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Ms. Szedlar has over 19 years of banking experience, serving in various capacities with a number of different financial institutions. She served as an organizing officer and Chief Operating Officer for Partners Bank, a start-up community bank. During her seven years with the bank, shed helped manage the company from conception to $150 million in assets. Under her leadership, the company attained double-digit return on equity in the fourth year of operations. As a Vice President for First Banks, Inc., a multi-billion dollar bank holding company, she was involved with the mergers and acquisitions team dedicated to growing the bank through an acquisition strategy. During her 10-year tenure with the company, she served as a Loan Review Officer, the Credit Risk Officer and Credit Department Manager. She also served as a Commercial Lender for Central Bank. Most recently, Ms. Szedlar established her own company, The Bankers Advantage, to provide consulting services to financial institutions. Ms. Szedlar obtained a Bachelor's degree in finance, with minors in accounting and business administration, from Illinois State University. She also earned an MBA from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. In January 2005, Ms. Szedlar was a recipient of the St. Louis Business Journal's "40 Under 40" Award honoring outstanding business professionals in the St. Louis metropolitan area. | 