Leadership

Stephen C. Raffaele is a long-time Texas business leader, having lived and worked in most of the major markets in Texas over his 34-year career. Raffaele has broad executive experience in banking, wealth management, financial management and reporting, investor relations, investments, mergers and acquisitions, public company governance, and strategic planning.

As President and CEO at American Bank, Raffaele manages and provides leadership to the bank’s management team, as well as develops and leads the strategic planning initiatives to ensure the long-term growth and profitability of the bank. He joined American Bank as Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in 2016 and was promoted to President and Chief Operating Officer in 2017. He became Chief Executive Officer and President in 2018. Prior to that time, Raffaele held various C-level positions in several financial organizations including F&M Bank & Trust Co. and Guaranty Bank, both in Dallas, as well as Sterling Bank in Houston.

Raffaele is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and is an active member of the CFA Institute. In addition, he currently serves on the board for the Texas Bankers Association, the largest state banking association in the country. Raffaele has also been involved with many other charitable organizations, including the Art Museum of South Texas, Boy Scouts of America, the American Cancer Society, and the Salvation Army. He is a graduate of Baylor University, where he earned a B.A. in Business.

As Chief Financial Officer, Tom Adams is responsible for all aspects of the bank’s accounting, policy and financial reporting functions. Before joining American Bank, Tom accumulated over 25 years of public accounting and financial service experience with Triumph Bancorp Inc. and F&M Bancorporation Inc., in Dallas and KPMG Chicago.

Tom is an active member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants and the Dallas CPA Society. He’s also a proud alumnus of Illinois State University, where he earned a B.S. in Accounting.

As Vice Chairman, Byron Bexley will serve as our San Antonio market leader overseeing commercial banking activities for San Antonio.

Bexley brings more than 40 years of banking experience, most recently serving as Chairman and CEO of TexStar National Bank. Prior to that, Bexley was President and CEO of Converse National Bank and President and CEO of Texas Commerce Bank-Champions Park, in addition to working at other Houston-area banks earlier in his career. But he calls San Antonio home.

Bexley is currently serving on the CDIAC for the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and is an active board member with the Independent Bankers Association of Texas. He also serves on the Advisory Board for the Sam Houston State University Chair of Banking.

He is the past Chairman of the Deacons at First Baptist Church San Antonio. He earned his BBA from Baylor University and his MBA in Banking and Finance from Sam Houston State University.

Rob Childers serves as President of American Bank’s Equipment Finance division. In this role, Rob leads a team of seasoned professionals who specialize in equipment finance, making it easier for businesses to buy and sell equipment. American Bank Equipment Finance is headquartered in Austin, Texas and also has operations in Mentor, Ohio.

In 2015, Rob co-founded BlackRiver Business Capital, an independent equipment finance company, to provide focused equipment finance solutions to small and mid-sized businesses. This business eventually became ACG Equipment Finance, which was acquired by American Bank in 2021, and now operates as the Equipment Finance division of the bank.

Prior to entering the equipment finance industry, Rob was a partner at a registered investment advisor and served as a portfolio manager, analyst, and director of new business development. Rob graduated from the University of Georgia with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science.

Glenn Clements adds nearly 50 years of financial services expertise to American Bank’s Houston team, including a deep history in commercial real estate and the title insurance industry. As Vice Chairman, Glenn will chair the bank’s Houston Regional Board.

A retired executive, Glenn served in numerous positions with Stewart Title, including Group President for Direct Operations. Throughout his 48-year career at Stewart Title, he also served in various director and advisory roles.

Glenn also has held many board-level positions, including more than 20 years with YMCA of Greater Houston, 35 years with BBVA, and most recently serving as an advisory board member to the University of Houston’s Bauer School of Business Real Estate Program. Additionally, Glenn served as chairman of the Houston Chapter of the Young Presidents’ Organization, where he is still active. And he has been a member of River Oaks Country Club for 45 years, actively serving on various committees of the club. 

Glenn holds a Bachelor of Business degree from the University of Houston.

As Chief Credit Officer, David Doherty oversees and manages the bank's loan portfolio. With over 29 years of banking experience, David previously served as the Executive Credit Officer for IBERIABANK in Houston, with responsibility for credit approval and oversight of the Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama and Texas energy markets, as well as credit responsibility for the business banking sector and the corporate-wide commercial underwriting team.

David graduated from Louisiana State University with a B.S. and an M.S. in Finance.

As Market President – Austin, John Greenwood is responsible for all commercial lending activities in Austin and the surrounding area. He has over 17 years of financial institution experience, and served as Executive Vice President with Frost Bank in Austin with responsibility for leading an Austin-based team of bankers focused on middle market and corporate client relationships prior to joining American Bank.

A native of Austin, John is active in the community, working with many organizations in both leadership and volunteer capacities including Ronald McDonald Charities of Central Texas, Habitat for Humanity, the Austin Chamber of Commerce – Opportunity Austin 4.0, Leadership Austin, and the Muscular Dystrophy Association. John has served on the Central Texas Board of the March of Dimes for the past 6 years. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Louisiana State University.

As Executive Credit Risk Officer, Robin Ingari has dual responsibilities as a regional credit officer and for developing and implementing new bank-wide enhanced credit risk management and enterprise risk management (ERM) programs. Prior to American Bank, Robin gained over 30 years of commercial banking experience while holding various leadership roles at Texas Commerce Bank, JP Morgan, Comerica Bank, and Regions Bank.

In addition to her banking duties, Robin is an active member of the local and state board of Robert Morris Associates, the executive committee and board of Any Baby Can, and the executive leadership team for the American Heart Association. She graduated from the University of Texas with a B.A. in Biology and an M.B.A. in Management and Finance.

As Treasurer, Patrick King is responsible for the bank’s corporate treasury activities including investment management, loan and deposit pricing, and risk management. He joined American Bank with over 20 years of senior level banking management and operational experience at Bank SNB in Oklahoma City and the F&M Bank & Trust Company in Dallas.

Patrick graduated from the University of Texas at Dallas with a B.S. in Economics and Finance.

Todd Lee is responsible for the bank’s information technology strategy and systems. Todd’s career spans more than 30 years, with leadership positions in the banking, education and corporate sectors after serving as a senior consultant with Andersen Consulting. Most recently, he was one of the executive founders of a new Texas-based bank holding company and served as Chief Operations Officer for the subsequent bank. His role there included responsibility for IT, deposit operations, treasury services operations, loan operations, project management, human resources and facilities. In addition to establishing new operational teams, he selected and implemented various platforms and provided day-to-day management for the bank.

Todd holds a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas.

As General Counsel and Board Secretary, Townes Mahaffey advises and assists in protecting the bank’s legal interests and maintaining operations within the scope established by law. Prior to joining American Bank in 1995, he practiced commercial and personal injury litigation in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Townes graduated from Texas A & M University with a B.B.A. in Finance, and holds a J.D. from South Texas College of Law in Houston.

As President - South Texas Region, Mark Meyer has responsibility for regional lending and credit approval in the Corpus Christi, Port Aransas, Rockport and Victoria markets. Mark joined the bank in 1997 as a senior lending officer, subsequently serving as chief of branch administration and chief lending officer and has over 40 years of banking experience.

Mark is a graduate of Class 17 of Leadership Corpus Christi and has volunteered with many area organizations, most recently as a board member of the South Texas Naval Foundation and the South Texas Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He earned his B.B.A. in Finance from the University of Texas at Austin.

As Vice Chairman – Central Texas, Joe Petet brings a wealth of experience and Texas banking knowledge to the Austin team. Joe’s responsibilities include chairing the Austin Regional Board and serving as a member of the bank’s Houston Regional Board. Joe also serves on the bank’s Investment Policy Committee and he helped build the bank’s Business Development Culture Model.

With close to 50 years in the banking industry, Joe has held various executive leadership positions with several Texas banking institutions, including Guaranty Bank in Austin and Dallas, Austin President of Bank One Texas, and Austin Chief Executive Officer of BBVA.

Joe currently serves on the community advisory board of the Helping Hand Home for Children and is a former board member of the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Texas, Austin Community Development Corporation (now PeopleFund), the Texas Chapter of the Risk Management Association, the YMCA of Greater Austin and Keep Austin Beautiful. 

Joe holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from The University of Texas at Austin and is a graduate of the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University.

As Market President – Houston, Charlie Phillips is responsible for all commercial lending activities in Houston and surrounding areas. He has more than 30 years of banking experience. Throughout his career, Charlie has led business development, treasury management and lending services for multiple banks across the Greater Houston area.

Charlie holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Oklahoma.

As Market President – Victoria, Randy Price is responsible for all commercial banking activities in the Victoria and surrounding areas. He has over 27 years of financial institution experience in and around the Victoria area, serving as Senior Vice President with Prosperity Bank with responsibility for developing and managing relationships with commercial and individual clients prior to American Bank.

A native of Victoria, Randy holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration / Accounting from the University of Houston - Victoria. Active in the community, Randy has worked with many organizations, including the Victoria ISD Education Foundation, Community Food Bank of Victoria, Victoria Northwest Little League, and Making the Grade, in leadership and volunteer roles.

Manny Ruiz serves as American Bank’s Market President for San Antonio where he is responsible for commercial banking throughout the San Antonio area.

A native to San Antonio, Ruiz has spent more than 35 years in banking, most recently serving as President of TexStar National Bank. Prior to that, he worked at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) as a Credit and Loan Marketing Specialist and for Dun & Bradstreet as an Advanced Business Analyst.

Ruiz is active in supporting his community, currently serving on the Board of Regents for Baylor University and as a Deacon at First Baptist Church of San Antonio. He also is a Director for the Phil Hardberger Park Conservancy, a Trustee for Boysville, Inc., the Baptist Health Foundation, and the Baptist Health System, as well as an Advisory Board Member and former Chairman for the San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD) Foundation and the Campaign Treasurer for the mayor of San Antonio.

Ruiz earned his BBA from Baylor University and is a graduate of the American Institute of Banking as well as the Masters Leadership Program of San Antonio.

As Chief Banking Executive of Commercial and Wealth Management, Donette Stubblefield is responsible for the bank’s Commercial Banking and Wealth Management strategy, and provides leadership to Commercial Banking, Private Banking, and Wealth Management throughout Texas. With over 20 years of banking experience, Donette has held many senior leadership positions, and most recently served as the Chief Fiduciary Officer and subsequently the Global Wealth-Houston Market Executive for a large regional bank.

Donette is an active member of her community and proudly serves on the board of Society for the Performing Arts, Texas Wall Street Women, and as a member of the Executive Women’s Partnership, as part of the Greater Houston Partnership. She earned her B.S. in Health Administration from the University of Alabama-Birmingham.

As Chief of Staff for American Bank, Suzelle Tinnell is responsible for a variety of areas, including strategy, client experience, project management, and enterprise governance. Previously, Suzelle served as the bank’s Director of Enterprise Strategy and Alignment where she also managed the bank's Project Management Office. She also has served as the bank’s chief deposit services officer. Prior to American Bank, Suzelle was vice president for IT business and project management at Starbucks Coffee Company in Seattle and had a 12-year career in banking with Puget Sound National Bank. She’s also worked as a commercial lending officer for US Bank in Washington state.

Before starting her career in the Pacific Northwest, Suzelle attended Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, where she received a bachelor’s degree in Finance.

As Chief Compliance Officer, Eric Vigil will oversee bank compliance and risk management. Vigil has extensive experience, having worked with regulators at all levels. For the past 12 years, Vigil has overseen compliance, BSA, loan review, audit, and enterprise risk management for multiple banks. 

Vigil holds a BBA in finance and a BSFA in economics from Southern Methodist University. He is a Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager (CRCM) and Certified Enterprise Risk Professional (CERP).

As Director of Consumer Banking and Marketing, John Wessman is responsible for shaping consumer banking, treasury management, trust and asset management and marketing at the executive level. With over 25 years of banking experience, John has served as CMO for BBVA Compass’ U.S. markets and Guaranty Bank in Dallas, as well as head of branch operations at Encore Bank in Houston.

John is licensed in Texas as a CPA, and earned his B.B.A in Business Honors and Accounting from the University of Texas at Austin and his M.B.A. in General Management and Entrepreneurship from the Harvard Business School.