2020-21 Board of directors

T. Ryan Sullivanis President/Chief Executive Officer of Bank of George, a $253 million community bank with two locations in Southern Nevada.  Bank of George was recently recognized by S&P Global Market Intelligence as the #2 top performing community bank for 2018 – an acknowledgement that included the review of over 4,600 banks, up to $3 Billion in assets, across the entire U.S.  Mr. Sullivan has 23 years of commercial banking experience. He was the Bank’s original Chief Financial Officer and served in that capacity from inception in September 2007 through July 2013, when he was named President/Chief Executive Officer. He has served as a Bank director since January 2011 and currently chairs the Bank’s Community Reinvestment Act Committee and Bank Card Committee. He has also served as President/CEO as well as director of GBank Financial Holdings Inc., parent of Bank of George, since its formation in December 2017.  Mr. Sullivan has provided organizational oversight for the Risk Management, Sales Production Management, Accounting/Finance, Credit and Lending Administration, Deposit Operations, Information Technology/Cybersecurity, and Investment functions. Previously, Mr. Sullivan served as the Chief Financial Officer of Alliance Bank of Arizona, a $650 million statewide commercial bank at his time of departure, where he had responsibilities including active balance sheet portfolio management, serving as Chairman of the Asset/Liability Committee and managing Audit and Risk Management functions of the bank while coordinating organizational compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley requirements. Additionally, he provided management and oversight for Deposit Operations, Information Technology and Human Resources/Payroll functions. Mr. Sullivan joined Alliance Bank at its inception in 2003 as its original Chief Financial Officer after working with Bank of Nevada (formerly BankWest of Nevada) in numerous lending, accounting/finance, and operational capacities.  Mr. Sullivan currently serves on the Board of the Nevada Bankers’ Association as well as the Community Bankers’ Council of the American Bankers’ Association.  He also currently serves on the Board of Trustees and as Treasurer for Safe Nest, Southern Nevada’s oldest and most comprehensive non-profit organization dedicated to the eradication of domestic violence. Mr. Sullivan attained his Bachelors of Science degree in Finance from UNLV and was also an honors graduate of Pacific Coast Banking School at University of Washington.

Craig Kirkland, Executive Vice President / Director of Retail Banking, heads up Nevada State Bank's retail branch system. A graduate of Occidental College and a 2013 graduate of Pacific Coast Banking School, he has more than 28 years of experience in banking, including positions as branch manager, regional manager, and division manager. Kirkland is an active participant in a number of local volunteer projects. He has served on the board for the Las Vegas Rescue Mission, as Vice President and currently as the Secretary/Treasurer, since 2008, currently serves on the Henderson Chamber of Commerce board of directors, the Henderson Chamber executive board, and the Nevada Banker’s Association board.

Kenneth Mundt is SVP / Commercial and Industrial Lending Manager at Bank of Nevada. Mr. Mundt, who has over 26 years of experience in the Nevada banking industry, joined Bank of Nevada as VP Senior Loan Officer in May 2015.   While serving in the United States Military, Mundt rose in the ranks from Private to Lieutenant Colonel and deployed to Afghanistan from 2006-2007. Mundt stayed active in his local community as well by serving on the Board of Directors of the Nevada Bankers Association. He also manages the Nevada Opportunity Fund.   Mr. Mundt graduated from the University of Utah and the Graduate School of Banking at Colorado program.

Joyce Smith is senior director, commercial banking, for Bank of Nevada, where she supports the Southern Nevada CPA team. She also specializes in helping construction companies, nonprofit and professional organizations throughout Southern Nevada meet their financial goals using advanced financing options, including SBA lending and lines of credit. She joined the organization in 2008 and has more than 30 years of banking industry experience. Ms. Smith is active in the local community with Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Las Vegas and Mondays Dark, a twice-monthly, evening variety show with a goal to raise $10,000 during each 90-minute event for a variety of local nonprofits.She graduated from The School of Retail and Commercial Banking and attended New Mexico State University.

BJ North, Executive Vice President & Chief Banking Officer of Plumas Bank as one of 2019’s Sierra Nevada Powerful Matriarchs. Joining Plumas Bank in 2008, BJ oversees its retail network, commercial loan group & marketing. BJ is a shining example of Plumas Bank’s motto: Here. For Good. Every waking moment BJ is making the world a better place, whether for the betterment of Plumas Bank; for a nonprofit such as the International Women’s Forum, American Heart Association-Northern Nevada, or the SPCA of Northern Nevada, or for a friend in need. Prior to Plumas bank, BJ was the Chief Advancement officer for Truckee Meadows Community College. BJ North is the recipient of The Jefferson Award, which honors community volunteerism. We look forward to honoring BJ tomorrow at The 2ndAnnual Sierra Nevada 

Yanus Nelson, Wells Fargo

Yanus Nelson is a senior vice president for Wells Fargo & Company and serves as the Nevada Northern region bank president. In this role, he leads a team of more than 475 team members in 37 branch locations across Northern Nevada.  He is responsible for ensuring his team members and leaders have the necessary knowledge and training to provide high-quality service and financial advice to customers and communities in the region.

Nelson brings to his role 26 years of financial services industry experience, the last 19 with Wells Fargo. During his tenure, he has served as a branch manager, district manager, area president and learning and development senior vice president prior to his current role. Nelson holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from Colorado Christian University and a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance from Pepperdine University. He is also actively involved in the community and currently serves on the Truckee Meadows Community College Foundation Board, Nevada Military Support Alliance Board, the Reno + Sparks Chamber Board and the Nevada Bankers Association Board. He currently resides in Reno, Nevada.

Brian Cook, Charles Schwab Trust

Brian J Cook is the President of Charles Schwab Trust Company, and serves on the Board of Directors of Charles Schwab Trust Company, Charles Schwab Trust Company of Delaware, and Charles Schwab Trust Bank.  Mr. Cook has over 14 years of financial services industry experience, serving in wealth management, fiduciary trust, operations, technology, and business leadership roles.  In 2015, Mr. Cook was responsible for establishing Schwab’s presence in southern Nevada, obtaining a business license and starting Charles Schwab Trust Company in order to provide personal trust services to Schwab’s retail clients nationwide.  Mr. Cook holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and Certified Trust and Financial Advisor designations, and earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration from Roosevelt University in Chicago, Illinois. 

David Navarro, Pacific Premier Bank

Senior Vice President / Director of Commercial Banking, Pacific Premier Bank

David R. Navarro is a Las Vegas native born and raised. He currently works in Pacific Premier Bank’s Commercial Lending Group as a Senior Vice President / Director of Commercial Banking. David has spent the majority of his career in the field of commercial banking serving a diverse group of commercial banking clients in the Las Vegas area. He started his career at a regional bank and has since worked for some of the largest banks in the country. He has held several positions in banking ranging from credit analyst to his current role. He is a proud graduate of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, holding his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree

in the field of accounting. David is also very involved in the banking industry and in his community. David has served or continues to serve in the following roles: President of the Risk Management Association’s Las Vegas Chapter; member of the Risk Management Association’s Academic Committee, which helps universities nationwide develop curriculum for the field of commercial banking; former American Bankers Association’s Emerging Leaders Council member; serves as an advisory board member for UNLV’s Commercial Banking Program; and serves on the UNLV Alumni Association’s Board of Directors as Treasurer. In the past, David has also been involved with the following organizations: Vegas Young Professionals, Toastmasters International, and Junior Achievement. Outside of work, David spends most of his time with his wife, Marvelyn, and their two children, Mia Isabella and Christian Alexander. In his spare time, his hobbies include working out, running, volunteering, traveling, going to concerts, watching sports, and spending time with family and friends.

H. Scott Johnson, Valley Bank of Nevada

Scott Johnson is Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Valley Bank of NevadaScott Johnson possesses more than twenty eight years of local financial institution experience. Scott worked for the national accounting firm, Deloitte & Touche, for several years and obtained his CPA license in the state of Nevada. He then worked for a number of Nevada credit unions, including the state of Nevada’s second largest credit union, Silver State Schools credit union. In addition to his accounting duties, Scott has been very involved in employee education and has twice been invited as a speaker at the national credit union convention. Scott has been employed by Valley Bank of Nevada since itsinception and played a key role in its formation; designing its financial, information technology, operations and human resources platforms. Scott graduated magna cum laude from Southern Utah University with a bachelor’s degree in Accounting. He recently completed a 3 year term as a member of the Southern Utah University Board of Trustees. He has also served on the University’s National Alumni Council and was the President of that organization from 2016 to 2019.

IMMEDIATE PAST-CHAIR

Darrel Small, Town & Country Bank

Darrel Small was born and raised in Wyoming. He is a graduate of Grand Canyon University, Phoenix, AZ, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. Small has been President/CEO of Town & Country Bank in Las Vegas since February 2013. He has been in Banking for 36 years and have served in a Pres/CEO capacity for the last 27 years.Small currently serves on the Independent Community Bankers Association’s Federal Delegate Board representing Nevada community banks. In addition, has served on the ICBA’s various committees; Credit, Tax and currently the IBPAC Political Action Committee. He has served on numerous Bank Boards and Bank Holding Company Boards throughout his banking career in Washington, Wyoming and Nevada.He is past member of the American Bankers Association’s American Community Bankers Council.Past President of the Wyoming Bankers Association and has served on its Board of Directors for 7 years. Past Trustee of the Weston County Medical Services Hospital and served on its Foundation Board for numerous years, in addition was a member of the Powder River Energy Economic Development Credit Committee.  He served as President of Northeastern Wyoming Crime Stoppers Board and served as a board member for several years. Member of the Weston County Wyoming Economic Development Board for 10 years. Small is married to Therese.