Colin Barrett has served as president and CEO of the Tennessee Bankers Association (TBA) since 2013. The TBA, founded in 1890, is a not-for-profit trade organization representing Tennessee’s commercial banks and thrift institutions.

He previously was executive vice president, responsible for government relations in both Nashville and Washington, D.C., with oversight of TBA’s education and communication efforts, as well as member relations with the 177 banks with operations in Tennessee.

Formerly, he was with the American Bankers Association in Washington, D.C., where he served two stints between 2001 and 2005 as regional membership manager.

During 2003, Colin took a leave from the ABA to serve as regional development manager for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, based in Washington. In this position, he coordinated and managed a nationwide fund-raising program with U.S. Senators.

Colin earned his M.A. degree in political management from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and undergraduate degree from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.

He and his wife, Rachel, live in Nashville with their son, William.

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Joe Brannen is the president and chief executive officer of the Georgia Bankers Association, a position he has held for 40 years.  Since its founding in 1892, the Georgia Bankers Association has been the statewide organization representing Georgia’s banks and savings institutions.  Prior to joining the association, Joe spent eight years on the staff of former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn.  Active in many state, regional and national organizations, Joe is on the board of directors of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the American Bankers Association’s Alliance of State Associations, which he previously chaired.

Joe is a past president of the Georgia Bar Foundation and is a former chair of the board of the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University. He continues to serve on both boards.  He is a past participant in Leadership Georgia, a member of the Gridiron Secret Society, and has been a member of the Committee of 100 of Emory University’s Candler School of Theology.

Joe is a native of Statesboro and is a graduate of the University of Georgia with a major in chemistry.  Joe and his wife, Vilda, live in Atlanta.

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Ballard W. Cassady, Jr. has been President & Chief Executive Officer of the Kentucky Bankers Association, for 34 years, which is headquartered in Louisville.  Before that, from 1984 to 1986, he served as Commissioner of the Department of Financial Institutions in Frankfort.  Mr. Cassady also was chief executive officer of Citizens Bank of Pikeville from 1982 to 1984.  Mr. Cassady holds a B.S. degree from Transylvania University in Lexington and an MBA from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee; he also holds diplomas from the Kentucky School of Banking, the Stonier Graduate School of Banking at Rutgers University, and the University of Louisville Management Series.  Ballad serves on the Wisconsin Graduate School of Banking Board of Trustees, , and the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University.

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Gordon Fellows serves as President of CEO of the Mississippi Bankers Association (MBA), the state’s unified voice for the banking industry.  He oversees all aspects of the association, including the MBA’s policy advocacy and Government Relations initiatives.  He leads the MBA’s lobbying efforts at the Mississippi State Capitol and works closely with the Mississippi Congressional Delegation and national banking trade groups to support industry federal lobbying efforts as well.

Active in both state and federal industry affairs, Fellows currently serves on the ABA BankPac Committee, the political action committee of the American Bankers Association.  He also currently serves on the Independent and Community Bankers of America Legislative Committee and serves on the Board of Directors of the Mississippi Business and Political Education Committee, more commonly known as BIPEC.

Gordon joined the Association in 2012 after working in the furniture industry for six years.  During his career in the furniture industry, Fellows was based in China on two separate occasions working for different companies.  During his time abroad, he managed a broad global supply chain, developed strategic sourcing relationships, and oversaw quality control and product development initiatives.

A native of Tupelo, he earned a Bachelor’s degree in international studies at the Croft Institute at the University of Mississippi in 2006 (and is an alumnus of the Trent Lott Leadership Institute for High School Students summer program)  During his time at Ole Miss, Fellows was active in various aspects of student life.  He was elected Associated Student President and was selected to the University of Mississippi Hall of Fame.  Gordon is married to the former Sara Hart Rosenblatt, and resides in Madison, MS.

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Christopher J. Furlow was appointed as President & Chief Executive Officer of the Texas Bankers Association on January 12, 2018. Previously, he was President of Ridge Global, an international risk management consulting firm, where he developed innovative programs for small business leaders, Fortune 500 executives, and board members. With expertise in cybersecurity and public-private partnerships, he helped clients in financial services & other sectors leverage resilience for competitive advantage. He has an extensive background in complex policy/regulatory issues in both the public & private sectors. After the 9/11 attacks, Furlow was named Director for State Affairs in the White House Office of Homeland Security where he served as policy liaison to governors and was a member of the Incident Support Group providing coordination on events of “national significance.” During the stand-up of the Department of Homeland Security, he was appointed Executive Director of the Homeland Security Advisory Council and led operations of its multiple public and private sector committees. In a career of 25+ years, he has served as a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce, aide to a member of the tax-writing House Ways & Means Committee, and political party leader at the state & national levels. A graduate of Louisiana State University, he was a Senior Fellow of the Homeland Security Policy Institute of The George Washington University and was an adjunct professor for Carnegie Mellon University Chief Risk Officer (CRO) program. Chris served on the US Chamber of Commerce National Security Task Force & Cybersecurity Leadership Council. He is a current member of the Texas Cybersecurity Council, Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House, London), Board of Trustees for Southwest Graduate School of Banking (SWGSB) at SMU, and the Advisory Board for the Smith-Hutson Endowed Chair of Banking at SHSU.

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Fred Green has been President and Chief Executive Officer of the South Carolina Bankers Association (SCBA) since 2012. Prior to joining SCBA, he enjoyed a 33 year career within the South Carolina banking industry.  Fred is a native of Georgetown and graduate of the University of South Carolina, he began his banking career with Citizens & Southern National Bank. In 1991, he joined the National Bank of South Carolina (NBSC) as Executive Vice President where he later named President, CEO and Chairman. In 2003 after NBSC was acquired by Synovus, he moved to Georgia to serve as President, Chief Operating Officer and as Vice Chairman for the five-state bank holding company.

Green, now a Columbia resident, previously served as Director of the Federal Reserve Bank and on its Federal Advisory Council for the 5th and 6th District Banks.

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Peter Gwaltney has served as President & Chief Executive Officer of the North Carolina Bankers Association since January 2015. He is a former banker and previously served as CEO of the Louisiana Bankers Association.  During his career, Peter has served on numerous committees with the American Bankers Association and currently serves on the ABA Board of Directors and Chairman of the ABA Alliance of State Bankers Associations. He is a Past Chairman of the Louisiana Governor’s Prayer Breakfast, a Past Chairman of the Graduate School of Banking at LSU and current serves as a member of the Board of Trustees at Mary Baldwin University in Staunton, Virginia and the Dean’s Advisory Council at the School of Business at Louisiana State University. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in General Studies with an emphasis in Economics and Finance from Louisiana State University. Peter and his wife, Ginny, have six children and seven grandchildren.

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Scott E. Latham serves as president and CEO of the Alabama Bankers Association, a professional trade association representing nearly 150 commercial banks across Alabama with combined deposits exceeding $100 billion in more than 1,466 locations.

Having served in this capacity since 1997, he is an active member of the Alliance of State Bankers Associations, a division of the American Bankers Association, and just completed a term serving as chairman.

He serves as a member of the board of trustees of Freed- Hardeman University in Henderson, Tenn., as well as Lads to Leaders & Leaderettes, a Montgomery, Ala. organization promoting Christian leadership among youth.

He holds an MBA from Auburn University in Montgomery and a degree from the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.

He and his wife, Michelle, have two daughters, Abby and Caroline, and are active members of the University Church of Christ. Scott serves the church as an elder, and both Michelle and Scott serve as Sunday School teachers and are active in many areas of the church.

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Bob Taylor has more than 37 years in Louisiana banking association work, working for LBA since 1991, and before that, for the Louisiana League of Savings Institutions from 1983 to 1991. Bob is very grateful to work with, as he says, “the wonderful people that are Louisiana bankers.” He serves on committees with the Independent Community Bankers of America and American Bankers Association. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of the LSU Graduate School of Banking, including a two-year term as chairman from 2017-2018. After four years of active military duty, Bob took advantage of the G.I. Bill to graduate from Western Kentucky University, located in beautiful Bowling Green, KY, and remains a proud and supportive alumnus.

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Bruce joined the Virginia Bankers Association in 1993, its 100th anniversary year, following a 10-year career in retail and commercial banking. He has served as president and chief executive officer of the association since 2007 and was previously executive vice president.

As a banking industry advocate, Bruce is active at the national level. He served on the American Bankers Association’s Regulatory Reform Task Force during the 2008-2009 financial crisis and served as an ABA Board member and chairman of the Alliance of State Bankers Associations in 2012-2013. He has also served on the ABA Community Bankers Council and the ABA Government Relations Council.
While at the VBA, Bruce has worked with member banks in a variety of areas, to include government relations, education and training, financial literacy, and partnering with banks in a number of innovative ways to help them enter new lines of business. He also speaks about and on behalf of the industry on a regular basis.

Committed to serving his community, Bruce is a director of and has chaired United Methodist Family Services in Richmond, VA and the Virginia Council on Economic Education. He also serves on the Board of Trustees at Ferrum College.

Bruce received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of William & Mary, his MBA from the University of Richmond and is a graduate of the Virginia Bankers School of Bank Management.

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