Small elected South Carolina Bankers Association Chairman
July 8, 2026
Samuel R. Small, Jr., Chairman, President and CEO, First Palmetto Bank in Columbia, has been elected Chairman of the South Carolina Bankers Association (SCBA). He was elected by a vote of SCBA members at their annual meeting and began serving his one-year term on July 1, 2026.
Sammy joined First Palmetto in 2006 as General Counsel and has been a driving force behind the bank’s continued growth and success ever since. Over the years, he has held several leadership roles, including Chief Operating Officer and President, before being named President and CEO in 2024. He was elected to the Board of Directors in 2016 and later became Chairman of the Board in 2023.
In addition to his role at First Palmetto, Sammy is active in the banking, legal, and business communities. He is a faculty member of the South Carolina Bankers School and is an Executive Committee and Board Member of the Business Development Corporation. He also serves on the Board of the South Carolina Student Loan Corporation and is a Diversity Fellow at the Riley Institute at Furman University. He is also a member of several professional associations, including the South Carolina and Richland County Bar Associations and the South Carolina Association of Corporate Counsel.
“As the 126th Chairman of the South Carolina Bankers Association, Sammy follows many banking icons in this role. It is a tremendous compliment to be chosen by banking peers throughout our state and we all look forward to this year under his leadership,” said SCBA President and CEO Fred Green.
Other newly installed officers and board members for the 2026-27 fiscal year are Chair-Elect, Ted Nissen of First Community Bank; First Vice Chairman, Coleman Kirven of The Peoples Bank; Treasurer, Tommy Bouchette of The Citizens Bank; Midlands Group Director, Vaughn Reynolds of Bank of America; Coastal Group Directors, Joe Kassim of First Capital Bank and Steve Stone of Coastal States Bank; and Members-At-Large, Cal Hurst of Southern First Bank and Scott Plyler of South Atlantic Bank.
The South Carolina Bankers Association is the professional trade association organized to effectively represent the common interest and welfare of the banking industry in South Carolina and to promote the professional development of its members and their employees. The SCBA’s mission is to serve as a reliable and responsive source of in formation and education regarding areas of importance to the industry and to be the key advocate in helping our member institutions by providing leadership in legislative, regulatory, educational and value added services. You can learn more at www.scbankers.org.
