Roger Mericle - Community Bank President, Wichita

Roger Mericle, CornerBank's community bank president in Wichita, has received one of 12 Volunteer of the Year Awards from the Wichita YMCA. Mericle received the Community Development Volunteer of the Year Award.

"Since the first year of Roger being on our board, he made an impact on all of us through his attitude and desire to serve," said Mim Wilkey, Executive Director, YMCA Community Development. "He would take the jobs and tasks that were hard and complete them with ease. Roger's values are seen every day through his actions."

As a strong advocate for the YMCA, Mericle will lead the Community Development Strong Kids Campaign for the second year. Although his leadership has been an important part of his service to the Y and the community, Mericle's passion lies in donating his time to outreach programs. His favorite event is the annual We Care Dinner and Coat Drive in November.

"It lets you see the tremendous need for clothing and basically the tremendous problem the community has with the homeless and those less fortunate," Mericle said.

Mericle also mentors teens in the Y's Job Prep Program. In this free outreach program, teens develop the skills needed to get a job and become more independent.

"Job Prep is a great opportunity for me to help teach youth key financial skills that they probably haven't been exposed to," Mericle said.

Mericle is CornerBank's community bank president in Wichita. He has been with CornerBank 10 years and serves on its Executive Committee. In his spare time, he enjoys hunting, fishing and golf. He is an active member of the Haysville United Methodist Church. Mericle resides in Bel Air with his wife, Jeanette, and their children: Jessi, Geena, Ashton, Hunter and Brenden.

Gary L. McCutcheon - MBA, CFP^®, Vice President, Investment Officer

Gary joined CornerBank in 1994 as an investment officer after spending the previous four years with a large financial services company as a
sales agent.

Gary specializes in the securities field, from risk management to capital accumulation, and has been a registered representative since 1990. He is also a Certified Financial Planner. He has extensive experience in investments for charitable entities.

Gary is a graduate of McPherson College (Summa Cum Laude) and has a Masters of Business Administration degree from Wichita State University. Gary is a member of the Financial Planning Association. He is currently the Chapter Chairman of Ark Valley SCORE, treasurer of Marquee, Inc., and a past president of Lions Club. Gary also is a member of First United Methodist Church and has served on a variety of church
committees and endowments.

Judy Hatfield - Community Bank President, Douglass

Bruce Schwyhart, CornerBank President/CEO, has announced the promotion of Judy Hatfield to Community Bank President for CornerBank's Douglass location.  

"Judy has built strong and lasting relationships with our customers through her professionalism, knowledge and personalized customer service," Schwyhart said.  "She is a trusted part of the Douglass community and we are pleased to see her continue in this leadership role."   

Judy started her banking career in 1978 as secretary to the president at Exchange State Bank, which was later purchased by CornerBank.  Throughout the years, she has assisted customers in every aspect of banking, from making deposits to closing loans.   

She has been an officer of Douglass Chamber of Commerce and Douglass Lions Club and is a member of the Economic Development Board, the Frontier Days Committee and is an officer of the Douglass Senior Center Board. 

Barbara J. Braa - MBA, Vice President, Trust Officer

Barbara joined CornerBank in 2001 as a trust and investment officer. She began her securities career in 1998 with an independent Lawrence financial planning firm. During the 12 years prior to that, Barbara worked as a business manager/consultant in Lawrence with duties encompassing trust, investment, brokerage, real estate and property management, estate resolution and charitable organizations.

She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Baker University and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Kansas. Since joining CornerBank, Barbara successfully completed the School of Trust and Financial Services and the Advanced Trust Administration School, both of which are specialized courses offered by the Schools of Banking.

Barbara has been a volunteer and on the boards of various community groups in the Lawrence/Douglas County community for more than 25 years. Currently she is president of Kansas Advocates for Better Care, serves on the Trust Division Board of the Kansas Bankers Association and on the Planned Giving Advisory Committee for the Lawrence Memorial Hospital Endowment Association. She also is a board member of Lawrence Partners in Aging, a member and past president of the Douglas County Estate Planning Council. She is an active member and former board member of Sertoma International and a member the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce Envoy Committee.

Gregg Conklin - Sr. Vice President & Chief Credit Officer

Gregg Conklin, raised in Sumner County is a fourth generation Kansan.  He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in agriculture from Kansas State University with a major in agricultural economics.  For nearly 25 years Gregg has worked in advanced banking positions in Wichita, Ottawa, Eureka, and Winfield, Kansas.

Gregg has served as Senior Vice President / Chief Credit Officer of CornerBank since December 1997.  He is responsible for the leadership and management of CornerBank’s loan portfolio and lending staff.  His background covers commercial, agricultural, municipal, personal, leasing, and residential lending.  He is a graduate of the Kansas Bankers Association of Advanced Commercial Lending School and has served on the KBA Lending Committee.  Gregg is presently serving as a board member for the Kansas Chapter of The Risk Management Association and previously served on the Southwestern College Leadership Advisory Council.

The most rewarding aspect of his job is working with customers.  He has relationships dating to his early banking career that now span three generations of customers.  “I enjoy being a Kansas banker and serving the financial needs of our customers and communities!” 

Gregg and his wife Susan have three sons.  Favorite activities include eating chocolate chip cookies and bass fishing in the Flint Hills. 

Brian K. Dutton - MBA, Trust and Investment Officer

Brian Dutton joined CornerBank in June 2005, serving as both a trust officer and an investment executive. Brian has been a registered investment representative since 2003. Prior to joining CornerBank, he spent two years with a large financial services company as an investment representative.

Brian is a graduate of Southwestern College with a Bachelor of Science degree, as well as a Master of Business Administration degree.

He is a past president of the Board of Directors for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Cowley County. He serves on the Board of Directors for Winfield United Way and also is an instructor at Southwestern College.

Dean Kennedy - Senior Vice President and Senior Trust Officer

Dean joined CornerBank in 1989. His prior experience includes more than 10 years with a major Wichita bank and more than six years as the trust department manager in a Hutchinson bank. He also has prior experience in both bank and trust operations. He recently celebrated his 39th anniversary in banking.

He has previous experience on Pilot Endowment Committees at West Heights United Methodist Church, Trinity United Methodist Church, First United Methodist Church and numerous other endowment funds. He has extensive training in charitable giving, including the Kennedy-Sinclair Planned Giving Seminars, and specializes in assisting with estate and charitable planning and trusts.

Dean is a graduate of Pittsburg State University with a Bachelor of Science degree. He is trust major graduate of the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking in Dallas, Texas, and a graduate of the Oklahoma Intermediate Trust School of Banking.

He is a past President of the Kansas Bankers Association Trust Division, Winfield Chamber of Commerce and Winfield Rotary Club. Dean is a life-long United Methodist and a member of the First United Methodist Church. Dean was the first chairman of the Mid-Way Kansas American Red Cross Endowment Committee. He is a past chairman for the investment committee of Legacy Regional Community Foundation and served on the National Planned Gifting Committee for the Arthritis Foundation.