BATON ROUGE – b1BANK President and CEO Jude Melville announced today the addition of Carol Calkins to the board of directors of b1BANK and its parent company Business First Bancshares Inc.
Calkins is a certified public accountant and joins the board with more than 30 years of finance, audit, and environmental, social and governance criteria experience. During her 22-year tenure at PricewaterhouseCoopers she held several roles including national partner in charge of PwC’s Sales and Use Tax Group, SALT Practice partner for technology and section 302/404, and PwC’s national co-chair for diversity and work-life quality. She has used her experience in government, industry and public accounting to develop pragmatic and efficient solutions for issues related to restructuring, business processes, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, relationship connectivity and mergers and acquisitions.
“Carol’s deep background in finance, her demonstrated passion for people, and her extensive connections in and commitment to both the Louisiana and Texas portions of our footprint make her a strong fit for our board,” said Melville. “Our team looks forward to working closely with her over the next few years as we together continue to turn challenges into opportunities.”
Calkins is a lecturer, lobbyist and author on state and local tax issues. Her articles have been published in the Journal of Accountancy, Today’s CPA and The Oil and Gas Journal. She is an inductee of New York City YWCA Top 100 Women in Business and Louisiana State University E.J. Ourso College of Business Hall of Distinction.
“I am delighted to join the Business First Bancshares, Inc. and b1BANK Board of Directors,” said Calkins. “People and community are my passion. I look forward to bringing my combined experience in finance, audit, and ESG to b1BANK as we continue to leverage our commitment to the community banking industry.”
