Karama Neal of Southern Bancorp Community Partners Joins St. Louis Fed’s Little Rock Branch Board

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Karama Neal, Ph.D., chief operating officer of Southern Bancorp Community Partners in Little Rock, Ark., has been appointed to fill the unexpired portion of a three-year term, ending Dec. 31, 2017,  on the board of directors of the Little Rock Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

The chairman of the Little Rock Branch board of directors is Ray C. Dillon, president and CEO of Deltic Timber Corp. in El Dorado, Ark. Also serving on the board are: Michael A. Cook, senior vice president and assistant treasurer of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in Bentonville, Ark.; Keith Glover, president and CEO of Producers Rice Mill, Inc. in Stuttgart, Ark.; Ronald B. Jackson, community chairman of Simmons First Bank of Pine Bluff in Russellville, Ark.; Robert Martinez, owner of Rancho La Esperanza in De Queen, Ark.; and P. Mark White, president and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Little Rock, Ark.

Members of the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and the advisory boards of its three branches in Little Rock, Ark., Louisville, Ky., and Memphis, Tenn., are familiar with the economic and credit conditions of their respective regions. Their observations—along with the economic data and information gathered and analyzed by St. Louis Fed staff—help ensure that conditions of Main Street America are represented in Federal Open Market Committee deliberations in Washington, D.C.

See a listing of all directors.