AgFirst welcomes Runkle, Calhoun to executive team
October 21, 2024
AgFirst welcomed two new executives Oct. 1. Brian Runkle was named Chief Operating Officer, and Pat Calhoun was appointed to the Chief Credit Officer role. Both will serve on the bank’s Executive Committee.
Brian Runkle
Brian Runkle fills a newly created role overseeing day-to-day bank operations. Runkle most recently served as Executive Vice President of Bank Operations at Webster Bank, a $70 billion commercial bank in the Northeastern United States, where he worked for eight years. He previously spent 17 years in various roles at GE Capital, leaving in 2016 as Managing Director of Risk. Runkle has a bachelor’s degree from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Indiana and an MBA from William & Mary’s Raymond A. Mason School of Business in Virginia.
Pat Calhoun
Pat Calhoun serves as Chief Credit Officer, overseeing Credit Administration, Asset Validation, Correspondent Lending, Capital Markets and Portfolio Risk and Analytics. After spending nearly 35 years working for Farm Credit Associations in South Carolina and Georgia, he retired as CEO of AgSouth Farm Credit in 2023. Calhoun grew up on a farm in Dillon, S.C., earned a bachelor’s degree from The Citadel and spent three years as an officer in the U.S. Army at Fort Stewart, Ga., before joining Farm Credit in 1988.
“Brian and Pat bring unique strengths and perspectives to AgFirst’s leadership team that will help the bank navigate rapidly evolving technology and lending landscapes. We are fortunate to have them and look forward to the skills and expertise they will bring to their roles,” said AgFirst President and CEO Tim Amerson.
About AgFirst Farm Credit Bank
Headquartered in Columbia, S.C., AgFirst Farm Credit Bank is one of four wholesale banks in the nationwide Farm Credit System. Farm Credit has supported rural communities and agriculture with reliable, consistent credit and financial services for more than 100 years. AgFirst is a cooperative that provides funding and services to Association partners in 15 states and Puerto Rico.
