Peter Johnson, the longtime CEO and president of Eagle Bancorp Montana, will retire at the end of the year, the company said Wednesday.
Laura Clark, the Helena, Montana-based company’s chief financial officer, will take over as CEO at the start of next year, Eagle said in a press release.
In the meantime, Clark will join the company’s board of directors and become president of both Eagle Bancorp Montana and its retail bank, Opportunity Bank of Montana, on April 1, 2022, according to the company.
In a press release, Johnson said his successor is “one of the most respected bankers in our Montana markets.”
Separately, Eagle announced Wednesday that the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis has given regulatory approval for its
Before joining Eagle as its CFO in 2014, Clark held a similar position at the Bank of Bozeman, in addition to executive roles at other Montana banks. Clark is also currently Eagle Bancorp Montana’s chief operating officer.
Johnson started at the bank in 1981 and has been its president and CEO since 2007. Since he became CEO, Eagle has grown from $240 million of assets to $1.44 billion, partly due to four bank acquisitions.
“During his tenure, he has navigated the Company through a period of significant change, including over the course of the Great Recession and the global pandemic, and he has fostered a culture that continues to differentiate us in the marketplace,” Chairman Rick Hays said in the press release.
Miranda Spaulding, the company’s corporate financial director, is scheduled to take over as chief financial officer next month.
