Bryant Bank Promotes From Within as President Takes New Role

Bryant Bank is undergoing a series of leadership changes effective October 1, with founding President Claude Edwards stepping into a new role after two decades at the helm.

Edwards, who has served as Bryant Bank's President since it opened in 2005, will become President Emeritus and Chief Strategy Officer. Mike Mitchell, currently Executive Vice President, Chief Credit Officer and Chief Administrative Officer, will become Bank President. Patrick Hamner, Executive Vice President of Commercial Loans and Credit Administration, will succeed Mitchell as Chief Credit Officer.

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Bryant Bank owner and Chairman Paul W. Bryant Jr. credited Edwards with building the institution's identity from the ground up.

"Claude has led Bryant Bank with the same strength and stability on which it was founded," Bryant said. "His values and Bryant Bank's values are directly aligned. Security, strength, and stability are what our customers expect of Bryant Bank, and that has been the standard of leadership Claude has provided since the very beginning."

Bryant personally selected Edwards, a veteran community banker, to help launch the bank in 2005. Under his leadership, Bryant Bank grew from a single Tuscaloosa office into an institution with more than $3 billion in assets, 18 branches and over 300 employees.

Bryant Bank owner and Board Secretary Scott Phelps said the leadership transition reflects the bank's long-term thinking.

"Each decision we make is made first with a focus on our customers' needs and expectations and then with the bank's next 100 years in mind, not just the next 5 or 10," Phelps said. "That same long-term mindset is why we prefer to promote from within and develop leaders like Mike and Patrick, each of whom have embraced and demonstrated the bank's culture and mission."

In his new role, Edwards will focus on strategic growth planning for the bank.

"Bryant Bank has never been about just one person," Edwards said. "It has always been about the people who show up every day to serve their neighbors. My new role is an opportunity to focus on the strategy and support the next leaders who will carry that work forward, starting with Mike and Patrick. Our customers are in good hands with the leadership team we've built."

Mitchell joined Bryant Bank in 2019 and brings more than three decades of experience in credit administration and commercial lending. He also served more than 35 years in the U.S. Army and Alabama Army National Guard, retiring in 2021 as a Brigadier General. He serves on the board of directors for the Community Foundation of West Alabama and the Executive Leadership Team for the American Heart Association in Tuscaloosa, and is a member of the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama's Public Affairs Council. He holds a Master of Science in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College and a degree in Corporate Finance from the University of Alabama's Manderson Graduate School of Business.

"Mike has spent the last several years earning the trust of our team, our board, and our customers," Bryant said. "His background in credit, his discipline, and his leadership experience make him well suited to this role."

Mitchell said his time learning from Edwards has shaped his understanding of the bank's mission.

"I am honored to step into this role and to carry forward the culture and the commitment to community that our founders built our bank on," Mitchell said.

Hamner, who was part of the original team of bankers that helped build Bryant Bank in 2005, will lead credit administration functions statewide. He previously served two terms as the District 4 representative on the Tuscaloosa City School Board, concluding in May 2025, and has been active with organizations including Junior Achievement of Tuscaloosa County, the United Way of West Alabama and the Mental Health Association of Tuscaloosa.

"Patrick has a deep understanding of Bryant Bank's credit culture and the discipline that has kept our bank strong," Phelps said. "That expertise, paired with his knowledge of our markets, makes him the right person to lead credit administration statewide."

Hamner said he's looking forward to the new responsibility.

"I've learned a great deal from Claude and Mike's leadership over the years, and I look forward to applying that in this role," Hamner said. "I'm honored to be part of this next chapter in Bryant Bank's story."

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