STILLWATER, Okla., April 22, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bank SNB and its parent company Southwest Bancorp, Inc. (Nasdaq:OKSB) announced the election of Patrice Douglas to the Board of Directors of both entities, effective April 22, 2015.
Born in Oklahoma, Douglas graduated from Putnam City North High School and Oklahoma Christian University before obtaining her law degree from the University of Oklahoma. She went on to practice law for 13 years before joining her family's business, ACP Sheet Metal, where she served as vice president and general counsel for 5 years. She has since been involved in banking as President of SpiritBank, Executive Vice President of First Fidelity Bank, and a member of the community board of Arvest Bank.
In 2009, Douglas was elected mayor of Edmond and continued for an unopposed second term. While serving as mayor, she championed the creation of the Small Business Task Force, launched a youth volunteerism program, supported the reinstatement of the senior meal program for senior citizens and led the effort to partner with private and public entities to build Oklahoma's largest competition swimming pool complex. During her tenure, she was also elected to the Oklahoma Municipal League Board of Directors serving on the Government Efficiencies Task Force, and helped create the Mayors' Council on Economic Development serving as Chairman of the Board for the trust which managed the municipally-owned utility, Edmond Electric. In 2011, Governor Mary Fallin appointed Douglas to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, where she was subsequently elected to complete the term.
Douglas has served on many other statewide boards, task forces, and non-profit organizations. She has served on the Oklahoma Bankers Association Board of Directors, the Executive Committee of the Edmond Chamber of Commerce, and chairman of the Edmond Economic Development Authority. She was a member of Leadership OKC Class XIX, Leadership Oklahoma Class XVII, and the 2012-2013 SALLT Leadership Class. Douglas has received many accolades during her career. Most notably, she has been a finalist for the Journal Record Woman of the Year three times, received the Kate Bernard Award for Public Service in 2011, and named the Oklahoma Christian College of Business Alumni of the Year in 2003.
Douglas resides in Oklahoma with her husband and two sons. Her experience, community and banking expertise will prove to be valuable assets for moving Bank SNB and Southwest Bancorp forward.
About Bank SNB and Southwest Bancorp, Inc.
Bank SNB is a subsidiary of Southwest Bancorp, Inc. Through Bank SNB, Southwest offers commercial and consumer lending, deposit and investment services, specialized cash management, and other financial services from offices in Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas, and on the Internet, through Bank SNB DirectBanker®. Southwest was organized in 1981 as the holding company for Bank SNB, which was chartered in 1894.
Southwest's common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol OKSB.