Mr. George’s 30-year bank career began as a management trainee and has grown to include the roles of commercial lender, Safety and Soundness Examiner, Chief Credit Officer and 15 years as the President, CEO and Director of mBank, a $1.5 Billion public banking company from 2006 to its divestiture in September 2021. During his time as President and CEO, George led the bank’s growth strategies both organically and through five whole bank acquisitions from 2014–2018, multiple capital procurement initiatives, and business line diversifications to enhance shareholder value. George joined mBank in 2003 as Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer in charge of the regulatory and lending administration turnaround of the former North Country Bank and Trust in Manistique, MI. After the successful rehabilitation of the troubled bank, recapitalization, and rebranding, he was promoted to President and CEO of mBank and President of Mackinac Financial Corporation, its parent company.

Prior to mBank, George was the Senior Vice President and Chief Lending Officer of a $350 million community bank in North Central Ohio, also in charge of the credit administration and regulatory turnaround from 2000 to 2003. He also served as a Safety and Soundness Examiner in-Charge at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, where he was responsible for the oversight of FRB-regulated community banking institutions, along with assisting with examinations of larger complex bank holding companies in the district and shared national credit reviews. He began his career in various retail banking, credit and commercial lending roles at the former Bank One and National City Bank in Cleveland, Ohio.

His areas of expertise include successful bank turnarounds at the executive level, capital formation both debt and equity, leading strategic growth initiatives both organically and through external M&A transactions, problem asset resolution, credit risk oversight and regulatory affairs and guidance. Mr. George is a graduate of The Ohio State University with a B.S. in economics and a minor in finance.

Ms. McDowell has been in banking for over 35 years and previously served as mBank’s EVP and Chief Credit Officer and Operations Officer from 2008 until its divesture in September 2021. She was part of the credit management turnaround team in 2003, assisting in the rehabilitation of the failing North Country Bank and Trust in Manistique MI, which was recapitalized and renamed mBank in 2005. McDowell’s leadership was instrumental in the turnaround, along with organic and external growth through five whole bank acquisitions (2014–2018) in which she led the data processing conversions and all asset quality due diligence for the acquired financial intuitions. mBank grew to over $1.5 Billion dollars in total assets during her leadership tenure.

Previously, McDowell had a successful career at The Commercial and Saving Bank in Millersburg, Ohio where she was the Vice President/Credit Administrator and oversaw all credit and loan operations. Her areas of expertise include all aspects of credit administration, loan and deposit operations, systems conversions from multiple platforms, compliance and problem loan resolution and divestitures.

Ms. McDowell is loan review certified from BAI and has successfully completed numerous bank and regulatory specific courses in the area of credit and operational leadership and administration.

Jeremy Flodin has been in the Banking industry for nearly 18 years. Mr. Flodin worked for mBank from June of 2004 through September 2021, and had most recently served as the SVP Sr. Credit Administrator/Risk Analyst. During his time at mBank, Mr. Flodin held various roles, including a Commercial Credit Analyst, Commercial Loan Officer and Senior Credit Administrator/Risk Analyst. Jeremy was also involved in the external growth of mBank through five whole bank acquisitions (2014-2018), in which he was an integral part of the asset quality due diligence for the acquired financial institutions. In addition, after his career at mBank, Mr. Flodin served a role with the Accounting Firm RSM-US, LLP, working as a Commercial Loan Reviewer. Areas of expertise for Mr. Flodin include all aspects of commercial credit underwriting and lending, problem loan resolution and divestiture, financial analysis and asset quality Board reporting.

Mr. Flodin is a lifelong resident of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Northern Michigan University, in Marquette, MI. He has also successfully completed numerous bank and regulatory specific courses in the areas of Commercial Credit. 

Scott joins our leadership team following a 35 year career with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, including overseeing the Agency’s Consumer Compliance Examination Program in Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for the past 25 years as Field Supervisor. Scott began his regulatory career in 1987 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota where he obtained dual commissions in Risk Management and Consumer Compliance and served as a Senior Examiner-in-Charge for complex and problem bank’s for the first 10 years of his career. Responsibilities included serving as examiner-in- charge at adversely rated financial institutions in the Midwest and East Coast during past financial crises, and also leading examination strategies at nationwide credit card lenders headquartered in South Dakota. In 1997, Scott was promoted to Field Supervisor for the Division of Depositor and Consumer Protection, a position he held until retirement in 2022.

Scott received numerous honors during his tenure with the FDIC including Employee of the Year, Manager of the Year, and the Chairman’s Excellence Award. Scott also earned his Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager from the American Bankers Association in 1998 and has conducted many training and outreach events in conjunction with banker trade organizations in developing effective compliance management systems to improve a financial institution’s overall adherence with governing consumer laws and regulations.

Brian Wawsczyk has over 10 years of Community Banking and Bank Regulatory experience. Brian previously worked at mBank for approximately three years up until its divestiture in September of 2021. Brian worked in the Finance area of the Bank, in charge of various regulatory risk oversight and financial analysis projects. Post mBank, Brian served as the Chief Financial Officer of a Credit Union in Lower Michigan. Prior to mBank, Mr. Wawsczyk served as a Safety and Soundness Examination Manager for the State of Michigan for approximately six years. Brian’s areas of expertise include enterprise risk management, commercial credit underwriting and loan review, asset liability management, and he is BSA/AML certified through Banker’s Web.

Mr. Wawsczyk served in the U.S. Army from May of 2000 until August of 2003, and with the Michigan National Guard from August of 2003 until April of 2012, including serving as a Disabled Veterans Outreach Program Specialist. Brian holds a Bachelor of Business degree from Northwood University, in Midland, MI and a MBA in Finance from the University of Michigan, Flint. He has also successfully completed numerous bank and regulatory specific courses in the areas of Commercial Credit and Regulatory Compliance.