Leadership

Mr. Amerson received a B.S. degree in business finance from the University of South Carolina and an MBA from Duke University. Prior to joining AgFirst in 1987, Mr. Amerson was employed by the National Bank of South Carolina. He serves on the AgFirst/FCBT Plan Sponsor Committee, AgFirst Plan Sponsor Committee, and the Farm Credit System Presidents Planning Committee (member of the Finance Committee and Business Practices Committee). Mr. Amerson is a member of the AgFirst Executive Committee.

Mr. Bumgarner joined AgFirst in 2004. He previously was employed by Safety-Kleen Inc. and received a bachelor’s degree in finance and business administration from the University of South Carolina. Mr. Bumgarner is vice chairman of the Executive Committee and is co-chair of the Project Prioritization and Governance Committee. In addition, he serves on the following committees: Asset/Liability Management, Data Governance Steering, Disclosure, and Executive Credit. He serves on the board of the Farm Credit Captive Insurance Company.

Mr. Calhoun joined AgFirst in 2024 as Chief Credit Officer, responsible for Credit Administration, Asset Validation, Correspondent Lending, Capital Markets and Portfolio Risk and Analytics. He spent nearly 35 years working for Farm Credit Associations in South Carolina and Georgia, retiring in 2023 as Chief Executive Officer of AgSouth Farm Credit. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and government from The Citadel and previously spent three years serving as an officer in the U.S. Army. Mr. Calhoun is a member of the AgFirst Executive Committee.

Mr. Gilbert received a B.S. in business administration with a major in accounting and a minor in economics from Syracuse University. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in the state of South Carolina and a Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA). Prior to joining AgFirst in 2007, he was employed by Price Waterhouse LLP, Pirelli Cables and Systems North America, and Hanson Brick and Tile North America. Mr. Gilbert currently serves as chairman of the Disclosure Committee at AgFirst and co-chairman of the Data Governance Steering Committee. He is a member of the AgFirst Executive, Management Coordination and Asset/Liability Management committees, as well as the Internal Control Over Financial Reporting (ICFR) Steering Committee. Mr. Gilbert is also a member of the Farm Credit System Disclosure Committee.

Mrs. Griggs received a bachelor’s degree from Clemson University and a Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law. Prior to joining AgFirst in 2013, she was the General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Howden North America. She has previous experience as in-house counsel for insurance companies and as a litigator in private practice. Mrs. Griggs serves on the AgFirst Executive Committee. She also serves on the Asset/Liability Management, Disclosure, Executive Credit, and Fraud Risk Management Steering committees.

Mr. LaFreniere has a B.B.A. in accountancy from the University of Notre Dame. Before joining AgFirst in 2013, he worked for SCANA Corp. in Columbia, S.C.; The Coleman Co. Inc. in Lake City, S.C.; Baxter Healthcare Corp. in Deerfield, Ill.; and Deloitte and Touche in Chicago. He has prior experience at the plant, division and corporate levels, including audit, accounting and corporate planning positions. He is an ex-officio member of the Bank’s Executive Committee.

Mr. Paul joined AgFirst in 2022. He previously worked as Chief People Officer for the Medical University of South Carolina Health in Charleston and spent a decade in Human Resources leadership at Denver-based Catholic Health Initiatives. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia and a dual master’s degree in business administration and HR and healthcare administration from American Intercontinental University. Mr. Paul serves as a member of the AgFirst Executive Committee.

Mr. Runkle joined AgFirst in 2024 overseeing Bank operations. He previously worked as Executive Vice President of Bank Operations for Webster Bank and spent 17 years at GE Capital, leaving in 2016 as Managing Director of Risk. Mr. Runkle earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and an MBA in finance and marketing from William & Mary’s Raymond A. Mason School of Business. He serves as a member of the AgFirst Executive Committee.

Mr. Silvera joined AgFirst in 2020 overseeing marketing, communications and product strategy. He previously worked as Chief Marketing Officer at Rabobank N.A. and as managing director of digital marketing for MUFG Union Bank. He also served as senior vice president of eMerchandising and interactive design at Bank of America and Wachovia (Wells Fargo), respectively. Mr. Silvera received a bachelor’s degree in business administration and marketing from California State University, Los Angeles, and an MBA from Pepperdine University. He serves as a member of the AgFirst Executive Committee and the Data Governance Steering Committee.

Mr. Toney joined AgFirst in 2001 and previously served 10 years in the United States Air Force in telecommunications. He received a B.S. degree in Business Administration from the University of South Carolina and a PMBA from the Darla Moore School of Business. Mr. Toney is chairman of the Senior Leadership Committee, Information Security/Business Continuity Committee, and co-chairman of the Project Execution and Advisory Committee. He also serves as a member of the following: Internal Control Over Financial Reporting (ICFR) Steering Committee, Fraud Risk Management Steering Committee, Project Prioritization and Governance Committee and Data Governance Steering Committee, as well as the AgFirst Executive Committee.