Simmons announces executive promotions
LITTLE ROCK — Simmons Bank announced Tuesday the promotions of veteran bankers Jon Crippen, Marc Gerard and Martin Schrodt. These promotions align with creation of Simmons Bank’s metro and community divisions.
Crippen will assume the role of senior vice president and head of retail banking for Simmons Bank’s metro markets, which include Dallas/ Fort Worth, Frisco, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Northwest Arkansas, Wichita, Kansas City, St. Louis, Little Rock, Memphis and Nashville. Crippen will continue to work out of Fort Worth, Texas. Gerard will assume the role of senior vice president and head of retail banking for Simmons Bank’s community markets. These markets include North Texas, South Oklahoma, Stillwater, Southwest Missouri, Southeast Missouri, Central Missouri, Northeast Arkansas, North Central Arkansas, West Arkansas, South Arkansas, West Tennessee and East Tennessee. Gerard will maintain his office in St. Louis.
Schrodt will lead as senior vice president and head of retail strategy development and design.
In this new position, Schrodt will develop and design tools and materials to support retail strategies and objectives. Schrodt will continue to be based in Nashville, Tenn.
“With the promotions of Jon, Marc and Martin, their service-oriented leadership and operational excellence positions Simmons Bank favorably for continued market growth,” said Franklin Shirrell, executive vice president and chief retail officer at Simmons Bank. “Their track records for building relationships and leading multi-market strategies are of tremendous value as we serve our customers in these respective market types.”
Crippen has more than 20 years of experience managing branch retail districts with an emphasis on recruiting and developing top talent. His recruiting efforts have produced revenue and balance sheet growth, created a great place to work for associates, and delivered an exceptional client experience.
An alumnus of the University of Nebraska, Crippen received a bachelor of arts in speech communication and was a three-year varsity letterman on the Cornhusker football team. He has served many charitable organizations, including being a board member for Child Saving Institute of Omaha and as vice chairman of the Alliance Against Family Violence.
With more than 20 years of experience, Gerard joined Simmons Bank in 2020 as senior vice president and regional retail manager. He previously served as consumer banking manager in St. Louis and other Missouri markets overseeing retail performance.
An active community member in the St. Louis area, Gerard has served as board and campaign chairman of Midwest United Way, board member and committee chairman for the YMCA, treasurer of the St. Louis Artist Guild and as a Financial Advisory Committee member for Catholic Charities. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from St. Joseph’s College in Indiana.
Schrodt has more than 25 years of experience and most recently served as senior vice president and chief operating officer at an Arkansas Credit Union, where he oversaw front-line business and consumer banking areas, including deposit operations and the call center.
Schrodt served on the board of the Cherokee Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America for nearly 10 years and has been an active volunteer of the Ronald McDonald House in Little Rock and Chattanooga, Tenn. An alumnus of the University of Kentucky, Schrodt also holds leadership certifications from Gap International and the University of Chattanooga.