Sales Excellence Retreat
2025 Sales Excellence Retreat
From February 25-28, we held our Sales Excellence Retreat at Omni La Costa, Carlsbad, California, recognizing the achievements of top performers throughout our company from all lines of business, including employees in non-sales roles who have gone above and beyond to exemplify Sunflower Bank's mission and teamwork culture.
The retreat included group events, downtime for socializing, opportunities for personal excursions, and a special award presentation for those leading the growth of Sunflower Bank in all lines of business.
Sunflower Bank is proud to honor these exceptional employees who have made significant contributions to our success.
Congratulations to our Award of Excellence Winners
Award of Excellence recipients met and exceeded qualifications relevant to their respective lines of business.
Regional Presidents
Ernesto Avila, Regional President - El Paso, TX
Business Banking
Cindy Bobbitt, Senior Business Banker - Overland Park, KS
Johnny Cordova, Senior Business Banker - Albuquerque, NM
Monica Garcia-Fernandez, Senior Business Banker - El Paso, TX
Diana Vazquez - Business Banking Client Manager - San Antonio, TX
Commercial Banking
Dino Camunez, Commercial Relationship Manager - Phoenix, AZ
Donna Day, Regional Market President - Austin, TX
Darren George, Commercial Relationship Manager - Gilbert, AZ
Jared Grabow, Commercial Banking Team Lead - Dallas, TX
Steven Hamilton, Commercial Relationship Manager - Southern CA
Bradley Haynes, Corporate Banker - Dallas, TX
John Mills, Commercial Banking Team Lead - Overland Park, KS
Chris Roberts, Managing Director CRE - Overland Park, KS
Shaun Seyedi - Managing Director Loan Syndications & Capital Markets - Dallas, TX
Antonio Escobedo Vargas, Commercial Relationship Manager - El Paso, TX
Chase Wildes, Managing Director Corporate Banking - Dallas, TX
Mortgage Lending
Luke Baker, Mortgage Sales Manager - Spokane, WA
Steve Howard, Mortgage Producing Regional Sales Manager - Phoenix, AZ
Nelson Howe, Mortgage Branch Manager - Greenwood Village, CO
Jim King, Mortgage Branch Manager - Vancouver, WA
Kelly McReynolds, Mortgage Loan Originator - Santa Fe & Los Alamos, NM
Callie Watkins, Mortgage Loan Originator - Spokane, WA
Retail Banking
Blanca Chavez, Retail Regional Manager - El Paso, TX
Jay Corbin, Branch Manager - Wichita, KS
Dusty Farris, Senior Branch Manager - Salina, KS
Maria Ferreiro, Branch Manager - Dodge City, KS
Monica C. Garcia, Branch Manager - Las Cruces, NM
Jessica Head, Branch Manager - Santa Fe, NM
Addie Herrera, Branch Manager - El Paso, TX
Lani Newton, Branch Manager - Salina, KS
Ana Sanchez Ortiz, Senior Branch Manager - Dodge City, KS
Micaela Peery, Branch Manager - Salina, KS
Heidi Rodriguez, Senior Branch Manager - El Paso, TX
Desiree Ruth, Senior Branch Manager - Longmont, CO
Chris Schroeder, Branch Manager - McPherson, KS
Natasha Serrano, International Banking Specialist - El Paso, TX
Taylor Starnes, Branch Manager - Wichita, KS
Jessica Slattery, Retail Regional Manager - Dodge City, KS
Treasury Management
Carter Boone, Treasury Management Officer - Dallas, TX
Amanda Dutra, Treasury Management Officer - El Paso, TX
Keri Kent, Treasury Management Producing Team Lead - Greenwood Village, CO
Wealth Management
Duncan Corley, Senior Wealth Management Advisor - Scottsdale, AZ
Private Banking
Josh Boxley, Senior Private Banker - Austin, TX
Ann Tyburski, Senior Private Banker - Scottsdale, AZ
Congratulations to our Sunflower Award Winners
The Sunflower Award recognizes employees in non-sales roles who embody Sunflower Bank’s culture and values. These individuals strive to make a lasting impact, as recognized by their colleagues through a nomination process and selection by executive leadership. Their dedication and commitment to excellence help drive our success and shape our culture.
We’re pleased to share examples of the employee submissions that contributed to the selection of this year’s winners.
Sunflower Award Winners
Cheryl Brown, Regional Mortgage Credit Director – Grand Blanc, MI
Cheryl works tirelessly for this organization. Everyone at Sunflower knows she is the GOAT. Being known as the “go to person” means a constant bombardment of questions and issues that really are not her area, but she never complains about wearing so many hats. Cheryl helps navigate difficult situations with her extensive knowledge and experience. Her commitment to the growth, culture, and success of Guardian is unquestionable. She is an absolute joy to work with.
Christopher Chlumsky, Business Intelligence Director – Salina, KS
Christopher is always willing to help resolve issues and think through the “process”. He helps us discuss issues and come up with solutions. His knowledge with our systems and bank processes is invaluable. He often figures out what others are not able to. One of Christoper's strengths is analyzing large data sets and summarizing them for managers. He is willing to make changes as needed but also thinks through the implications of that change for undesired consequences.
Mike Estes, Facilities Director – Salina, KS
There isn’t a limit to what Mike can or will do to ensure we are successful. All along he has made us feel appreciated and is very attentive to our input and delivering on the vision. Besides all of that, he is gracious and encouraging and is a reminder of why many of us wanted to join Sunflower. He believes in the vision and is determined to help give us the foundation to make us successful. He is exactly what we should all strive to be as team members at Sunflower.
Kevin Krebaum, SAG Director – Overland Park, KS
Kevin is the definition of a leader. He consistently goes above and beyond to exemplify Sunflower Bank's mission and culture. His role and team are critical to the organization, especially in today's economic environment. He is there to work and support alongside his team with an open mind, respect, dedication and collaboration. Kevin leads by example and is always there to jump in and help his team in any way possible. He fosters trust and independence and is always there to support us in challenging times.
Rosa Medina, Loan Operations Manager, Closing & Document Production – Remote Worker
If ever there was a person that deserves this recognition it is Rosa. She has an outstanding positive attitude and demonstrates exceptional skills and expertise in her field. She is dedicated and hardworking, the backbone to our manager. She takes on numerous projects assigned to her and ensures everything gets done efficiently and submitted in a timely manner. Regardless of what she has on her plate, Rosa displays the true definition of team player without complaint and is always willing to stop and help. She has gone above and beyond to create policies and procedures that makes Sunflower Bank better in so many ways. In short, she is fantastic and is an asset to our department and organization.
Ryan Mills, Branch Support Specialist – Salina, KS
Ryan continues to go above and beyond to help me and others. He is extremely knowledgeable of our bank products and never hesitates to spend the time to solve an issue. I feel like he listens and truly cares about the success of our team and organization. His positive attitude is infectious and allows me the comfortability to know we can get through anything.
Kelly Peterson, IT Business Systems Manager – Remote Worker
There isn't enough room here to write all the amazing things Kelly has done for us! She has worked tirelessly in implementing nCino for new account opening and has continued to assist in completing updates and adjustments to create a streamlined product. Her attention to detail, great communication, and willingness to go above and beyond to complete a project is impressive. She isn’t just checking the box but genuinely cares about what is best for the bank and creating efficiencies
Jose Prieto, Retail Organization & Planning Specialist – El Paso, TX
Jose is an individual who always goes far and beyond to support the organization in the pursuit of providing an excellent customer experience. He is very knowledgeable in our policies and procedures and how things interact to solve issues. His friendly demeanor makes him approachable, and people don't hesitate to reach out to him for help when needed. He is a solution seeker and always looking for efficiencies and the overall growth of Sunflower Bank.