karrh said. “I am so grateful to step into this role in the community I love, alongside colleagues who feel more like family.”

Bryant Bank also announced several other promotions across its Tuscaloosa market, recognizing bankers in administration, branch leadership, commercial support and private banking.

Those promoted include Laura Duke, vice president and training and development director; Jonathan Edwards, senior vice president and director of corporate risk management; Anisa Hunter, vice president and Northport branch manager; Faith Hendrix, senior commercial support specialist; Candace “Candy” Lowery, assistant vice president and private banker; Shauna Russell, senior commercial support specialist; Crystal Stevenson, senior commercial support specialist; and Kimberly Swords, vice president and senior credit underwriter.

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