Community Trust Bancorp, Inc. Announces Retirement of James J. Gartner

Mark Smith Promoted to Executive Vice President, Chief Credit Officer

Jeremy Clark Promoted to Senior Vice President, Loan Review Manager

PIKEVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mark A. Gooch Vice Chairman, President and CEO of Community Trust Bancorp, Inc., is pleased to announce that Mark Smith has been promoted to the position of Executive Vice President, Chief Credit Officer and Jeremy Clark has been promoted to the position of Senior Vice President, Loan Review Manager. Both promotions are effective January 1, 2024. James J. Gartner will be retiring from Community Trust Bank on December 31, 2023 as Executive Vice President, Chief Credit Officer.

James J. Gartner

Mr. Gartner has more than 55 years of banking experience, including more than 21 years with Community Trust Bank. He has been responsible for the management of all commercial, mortgage and consumer lending and underwriting in the $4 billion loan portfolio. Mr. Gartner started his banking career as a National Bank Examiner in 1968 in Rockford, Illinois. As a National Bank Examiner, he lived in four different states. In 1985 he joined First Bank System in Rapid City, South Dakota as Director and Chief Credit Officer. He has also held directorate and senior credit lending management positions in Kansas, Arizona and Florida.

“We appreciate the tremendous value Jim has brought to our Bank over the past 21 years,” said Mr. Gooch. “We wish Jim and his wife Ruth the very best in his retirement.”

Mark Smith

Mr. Smith's 30-year career in the financial services industry includes time as an Associate National Bank Examiner for the Comptroller of the Currency, head of quality control for a nationwide loan production operation, and previously managing the loan review function of a large community bank. He joined Community Trust Bank, Inc. in that same position in 2006.

Mr. Smith is a licensed Certified Public Accountant and is Credit Risk Certified by the Risk Management Association. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia and is a graduate of the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Tennessee at Martin. Mr. Smith was born in Charleston, West Virginia and is a long-term resident of Pikeville, Kentucky.

Jeremy Clark

Mr. Clark has worked for Community Trust Bank, Inc. for over 10 years. He served as Senior Internal Auditor for three years and Loan Review Analyst for seven years. He has worked in governance, risk, and compliance related functions for approximately 24 years. He earned Master's and Bachelor's degrees in Business Administration from Morehead State University in Morehead, Kentucky.

Mr. Clark is a Certified Internal Auditor and is Credit Risk Certified through the Risk Management Association. He completed the ABA Stonier National Graduate School of Banking/Wharton Leadership Program in 2020. He is a member of Graceway Church in Langley, Kentucky and the father of two beautiful daughters. He was born in Pikeville, Kentucky and has been an eastern Kentucky resident the majority of his life.

“Mark Smith and Jeremy Clark have been an integral part of our success over the years, and we look forward to that continuing in the future,” said Mr. Gooch.

Community Trust Bancorp, Inc., with assets of $5.6 billion, is headquartered in Pikeville, Kentucky and has 70 banking locations across eastern, northeastern, central, and south central Kentucky, six banking locations in southern West Virginia, three banking locations in northeastern Tennessee, four trust offices across Kentucky, and one trust office in Tennessee.