The Graduate School of Banking at Colorado (GSBC) is pleased to announce that Carissa Rodeheaver, president, chief executive officer (CEO) and chairman of the board of First United Bank & Trust and First United Corporation in Oakland, Maryland, has received the 2023 Tim Koch Award for Excellence in Banking.
The award aims to honor GSBC past president Dr. Timothy Koch’s drive for education, passion for community banking and vision for preparing the next generation of community bank leaders. His lifelong dedication to educating bankers and unwavering commitment to the school’s students has led to stronger banks and communities across the country.
After receiving her award nomination from EDI classmate Carol Fehrle, executive vice president & chief operating officer of Quail Creek Bank in Oklahoma City, Okla., the award selection committee deemed Rodeheaver the obvious choice for the 2023 award.
Under Rodeheaver’s leadership, First United Corporation established the First United Community Dreams Foundation in 2021, a 501(c)3 organization that benefits the communities where the bank operates through grants, sponsorships and investments. The foundation primarily supports K-12 education, career & technical readiness/affordability, workforce sustainability, financial literacy/competency, housing stability & home ownership, small business financial guidance and more. First United Bank has also been recognized for multiple years by Women on Boards and Executive Alliance for its gender diversity in the workplace.
“As I grew to know Carissa more and more, I became more impressed with her and her passion for her family, bank, employees, customers and community,” stated Philip L. Keese, president & CEO of Liberty Trust & Savings Bank in Durant, Iowa, when recalling their time together as EDI classmates. “I feel Carissa is a true visionary for community banks and banking, always looking ahead to improve her bank’s employee and customer experience.”
Rodeheaver puts her vision for community banking to practice not only in her local community of Oakland, but at the state and national levels. Locally, Rodeheaver serves on boards and committees for the Garrett College Foundation, the Garrett Development Corporation the Garrett County Public Schools CTE Committee, the UPMC Western Maryland Health Systems and the Community Trust Foundation.
At the state level, Rodeheaver is a past chairman of the Maryland Bankers Association (MBA), where she continues to sit on the board of trustees. Rodeheaver is also a founding member of the MBA Council of Professional Women in Banking and Finance.
Nationally, Rodeheaver currently serves as a director and the treasurer for the American Bankers Association (ABA) and is a member of the ABA Government Relations, Budget, Audit, Investment & Venture Investment Capital Committees and Voter Education Advisory Council. She has past involvement serving on the ABA Accounting Committee and is the past chairman of the ABA’s BankPac and Membership Committees.
Rodeheaver holds a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from the University of Maryland, where she graduated with honors, and remains a certified public accountant. Throughout her career, Carissa has been publicly recognized by the Maryland Association of Public Accountants as a Woman to Watch and has been inducted into the Garrett County Women’s Hall of Fame. Rodeheaver has also been recognized by The Daily Record as one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women in 2020 and 2022, was one of The Daily Record’s 2022 Maryland Power 30 in Banking and Financial Services and was named to their 2022 list as a Most Admired CEOs. Recently, Rodeheaver was named as co-recipient of the 2023 Award for Outstanding Contributions to Garrett College.
About the Award and GSBC’s EDI
Rodeheaver completed GSBC’s Executive Development Institute for Community Bankers® (EDI) in 2015, the completion of which is an eligibility requirement to receive the Tim Koch Award for Excellence in Banking. In addition to completing EDI, the selection committee evaluated candidates who have made significant contributions to their communities, their banks’ stakeholders and the banking industry as a whole. Rodeheaver was deemed the obvious choice for the inaugural award.
Rodeheaver was honored at a ceremony on April 25, 2023, in Westminster, Colorado.