First Commercial Bank has announced a series of strategic appointments aimed at enhancing leadership capabilities in the finance and accounting area of the Bank.
As part of this initiative, Ruth Eiland will step into the role of Chief Financial Officer. In this capacity, Eiland will continue to work closely with our Controller; the Accounting Manager overseeing Payroll and Accounts Payable; and the bank’s Staff Accountant.
Joining this team will be Chelsey Henley, who will assume the position of Chief Accounting Officer. Henley brings a wealth of experience from her current role as Controller at First South Credit, and previously, as Tax Manager with Horne CPA Group. Her academic background includes studies at Mississippi College and a master’s degree from Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management.
“We are excited to welcome Chelsey to our team,” said Curt Gabardi, CEO of First Commercial Bank. “Her extensive expertise in accounting and management, along with her strong background in tax, will be invaluable as we move 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.”
The bank’s finance team has three additional key players in Kevin White, Martha Peterson, and Shaderrica Austin.
White currently serves as the Bank’s Controller in the Jackson office. Prior, White served as Senior Vice President and Controller of Susser Bank in Arlington, Texas. A Jackson native, White 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. Peterson joined the Bank in July of 2023 with 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 the bank’s Finance and Accounting team as the Staff Accountant. Austin graduated with honors from the University of Memphis in December 2023, earning a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance.
