After more than 44 years of service to the bank and its customers, Commercial Trust Chief Executive Officer Mark Harbison will retire on December 31, 2020. Harbison will turn over his duties as CEO at that time; however, he will continue to serve on the bank’s Board of Directors.  

Current Executive Vice President and Chief Lending Officer Gina Sanders and current Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President Kyle Elliott will be named Co-Chief Executive Officers, as of October 1. Both Sanders and Elliott will continue in their respective roles as Chief Lending Officer and Financial Services Advisor, in addition to their new roles as Co-CEOs. Jay Jacobs will continue as Chairman of the Board of Directors and Janet Jacobs will remain as President of Commercial Trust.

“Not only has Mark done an outstanding job as CEO of the bank for the past 22 years, he has worked in and ultimately overseen every area of the bank’s operations over his four-plus decades with us – beginning in the teller line in 1976, leading the installation of our first computer systems in the early 1980s, taking us into the internet age more than 20 years ago, and finally delivering today’s world of mobile banking to our customers,” said Jay Jacobs, reflecting on Harbison’s contributions to Commercial Trust and the Howard County community “We are beyond grateful for his contributions, which include preparing us for any challenges of the future.”

In addition to his work at Commercial Trust, Harbison has provided important leadership in the community over the years. A longtime member of numerous community organizations and a leader of key local initiatives, Harbison has served as President and Secretary/Treasurer of the Fayette Optimist Club and Treasurer of the Fayette Area Chamber of Commerce, the Howard County Fair Board, and Linn Memorial United Methodist Church. He is a current member of the Missouri Industrial Development Corporation and the Howard County Economic Development Council.

In 2014, he received the Fayette Rotary Club Business Leader of the Year award. Further, he has served as President, Vice President, and Secretary/Treasurer of the Fayette Round Table Club. Earlier this year, Central Methodist University honored him with its prestigious 2020 Distinguished Alumni Award.

“We are so thankful for Mark’s years of practical experience, institutional memory, and innovative ideas,” said President Janet Jacobs. “We cannot thank him enough for spending his career at Commercial Trust in service to our valued customers.

“As we look forward, we are excited that Gina Sanders and Kyle Elliott – our next generation of executive leadership – are proven in their expertise and well-known to our customers. Gina and Kyle are ideally suited to serve as Co-CEOs and we look forward to them serving our customers and employees for many years to come. We will miss Mark’s daily presence on the Square in Fayette, but he has helped to prepare the next group of Commercial Trust leaders and our future is bright. We hope all members of the community will join us in thanking Mark for his many years of loyal service and wishing him the very best in his retirement.”