First National's Ryan Earnest named to Georgia Bankers Association's Board of Directors

Ryan P. Earnest, the president and chief executive officer of First National Community Bank and First Chatsworth Bankshares Inc., has been appointed to a three-year term on the board of directors of the Georgia Bankers Association.

Says GBA Chairman Brad E. Barber, president and CEO of First National Bank in Bainbridge: “We are delighted to welcome Ryan to the GBA board, and we look forward to benefiting from his wealth of experience and insight for the betterment of the industry and, most importantly, the communities, families and businesses that Georgia’s banks serve.”

Earnest began his banking career in 1996. He joined the organizing staff of Heritage First Bank in 2002 as a lender and, in 2005, assumed the role of senior lending officer. He was elected as president of the bank in 2008 and named chief executive officer in 2017.

He then became chief executive officer of Heritage First Bancshares Inc. in 2019. With the merger of Heritage First Bancshares Inc. and First Chatsworth Bankshares Inc. on July 1, 2021, Earnest was named president and CEO of First National Community Bank and FCBI, respectively.

He currently serves on both boards of directors.

Earnest received a Bachelor’s of Arts from West Georgia College and graduated from the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University.

In addition to his role on the GBA board of directors, he also serves on the boards of directors for GBA Insurance Trust Inc. and Paragon Benefits Inc.

In his community, Earnest serves as chairman of the Development Authority Floyd County and treasurer of the Gordon County/Floyd County Joint Development Authority.

He previously served as the state-appointed trustee from Georgia on the board of trustees for the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University, as chairman on the board of trustees for the Rome-Floyd County YMCA, as chair of the Floyd Healthcare Foundation and chair of the South Rome Redevelopment Corp.