CSU Grad Reaches Banking Career Pinnacle

Columbus State University graduate Scott Swafford recently a career milestone with his promotion to President/Chief Operating Officer of United Bank in Forsyth, Georgia. Swafford joined United Bank in 1997 as a lender in the bank’s Griffin division. In his 26 years with the Company, he has held numerous leadership roles, including Senior Lender, Division President, Director of Special Assets, Chief Credit Officer and since 2016, Chief Operating Officer. “We are excited to add the title of president to Scott’s current role as Chief Operating Officer. It is an honored achievement, recognizing his impactful leadership throughout his tenure with United Bank,” said John Edwards, chairman of United Bank. “Scott has a reputation as a solid, thoughtful visionary and is responsible for leading us through much of the Bank’s growth and evolution over the last 15 years.” United Bank is a closely held Georgia community bank chartered in 1905. It is based in Zebulon and has $2.3 billion in assets. It has operated in Newton County since 2007 and its 18 bank offices serve 11 counties in the southern crescent footprint beneath metro Atlanta, spanning from Newnan to Madison, and as far south as Thomaston and Forsyth.

Hat tip to the CSU Office of Alumni Engagement for alerting us to this news.

Comments

ABDC Releases 2025 Journal Review, Now Ranks Journal Edited by Phil Bryant

The long-awaited journal review being conducted by the Australian Business Deans Council (ABDC) has been released and there are a number of news items that relate to faculty in the Turner College. One of these is the ABDC's decision to now include Compensation and Benefits Review in its journal rankings. This is big news for the Turner College as its editor, Phil Bryant , is a professor of management in the Turner College. The ABDC is proposing that the journal enter its system for the first time as a C-rated journal. Acting Turner College Dean Tesa Leonce sits on the journal's editorial board, while Turner College management professor Mark James has guest-edited an issue of the journal. Published by SAGE, Compensation & Benefits Review is the leading journal for senior executives and professionals who design, implement, evaluate and communicate compensation and benefits policies and programs. The journal supports compensation and benefits specialists and academic ex...

New Butler Center Report Identifies Employment Gaps in the Columbus Area

Officials in the Turner College's Butler Center for Research and Economic Development recently put the finishing touches on an extensive report on trends in educational programs and occupations in the Columbus area. The report also includes data on business and technology trends. According to Fady Mansour , Director of the Butler Center, there are several key takeaways from the report regarding 10 occupational gaps that currently exist in the Columbus area. First, software development occupation exhibits the biggest labor shortage, with the report adding that the TSYS School has a bachelor's degree program in information technology along with a new AI track for the bachelor's degree in computer science, both of which can qualify students for this occupation. Other educational programs are in demand, such as computer programming and cloud computing. Second, there is a gap of 30 employees per year in general and operations management. This gap could be addressed by the Turn...

Turner Business Chats with Kevin Hurt about Leadership Research Program

Our 5 September 2025 profile of Turner College management professor Kevin Hurt has been a popular one here at Turner Business . That blog post focused mainly on the portfolio of leadership research that he has steadily built up over recent years into one that is unmatched in the Turner College. We recently visited with Hurt to discuss his research endeavors. The transcript of that visit appears below. TB: ‎ Turner Business recently profiled your growing list of research publications in leadership. What would be your assessment of how your research program in leadership has gone so far? KH: Overall, it has been a rewarding journey. I appreciate that the Turner Business profile acknowledged my work, particularly in the area of servant leadership. While journal publications are a measure of success for us as faculty, to me that success also includes building the next generation of leaders. It was the latter that inspired me to leave a Fortune 500 corporation and seek...

Turner Business

Search This Blog