Judy Lawton has worked as a chief financial officer for most of her 34-year career in banking. She recently celebrated her 11th anniversary as CFO and chief operating officer at Bryant’s Heartland Bank, which she helped transform from a $44 million-asset thrift into today’s $244 million-asset lender.
“The accounting side is my real true love,” said Lawton, who grew up in the Logan County community of Prairie View.
Some career advice before leaving Scranton High School steered her into accounting and the realm of dollars and balance sheets.
Lawton graduated with a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Arkansas Tech University at Russellville in 1980 and started work as a staff accountant with Russell Brown & Co.
After a year in public accounting, her career track turned to banking, where it has remained ever since. Her philosophy is to lead by example and provide support and guidance when needed, but avoid micromanaging.
Lawton joined Peoples Bank in Russellville and eventually became CFO and executive vice president of operations. She stayed aboard after the bank was acquired in a series of transactions and left in 1996 to help form a new venture: River Valley Bank in Russellville.
After the de novo bank was purchased in 2003 by Bank of the Ozarks of Little Rock, Lawton joined DD&F Consulting Group in Little Rock for a brief stint before making the move to Heartland.
She also serves as secretary-treasurer of the Heartland Foundation, which administers charity activity, and president and CEO of Rock Service Co., a bank consulting subsidiary for information technology, compliance and asset liability accounting issues.
Lawton was the first woman to serve on the executive board of the Arkansas Bankers Association, where she is treasurer.
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