INTRODUCING 2026-2027 NMBA PRESIDENT AARON EMMERT How did you start in banking? I almost didn’t. When I graduated from Texas A&M, I went back home to El Paso and worked as a teller at Sunwest Bank for the summer. Then I turned down a job at First National Bank in El Paso, got married and moved to Indiana. After two brutal winters and a less-than-satisfying job at a consumer finance company, I called First National Bank and asked if they still had that job. They did. We moved back to El Paso, and I went to work for them in 1995. That started my 31 years and counting as a community banker. Any advice for young bankers? I was very lucky at First National Bank to have the opportunity to learn all aspects of banking. I started on the operations side, and after five years, they moved me to lending. Having the experience of both sides of the bank was a tremendous asset. My advice would be to learn as many jobs in banking as you can and don’t turn down any opportunities to learn something new that comes your way. Who was the greatest influence on your career? In my early years, Phil Lane and Doug McLean at First National were a tremendous influence. These guys ran a very efficient, profitable small community bank. They gave me more responsibility than I probably deserved as a young banker and let me figure it out. I spent a lot of time watching them and learning how to run a bank. How did you end up at Pioneer Bank? I went to work for Pioneer in 2017. I had previously been their market president in El Paso from 2006 to 2009. Christopher Palmer was the new president. He was looking for a CFO, and I was looking for a new challenge. When I took the job, one of the expectations was to get my CPA license. I had been a commercial lender for 17 years; it had been a while since I had prepared the call report and wore an accounting hat. I basically stopped all outside activities for two years and worked on getting my CPA license. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done and the most rewarding. I mean, who becomes a CPA at 48? Executive Vice President & CFO, Pioneer Bank 4
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