Pub. 11 2014 Issue 3

O V E R A C E N T U R Y : B U I L D I N G B E T T E R B A N K S - H E L P I N G N E W M E X I C O R E A L I Z E D R E A M S 14 NEW MEXICO BANKERS ON THE MOVE Michael Rodriguez-Bank of America Bank of America has named Michael Rodriguez New Mexi- co market president. Rodriguez is responsible for the bank’s financial services business in New Mexico and oversees phil- anthropic giving, community development lending and in- vesting, employee volunteerism, environmental initiatives, diversity efforts, and arts and culture projects. Before his promotion, Rodriguez was director of the Merrill Lynch Wealth Management New Mexico Complex, responsi- ble for wealth management business in Albuquerque, Hobbs, Las Cruces, Roswell and Santa Fe offices. Previously, he was a Merrill Lynch sales manager and wealth management ad- viser in Fort Worth, Texas. Rodriguez joined Merrill Lynch in 1999 as an intern. Rodriguez served on the board of the Fort Worth Public Library Foundation and was a member of Houston’s MD An- derson Cancer Center Advance Team, a volunteer leadership board of community and business leaders. Susen Ellis-Bank of Albuquerque Susen Ellis, Assistant Vice President and Cor- porate Trust Officer at Bank of Albuquerque, was awarded the Certified Corporate Trust Officer (CCTS) designation from the Institute of Certi- fied Bankers (ICB), a subsidiary of the American Bankers Association, in Washington, DC. The CCTS designation is awarded to individuals who demonstrate excellence in the field of corporate trust. To qualify for the CCTS certification, individuals must have cer- tain levels of experience and education in the corporate trust profession, pass an exam and agree to abide by a code of eth- ics. Ellis joined Bank of Albuquerque in November 2001 as a Corporate Trust Associate. John Anderson-NewMexicoBankers Association JohnAnderson, Executive Vice President of the NewMexico Bankers Association, has been select- ed by his peers to be included in the 2015 edition of The Best Lawyers in America in the practice area of Banking and Finance Law. He has been included in this select publication for 25 years. Inclusion in Best Lawyers is based in an exhaustive and rigorous peer-review survey comprising more than 5.5 mil- lion confidential evaluations by top attorneys. For more than three decades, Best Lawyers has been regarded-by both the profession and the public-as the most credible and definitive guide to legal excellence in the United States. The Best Lawyers in America is one of the most visible peer-review publications in the legal profession. They part- ner with many of the highest circulated publications in the world, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Washington Post, and The Chicago Tribune. Shelia Matthews-Four Corners Community Bank, Farmington Sheila Matthews, President, CEO, and Board Member of Four Corners Community Bank, Farmington, has been ap- pointed by the Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to serve on its Community Bank Advisory Board. The Council advises the CFPB on regulatory and consumer finan- cial products and services. The fourteen councilors are en- couraged to share with the bureau their unique perspectives on community banking. Bank of Albuquerque Bank Of Albuquerque has recently announced the follow- ing promotions and appointments: Bret Henderson has been promoted to Vice President and Operations Manager in the operation and technology division. His re- sponsibilities will include management of the wire, item processing, remittance, exceptions, return items, control services and ACH depart- ments for the bank. Henderson joined Bank of Albuquerque in May 2001, as a branch manager. He was then promoted to Assistant Vice President and Operations Manager. Prior to joining Bank of Albuquerque, he was a commercial lend- er and branch manager at Ranchers Bank. Henderson holds a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture Finance/Business from New Mexico State University. Edward Plotkin has been appointed Vice President and Client Advisor in The Private Bank. Plotkin brings more than 20 years of wealth management and private banking ex- perience to his clients at Bank of Albuquerque. Prior to joining Bank of Albuquerque, Plotkin was a senior wealth advisor at National Bank of Arizona and a senior private banking office at MidFirst Bank, leading start- up marketing and staffing efforts as well as credit and invest- ment operations. Earlier he focused on financial and estate planning for affluent families, corporate executives, and busi- ness owners while at UBS and Merrill Lynch. Plotkin has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Arizona. Andrew Estes-Bank of Clovis Andrew Estes, a credit analyst at the Bank of Clovis, was named the top student at the Western State’s School of Bank- ing 2014 session. Estes was awarded the Gayle Earls Aca- demic Achievement Award. Twenty-two students participat- ed in the 2014 session, which was held on the campus of New Mexico State University. As the top academic student, Estes will also be provided a one-year scholarship to the Graduate School of Banking in Boulder, CO. n