Jackson, Mississippi – November 1, 2024 – In response to Story Financial Partners’s growth and continuing progress in the execution of its talent driven growth strategy, the bank is pleased to announce a series of strategic appointments aimed at enhancing leadership capabilities in the finance and accounting area of the Bank. These enhancements will ensure that each role is well-supported, allowing our team to operate with maximum efficiency and capacity in our growing organization.
As part of this initiative, Ruth Eiland will step into the role of Chief Financial Officer. In this capacity, Ruth will continue to work closely with our Controller; our Accounting Manager overseeing Payroll and Accounts Payable; and our Staff Accountant. Each team member’s contributions will be vital to our financial operations as we work together to drive the company forward.
“Ruth’s leadership in her new role as CFO, supported by our dedicated finance and accounting team, will be pivotal to our ongoing success. Ruth is a team player with deep expertise across finance, accounting, and tax, and we are fortunate to have her lead our efforts during this important time”, said Curt Gabardi, CEO of Story Financial Partners.
A successful finance team is composed of multiple key players. The Bank’s finance team has three additional key players in Kevin White, Martha Peterson, and Shaderrica Austin.
Kevin White currently serves as the Bank’s Controller in the Jackson, MS, office. Prior, Kevin served as Senior Vice President and Controller of Susser Bank in Arlington, Texas. A Jackson native, Kevin graduated from Mississippi State University and later attended Mississippi College, where he earned his Certificate of Accountancy. He is also a graduate of the Graduate School of Banking at LSU.
Martha Peterson is the Accounting Manager, based out of the Memphis office. Martha joined the Bank in July of 2023 with an amazing 41 years of prior banking experience. She spent the first 13 years of her career in the operations department of Community First Bank in Germantown and worked her way up to Bank Officer and Deposit Operations Supervisor.
Shaderrica Austin is also a member of the Memphis office, where she works closely with our Finance and Accounting team as the Staff Accountant. Shaderrica graduated with honors from the University of Memphis in December 2023, earning a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance. After graduation, she gained valuable experience as a Special Education Assistant at Chickasaw Middle School while pursuing a role in her field of study. A Memphis native, Shaderrica enjoys sketching, painting, video editing, and listening to music in her free time. We are thrilled to have her join our team and contribute her talents to our organization.
