8 MARCH / APRIL 2017 COVER STORY Annette M. Russell is president and CEO of Security Federal Savings Bank, Logansport, and 2017 chair of the Indiana Bankers Association. Annette RUSSELL Leading as IBA chair Leading a successful community bank, especially through trying economic times, is an accolade in and of itself. For Annette M. Russell, president and chief executive officer of Security Federal Savings Bank, Logansport, a host of additional achievements apply. Russell’s impressive resume includes her role as chair of the board of directors of the Indiana Bankers Association. She was named to this position effective Jan. 1, making Russell the first female chair of the IBA in its 120-year history. Previously she served the Association as first and second vice chair and as northwest region director. On the national landscape, Russell serves the banking industry on the American Bankers Association Community Bankers Council. Statewide, she also gives service as a member of the Indiana Board of Depositories; she was appointed to the board in June 2016 by former Gov. Mike Pence. The community at large has likewise benefited from Russell’s leadership. Past involvement includes service on the board of trustees of Logansport Memorial Hospital; as campaign chair for the United Way; as chair of the Logansport/Cass County Economic Development Corp.; on the Reading Railroad advisory board; and on the boards of directors of the Cass County Chamber of Commerce and Special Olympics of Cass County. As a community leader, Russell has garnered several honors, including the Indiana University Kokomo Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2006, induction into the IU Kokomo Alumni Hall of Fame in 2013, and being named Logansport/Cass County Chamber of Commerce Business Woman of the Year for 2007-08. She has been recognized twice by NorthWestern Financial Review magazine – as a Rising Star in Banking in 2010 and as an Outstanding Woman in Banking in 2014. A certified public accountant, Russell began her banking career with Security Federal Savings Bank in 1991 and was named president and CEO in 2003. She is a graduate of Indiana University-Kokomo, of the Graduate School of Bank Investments and Financial Management, and of the Stonier Graduate School of Banking. Additionally Russell completed the inaugural IBA Leadership Development Program in 2013. Hoosier Banker interviewed Russell last fall at her office in Logansport. You are the first woman to serve the Indiana Bankers Association as board chair. Also effective this year, the IBA board has selected its first female leader to hold the title of president and CEO. What do these milestones mean for the industry? “When I started at Security Federal 25 years ago, there was one female on the board of directors. Today, four of the nine seats are
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