Pub. 15 2018 Issue 4

22 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 Lewis Hired as Commercial Manager at First National 1870 Trevor Lewis has joined the Denver, Colorado-based First National 1870 as senior vice president/commer- cial banking manager. He has managed commercial banking teams and has more than 12 years of experi- ence helping a variety of clients, from new start-ups to large mid-market companies, with their financial goals. He also has expertise in municipal and tribal finance. Lewis is active with Junior Achievement and United Way, and serves on the board of the Risk Man- agement Association. Avila Joins First National 1870 as Regional President for El Paso and Las Cruces Denver, Colorado-based First National 1870 has announced that Ernesto Avila is the new regional president for its El Paso, Texas, and Las Cruces, New Mexico, markets. He is responsible for local communi- ty outreach and management, as well as the growth of First National 1870. Avila has been in banking for 20 years and has expertise in commercial relationship management, credit administration and private banking. He worked at international banks before joining Capital Bank in El Paso in 2010, where he held multiple roles. Previously, he led the strategic direction and relationship manage- ment of the bank’s bi-national program, which serves commercial and high net-worth clients on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. Prior to that, he served as senior credit manager and holds the credit risk certifi - cation designation. Avila holds a BBA degree in finance from Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey and a master’s degree in business leadership from DUXX Graduate School of Business Leadership. First National Bank Names New President First National Bank Alamogordo has chosen a vet- eran banker as its new president. Greg Garrett, who most recently was the president and CEO of Platinum Bank in Lubbock, took the reins as bank president on Dec. 1. He replaces Steve Muell. “Greg brings more than 35 years of experience in lending and regulatory matters, along with a leadership record in both large and moderate-sized financial insti - tutions,” said Muell. Garrett began his banking career in 1981 as a credit analyst with the Ford Bank Group at First National Bank of Lubbock. His love of lending, along with his ability to build strong client relationships, led him to being named Senior Vice President of Lending in 1994. Since then, he held a variety of supervisory and leadership positions. In 2007 he assembled a group of investors, raising $17.5 million in five weeks to acquire a new state charter for Platinum Bank. Greg served as Platinum’s president and CEO for ten years. Under his tenure, Platinum’s capital grew from $17.5 million to over $30 million. “I am very appreciative of the opportunity the board has given me,” Garett said. “I am honored to work with so many loyal and talented team mem- bers at First National Bank. I’m very excited about our future and how we will serve our customers and our communities.” Garrett is a graduate of Lubbock Christian University and the SMU Graduate School of Banking. He and his wife Nancy have been married for 27 years, and they have two adult children. He enjoys golf and playing card games with the family. He has served on Lubbock Christian University’s Foundation Board and is a Paul Harris Fellow Rotarian. Kevin Moore, KC Fed, Retires After nearly 37 years of service, Kevin Moore, Senior Vice President of the Supervision and Risk Manage- ment Division for the Kansas City Fed, has announced his plans to retire effective May 1, 2019. Kevin’s distin - guished career in bank supervision includes leadership of more than 180 state member banks and 600 bank holding companies, as well as the bank’s discount win- dow and risk management functions. Kevin joined the bank in 1982 as an examiner and has spent his career in bank supervision. He was appointed to the official staff in 2000 and held a number of leadership positions in the division before being appointed to serve as the of- ficer in charge of bank supervision for the tenth district. The NMBA thanks Kevin for his many contributions and years of dedicated service to the Bank, and wish him all the best in retirement. n BANKERS ON THE MOVE