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Meet The Equity Bank Leadership Team

Brad Elliott headshotBrad Elliott

Chairman & CEO, Equity Bancshares, Inc.

Brad S. Elliott is our founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Under Mr. Elliott’s leadership over more than 20 years, Equity Bank has grown to $5.2 Billion in total assets with more than 70 locations across Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. Mr. Elliott has strategically expanded the Company through numerous capital raises and bank mergers. In 2015, he led the Company through its initial public offering (IPO), then in May 2023, moved Equity’s common stock from the Nasdaq to the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Both strategies better position the Bank, its customers, and shareholders for the future. One of Equity Bank’s core values is community focus, and Mr. Elliott exemplifies this. He has served on the board of directors for the Wichita Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, the Wichita State University Shocker Athletic Scholarship Organization, PCS Advisory Board, Via Christi Health, and the Kansas Bankers Association. Before founding the Company, Mr. Elliott served as Director of Marketing at Koch Industries, Inc., a privately held multinational corporation. Prior to joining Koch Industries, Inc., he served as a Regional President at Sunflower Bank, a community bank with locations throughout Kansas, Colorado, and Missouri. Prior to joining Sunflower bank, Mr. Elliott was employed in various capacities by Home State Bank and Trust for six years following graduation from McPherson College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Management. Mr. Elliott is also a graduate of the Stonier Graduate School of Banking. Mr. Elliott adds financial services experience, especially lending and asset liability management, to the board of directors, as well as a deep understanding of the Company’s business and operations. Mr. Elliott also brings risk and operations management and strategic planning expertise to the board of directors, skills that are important as we continue to implement our business strategy and acquire and integrate growth opportunities. In July 2023, Mr. Elliott was honored as a ‘Top 10 CEO Redefining Business’ by CIO Views magazine.

Richard M. Sems

CEO, Equity Bank

Richard M. Sems is the CEO of Equity Bank. Mr. Sems leads organic growth of consumer and business product lines at the bank’s more than 70 locations, as well as the day-to-day operations of the Bank. Mr. Sems joined the bank as President in May 2023. Before that, Mr. Sems was the Chief Banking Officer for First Bank in St. Louis, MO. Mr. Sems served as President and CEO of Reliance Bank from 2013 to 2016 and Regional President of PNC Financial Services from 2009-2013. He worked as the President and CEO of Missouri Banking and served as EVP and Managing Director of Corporate Planning of National City Corporation from 2000-2009. Mr. Sems also spent time with PWC, working as a manager from 1993 to 1998 and is an Inactive CPA. He has a B.S in Accounting from Grove City College in Pennsylvania and an MBA – Corporate Strategy from the University of Michigan Ross Business School. He serves on the board of trustees for Grove City College and Maryville University.

Chris Navratil

EVP, Chief Financial Officer

Chris M. Navratil is the Chief Financial Officer of Equity Bancshares. Mr. Navratil first joined Equity as a Senior Vice President within Finance in February 2019. In December 2022, Mr. Navratil was promoted to Bank CFO, overseeing financial and balance sheet strategy, liquidity, financial planning and analysis, investor outreach and more. Before Equity Bank, Mr. Navratil spent seven years, including two as a Senior Manager within the Financial Institution Audit Practice, with Crowe LLP,  a public accounting firm in Chicago, Illinois. Mr. Navratil received his Master’s degree in Accountancy from Northern Illinois University in 2011.

Julie Huber headshotJulie Huber

EVP, Chief Operating Officer

Julie A. Huber serves as Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer at Equity Bank, leading all bank operations, including credit and deposit operations, card services, digital customer experience tools, customer care, merger and acquisition integration, and risk and compliance. Prior to this, Ms. Huber worked as EVP, Strategic Initiatives. Ms. Huber joined Equity Bank in 2003 and has served in a variety of leadership roles over a period of twelve years, including overseeing our operations, human resources, compliance functions, and sales and training, and has managed the integration process for each community bank we have acquired. Ms. Huber served as President of Signature Bank for three years following our acquisition in 2009. Prior to joining the company, Ms. Huber most recently served as the executive of Sunflower Bank responsible for the retail, operational, compliance, and security functions. Ms. Huber graduated from McPherson College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and History, received her MBA from Baker University in 2014, and is a graduate of the Stonier Graduate School of Banking and the Bank Leaders of Kansas. Ms. Huber currently serves as President of the Andover Advantage Foundation in Andover, Kansas and is a Business Plan Advisor with Youth Entrepreneurs.

Brett A. Reber headshotBrett Reber

EVP, General Counsel

Brett A. Reber joined Equity Bank in October 2018 as General Counsel for Equity Bancshares, Inc. and Equity Bank. Prior to joining Equity, he served as Managing Member of the Wise & Reber, L.C., law firm in McPherson, Kansas. Brett has practiced corporate and business law for the past 30 years. Mr. Reber received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Kansas in 1983, and his law degree from the University of Tulsa, College of Law in 1986. He served as a law clerk to United State District Judge Thomas R. Brett in the Northern District of Oklahoma before beginning his law practice. He was admitted to practice in Oklahoma in 1986 and Kansas in 1987, and holds membership in the American, Kansas and Oklahoma Bar Associations. Reber is active in community affairs, and serves on various boards including the McPherson Industrial Development Company and the Julia J. Mingenback Foundation locally, the National Board of Directors of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and the corporate boards of Farmers Alliance Mutual Insurance Company and the Bradbury Company.

Krzysztof Slupkowski

EVP, Chief Credit Officer

Krzysztof Slupkowski has been Equity Bank’s Chief Credit Officer since September 2023. Krzysztof joined Equity in 2018 and has worked with its largest borrowers as Metro Market Chief Credit Officer guiding credit decisions for Equity’s locations in Wichita, Kansas City, and Tulsa. Prior to joining Equity, Mr. Slupkowski worked in various credit functions for Commerce Bancshares. Krzysztof earned his Master of Business Administration from Wichita State University.

Ann Knutson

EVP, Chief Human Resources Officer

Ann M. Knutson joined the Equity Bank team in June 2023 as Chief Human Resources Officer.  Ms. Knutson brings 25 years of human resources experience to the team.  Prior to Equity Bank, she was the Senior Vice President of Summit Credit Union in her native Wisconsin.  The Milwaukee BizTimes recognized Ms. Knutson as a “Notable Woman in Human Resources” in 2021.  She was an Adjunct Instructor at the Graduate School of Banking in Madison, WI from 2017 to 2022.  Ms. Knutson also served as Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Bank Five Nine from 2008 to 2022.  She received her Master of Science degree in Management from Cardinal Stritch University.

David Pass

EVP, Chief Information Officer

David Pass joined Equity Bank in July 2023 as Executive Vice President, Chief Information Officer. Mr. Pass brings more than 23 years in financial services information technology with him to Equity Bank. Most recently, Mr. Pass served as an EVP on the technology team at UMB Bank , overseeing transformation, enterprise architecture, applications, and enterprise fraud teams. Before UMB, Mr. Pass spent 17 years as the CIO of CoBiz Financial, which was acquired by BOK Financial in 2018.

Patrick Harbert headshotPatrick Harbert

Chief Administrative Officer

Patrick J. Harbert is the Chief Administrative Officer for Equity Bank.  Mr. Harbert first began working for Equity Bank in August of 2003, and previously served as President of Community Markets and Executive Vice President. Mr. Harbert holds a BA in Business with a minor in finance from Friends University. Before joining Equity Bank, Mr. Harbert was the Dodge City Market President for Sunflower Bank from June 1998 to August 2003. Prior experience also includes Branch Management roles with Commercial Federal Bank, Bank of America, and Emprise Bank. Mr. Harbert was an honoree of the Wichita business Journal “40 under 40” in 2007. He is currently a member of the Bank Leaders of Kansas (BLOK), sponsored by the KBA.

Mark Parman headshotMark Parman

Senior Regional CEO, Metro Markets

Mark C. Parman is Senior Regional CEO of Metro Markets for Equity Bank. Mr. Parman previously served as Senior Vice President and Market President of Kansas City. Parman joined Equity Bank as VP of Special Assets in 2012 and became market president of Kansas City in 2014. Parman also served as EVP for First Community Bank, CEO of Hillcrest Bank, and then Solutions Bank in Kansas.

Brad Daniel

Regional CEO, Community West

Brad Daniel is Equity Bank’s Regional CEO of its Community West markets. Mr. Daniel joined Equity Bank early in 2018 as the Chief Deposit Officer. He was charged with leading the Deposit Growth Strategy for the bank which included Consumer, Commercial, and Treasury Management activities. In 2020 he became the President for Ozark Mountain Region and was responsible for all activities within that region. As the current CEO of community markets, Mr. Daniel leads all bank operations for four regions of our Equity Bank footprint. Mr. Daniel is a graduate of Tarleton State University with a BBA in Management and has flourished in his 23 year banking career.

Justin Harris

Regional CEO, Community South

Justin V. Harris is Equity Bank’s Regional CEO of the Community South area. Mr. Harris leads all efforts in the Ozark Mountain Region and the Southeast Kansas market. Before January 2024, Mr. Harris served as Regional President of Ozark Mountain, leading regional strategy, commercial and consumer business development, and local banking operations throughout those five locations, prioritizing local leadership and decision making in Equity Bank’s Arkansas offices, while continuing his duties as Senior Lending Officer. Mr. Harris joined Equity in 2021 as President of Equity Bank in Harrison, and has worked in a variety of roles throughout more than 20 years in the community banking industry. Those include roles in commercial and small business lending, retail deposit leadership, and positions as relationship manager, deposit operations, and senior lending and business development. Mr. Harris is a graduate of the Southwest Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University, earned his B.S. in Accounting from Utah State University, and an MBA from the University of Arizona. Mr. Harris resides in Harrison with his wife, Amber, and their two children.

Craig Dunn

Regional CEO, Community East

Craig E. Dunn joined Equity Bank in March 2024 as Regional CEO, Community East. Mr. Dunn oversees the bank’s community regions of Western Missouri, St. Joseph, and Kirksville locations. His territory comprises 19 banks. Mr. Dunn most recently worked as an EVP of Commercial Banking at Guaranty Bank in Springfield, Missouri from 2020 to 2024. Prior to that, Mr. Dunn served as President of Regent Bank in Springfield from 2018 to 2020 and served in leadership roles at other institutions for more than 25 years. During that span, he managed teams of commercial lenders before working as a regional president over 17 locations. Mr. Dunn lives in Republic, Missouri with his family and offices out of Equity’s Clinton location at 615 E. Ohio St. He attended the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. He also has his master’s in business administration from Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Missouri.

Dan Duchnowski

Chief Services Officer

Dan Duchnowski joined the Equity Bank team in Jan. 2023 as Chief Services Officer.  Mr. Duchnowski brings 23 years of banking experience, serving as EVP, Chief Banking Officer, EVP, Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Deposit Officer at Planters First Bank from 2020 to 2023.  Duchnowski also served as an SVP for S&T Bank from 2017 to 2020 and was the Vice President of the Customer Service Center and Digital Banking Manager at Fidelity from 2016-2017.  He has a degree in marketing and is currently attending the Georgia Banking School at the University of Georgia.

Jonathan Roop

Chief Deposit Strategy Officer

Jonathan K. Roop joined Equity Bank in June 2021 as SVP, Chief Deposit Strategy Officer and has served in the financial services and banking industry for fifteen years. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from West Virginia State University and is currently attending the ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking in Philadelphia, PA. In his current role, he leads Equity Bank’s deposit growth strategies and retail branch delivery. Prior to Equity Bank, Mr. Roop served as Retail District Manager for Huntington National Bank based in Columbus, OH. Within the Wichita community he coached local youth sports leagues, is an active member of his church, and volunteers with his children’s theater productions.