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Experience is our cornerstone.

Meet our Leadership Team

Kelly W. George

CEO + Founder

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.

Kelly George