Dennis doesn’t fit the typical banker stereotype. He thinks—and acts—way outside the suit-and-tie-wearing baseline, and his gregarious charm and good humor feel more down home than multibillion dollar banker. As a child, his mom incessantly reminded him he could be anything he wanted, but that maybe lawyer or doctor would be better than race car driver or musician…
After graduating from college, Dennis was a public accountant and then worked in the private sector for ten years before landing at Ameris Bank. He initially served as CFO before becoming CEO, helping to take the bank from $1 billion to nearly $17 billion in total assets. In that successful span, Dennis led the company in dozens of acquisitions, strategic development and leadership concepts that drove the company's ability to quickly integrate acquired organizations or develop new ideas rapidly into needle movers.
As CEO, Dennis is very aware of the company's culture and its impact on attracting and retaining the champions that regularly impress our customers. He’s known for encouraging leaders to pour themselves into their teams, finding personal, professional and financial successes for their staff that change their lives. So many times we hear teammates say that this is the energetic and electric organization they dreamed of, and Dennis views that as the ultimate compliment. Dennis knows his employees personally and regularly surprises them with questions about children, grandchildren, spouses, or even pets. His leadership philosophy centers on something he regularly tells those around him. "As a leader, we can make people follow us. Or we can make them WANT to follow us."
As President and CEO at Primis, Dennis continues to push for progress, innovation and a culture that embraces thinking differently and standing out from the sea of sameness. When he’s not hard at work growing the bottom line and making bold moves, you’ll find Dennis hard at play: dominating long distance races, fishing for days and spending time with family.
Look up the definition of a seasoned vet in the dictionary and you’ll find a smiling photo of Rick Fulk. With over 25 years of experience at our bank, he’s seen it all when it comes to our customers. He’s a community man through and through, starting as a branch manager, transitioning to a commercial banking team lead, then into the Eastern Region president role, and currently to president of the bank — Rick knows that our core customers are our foundation and have always been our number one priority.
With his experience, Rick has developed a knack for knowing how to better the experience of every customer that he’s worked with. From the teenager whose parents helped open their first checking account, to the centuries-old enterprise that has been banking with us for decades, he’ll make sure our team is making the decisions in the best interest of everyone in our expansive Primis family. A big fan of the herd mentality, Rick believes that if everyone is on the same mission — there’s nothing that can’t be accomplished.
Matthew Switzer brings an intensity to both life and work. That’s probably why he holds not one but two degrees: Chemical Engineering from the University of Virginia and an MBA from UNC Chapel Hill. That intensity also allowed him to lead a banking team at Stephens, Inc. for six years as Managing Director before transitioning over to our ship as CFO. Which is code for being chiefly responsible for all financial and accounting functions at the bank. So that means he needs to keep an intensely close watch over the numbers at all times. And that’s okay because Matthew loves numbers—he has four kids and two dogs, after all.
Matthew pours himself into every moment at Primis. He loves building things, as evidenced by his past life as an engineer, and is proud of his role in helping build the company for the future.
Matthew’s pragmatic, analytical side doesn’t stop him from reveling in the creativity of this work and the uniqueness of what Primis is able to offer customers—the products of a big box bank with the relationships of a community bank. But, even more than watching numbers and building things, Matt is happiest when surrounded by his family and friends at a backyard BBQ. And who could blame him?
Julia might just be the sharpest knife in our drawer. Her admirable work ethic and determination to succeed could be traits formed from over 25 years of experience as a financial professional, but if you ask her she might say it’s just a result of growing up with nine siblings in her family’s midwestern home. Making her way up the ranks, through some of the biggest players in our industry, she has conquered practically all corners of banking, bringing with her a proven track record of success in advising responsibilities to credit card, mortgage, auto, private and consumer banking, and corporate functions.
The word “expert” might not have enough prestige to describe Julia. She’s an honors graduate with a degree in accounting from DePaul University, an MBA graduate with distinction in finance from the Keller Graduate School of Management, and most recently completed Harvard Business School’s Authentic Leadership Development Course. (Wow… and we haven’t even gotten to the good part yet). Her legacy of forming and leading dynamic teams, to help guide financial institutions through the regulatory ring, started before she joined the Primis team. She left her mark at every stop on her journey: Wells Fargo as vice president and key member of the Compliance Transformation and Regulatory Remediation team, Capital One as the senior director, compliance and manager of the Compliance Advisory team, and BMO Financial Group as a senior vice president and U.S. chief compliance officer for Bank of Montreal.
As Primis continues to set and reach aggressive growth goals, more complex regulatory challenges may appear but Julia is more than capable to handle anything that comes her way.
Ann-Stanton does it all. Yes, she’s our resident brand and marketing guru; diligently using both sides of her brain with a close eye on the numbers and the creative output. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. As Primis evolves, so has she. Ann-Stanton leads many teams across the company to unite their efforts on two main objectives: create the ideal customer experience and capitalize on revenue-generating opportunities created by the digital and unconventional banking products that puts Primis in the headlines.
Primis is not just her day job but also her happy place, “We are creating a culture of fresh thinking. One where all ideas are considered and no idea is too farfetched. Banks are rapidly changing and the way money is managed is already significantly different. At Primis, we aren’t standing by to watch—we are actively building a bank for tomorrow and years to come.”
A University of South Carolina grad with dual degrees in finance and marketing, Ann-Stanton (yes, Ann and Stanton always go together) has spent her entire career leading marketing initiatives for banks and knows what it takes to truly win customers’ hearts and loyalty. While others think banks are stuck in the past, Ann-Stanton has always seen the full potential of financial institutions and she’s played a pivotal role in moving banks from lackluster to innovative, approachable and—dare we say—fun. And that’s just what she did prior to Primis, serving as Ameris Bank’s head of marketing and then corporate communications as the company grew from $1 billion in assets to over $20 billion. During her tenure, she led the marketing and communications efforts for 18 mergers and acquisitions and launched the bank into a new era with a new bold and humanized brand.
Not only has Ann-Stanton been successful in leading banks through mergers, rebrands and gained market share, but she’s also a gardener, wife and mother. We don’t quite know how she has time for it all, but it might be summed up by her simple, yet impactful mantra, “You got this.”
For someone who has a plaque that reads, “It is what it is,” Marie’s career path has been a testament to this reality in the banking industry. Winding her path through community and regional banks across Virginia, her long tenure in the industry means that she has seen it all: receivership; mergers and acquisitions; economic ups and downs; digital and cultural transformations. Each new challenge has provided opportunity for personal and professional growth. She is excited about the future of banking with cutting-edge technology that can help people and businesses grow.
Marie has a stated many times, the best part of her job is seeing small business owners get off their feet or launch in new directions. Maybe it’s because she was delivering newspapers for the Washington Post at age 13 or it could be her 25+ years focused on providing SBA/Commercial loans and credit. Either way, she appreciates the entrepreneurial spirit and takes pride in the part she gets to play in business success stories. She also enjoys the support and camaraderie she gets from her teammates at Primis, a place she has called home since its inception.
When she’s not bolstering businesses and encouraging her team, you might find Marie spending time walking a beach or having s’more night with her grandkids around the fire pit.
A person who is staunchly devoted to family, it’s no surprise that Susan Williamson has been loyal to the banking world, as she’s been steeped in compliance for the past two decades in various roles at community banks across Virginia. It’s also no wonder that she is wholeheartedly devoted to growing in her role as a compliance professional—with a coveted certification framed behind her desk: Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager.
A past legal assistant, former member of the Virginia Bankers Association Compliance Committee, graduate of endless continuing education programs, and youth worker at her church, “Susie” dives deep into her studies and brings a fervor for learning to her job. Recently promoted to the Primis executive team, she’s known around her inner circles for being detailed and competitive while at the same time fun-loving and laissez faire. Someone who clearly doesn’t like inertia, she has great enthusiasm for what Primis is doing to shake up the banking game, “It is exciting to be part of the change from more traditional banking to digital and innovative banking. Things are happening at Primis.”
Cheryl joined Primis back in 2000 and has given the bulk of her career to this bank—learning the ins and outs and deeply investing in its people and operations. She has graced many departments with her talents over the years but currently oversees corporate investor relations and everything HR. A female exec in the financial industry, Cheryl is a champion of overcoming obstacles and veering from the status quo, "Don’t go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."
One of the reasons she’s come so far at Primis is because Cheryl learned at an early age that you can’t be handed things or take shortcuts in life. If you want to succeed, you simply have to work hard. Her hard work and drive for progress is at the heart of the Primis culture and she loves getting to pour her time into a company that thinks about banking in a vastly different way than the competition, “I enjoy brainstorming and creating new ideas for our customers and shareholders alike.” It’s with these new ideas that Primis can continue to break ground, outpace the competition, and keep employees engaged for decades.
If you look hard enough, you might find Cheryl walking a white sandy beach in the sunshine state. Otherwise, you’ll probably find her working at her desk, spending time with family, or dabbling on her next home design project.