PRESIDENT
Martin Olsson, Eagle Bank – Polson
Martin was raised on a ranch near Hall, MT, and attended MSU, graduating with degrees in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering and Business. After a brief stint as a production engineer in Nevada he began his banking career, first with First Bank System in Forsyth, MT, and then with a number of community banks from around the state. He also organized and provides his own financial, management and credit consulting to small businesses and not-for-profit loan programs. Martin currently serves as President/CEO of Eagle Bank and as a director of both Eagle Bank and Salish and Kootenai Bancorporation, and participates on a variety of other boards and committees. Email Martin.
PRESIDENT-ELECT
Kenneth Martin, First Bank of Lincoln
Kenny Martin graduated from William and Mary in 1983, and worked with Chase Manhattan Mortgage in Virginia for 17 years. He moved to Montana in 1999, and in May of 2003 joined First Bank of Lincoln, where he enjoys the small community banking environment. Kenny is married to Staci, and they have three children and two step children. In an area of Montana famous for its outdoor pursuits, he enjoys horse riding, hunting and fishing. Email Kenny.
FIRST VICE PRESIDENT
Amy Quarles, First Security Bank of Helena
Amy is the vice president and head cashier at First Security Bank of Helena. First Security Bank of Helena is a family owned bank started by Amy’s grandfather Paul Caruso, Sr. in 1970. Amy attended the University of Montana where she studied finance and business management. Upon graduation, Amy attended Willamette University where she earned her Master of Business Administration degree. After working at Seattle for the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco for five years, Amy returned to the family bank in 2005. Outside of work Amy enjoys golfing, skiing, and traveling with her husband and daughter. Amy joined the MIB board in 2009. Email Amy.
TREASURER
Mike Dalton, Mountain West Bank
Mike Dalton is chief operating officer of Mountain West Bank in Helena. Mountain West Bank is an independent Montana owned bank with offices in Helena, Great Falls, Missoula, Bozeman, Kalispell and Whitefish. The bank was started in Feb. 1991. Email Mike.
IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT
Brice Kluth, First State Bank of Shelby
Mr. Kluth is a Shelby, MT native and is currently Vice President/Director of First State Bank of Shelby. He received his B.S. in Finance from Montana State University in 1991 and began his career in the family bank. He has been actively involved in the Shelby community serving as the Chamber of Commerce President, City Council alderman, Marias Valley Golf Club President, Little League and Football coach and currently serves on Shelby Gas Association’s board of directors. Outdoor activities and interests are golf, skiing, mountain biking and hiking in Glacier. He and his wife Diana have two adult children, Lisa and Brian. Email Brice.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
James E. Brown, Montana Independent Bankers
James Brown worked for six years in Washington D.C. as a congressional aide, prior to earning a master of laws degree in taxation while clerking for the Washington Supreme Court. He returned to Montana to practice over five years with the Helena law firm Doney Crowley Payne & Bloomquist, P.C., before starting his own practice, The James Brown Law Office, PLLC in the fall of 2012. During this time he also lobbied for a number of clients. With this background, Jim brings more than ten years of legislative and lobbying experience and over five years of legal expertise to the Montana Independent Bankers Association. Mr. Brown, a native of Dillon, is a fourth-generation Montanan who has worked in the hay fields and in the halls of Congress. He has interests in politics and international travel, and also enjoys back country hiking and fishing, and rooting for the Redskins and the Mariners. Email Jim.
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT / SECRETARY
Laura Welker, Montana Independent Bankers
Laura Welker grew up on a fourth-generation wheat farm near Shelby, where her great-grandparents started the Welker homestead with loans from long-time MIB member First State Bank. She has worked in a variety of professions such as a 911 and state highway patrol dispatcher, an administrative assistant, an ethnomusicologist in Africa, adjunct faculty for small Canadian colleges, and now as a legal assistant in Helena. Laura was valedictorian of her college and gained her Masters degree in Saskatchewan with top honors before returning to Montana to work for Doney Crowley Payne Bloomquist, P.C., and then the James Brown Law Office, PLLC, as a legal secretary. Laura is delighted to contribute her energy and varied experience toward supporting the family-friendly banks of the Montana communities she loves. She enjoys playing her Celtic harp, teaching music, horse riding, sapphire hunting, studying Greek, and drinking in Montana’s exquisite outdoors. Email Laura.
