Will Carrouthers Named CFO of Southern Bancorp

Will Carrouthers (Photo provided by Southern Bancorp)

Southern Bancorp Inc. of Arkadelphia has named Will Carrouthers as CFO.

Carrouthers follows Chris Wewers, who was CFO for more than nine years before joining Citizens Bank of Batesville in July 2024. Mike Myers held the role on an interim basis.

Carrouthers brings two decades of senior-level financial experience to the job. Most recently, he served as head of corporate forecasting and planning at Wells Fargo. Prior to that, he was head of strategic business finance and financial planning and analysis for Oportun, a fintech based in San Carlos, California.

In his new role, Carrouthers will oversee all financial functions of Southern Bancorp Inc., as well as Southern Bancorp Bank and Southern Bancorp Community Partners, including the CDFI’s overall financial strategies, growth objectives and general financial operations.

“Will brings a powerful combination of leadership experience at large financial institutions, innovative work in the fintech space, and a deep appreciation for the mission of community banking,” Darrin Williams, CEO of Southern Bancorp Inc., said in a news release. “We believe this unique blend of skills and values is exactly what we need to grow while balancing profits with purpose.”

Carrouthers is a New York City native who currently resides in Charlotte, North Carolina. He holds a bachelor’s in business administration in finance from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a master’s of business administration from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

He is an active member of the National Association of Black Accountants and the National Black MBA Association.

“As someone who grew up in an underserved community, I recognize firsthand how important Southern Bancorp’s work is and how meaningful it, and the CDFI industry as a whole, can be for families across the country,” Carrouthers said. “It’s an honor to now be part of this impactful organization, and I look forward to putting my experiences to work in support of our mission to be wealth builders for everyone.”