FDIC-Insured – Backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government
The BHM Board of Directors
When we call ourselves your community's bank, we mean it. Our team is committed to Birmingham because we are from here. We live here. We are rooted here.
We pride ourselves on:
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Personal guidance.
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Clarity and honesty.
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Quick, local decision-making.
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Unique understanding of the market.
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A welcoming environment.
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Where everyone belongs, every word is heard, and security is a priority.
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A leadership team that is tuned in, transparent, and in touch with your needs.
Jason Eppenger
President & CEO, BHM Bank
Jason Eppenger, serves as President & CEO of BHM Bancorp and BHM Bank, and as Executive Vice President and Director of Commercial Banking for Carver Financial Corporation. With extensive banking experience spanning risk analytic and management, relationship management, and executive leadership roles at major financial institutions, Eppenger brings deep industry expertise to his leadership role. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Alabama and is a 2024 graduate of the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University. Eppenger serves on multiple boards including the Alabama State Banking Department, Alabama Bankers Association, and serves on the Government Relations Committee for the American Bankers Association. Additionally, he has been recognized by the Birmingham Business Journal as one of the Top 40 Under 40 of the Decade (2010’s) and among Birmingham's most influential executives.
Jacqueline Anderson Smith
Board of Directors, BHM Bank
Jacqueline Anderson Smith currently is serving in her second term as Circuit Clerk of Jefferson County's 10th Judicial Circuit—Alabama's largest circuit court—where she manages over 60 staff members, works with 27 civil and criminal judges, and oversees two passport processing facilities while also serving as Chief Magistrate and on the county's Election Committee. Her extensive public service background includes six consecutive terms on the Jefferson County Board of Education, where she earned six Four-Year Masters Certificates in Public School Administration and Finance, implemented Alabama's first International Baccalaureate program, and oversaw the construction of 32 schools worth over $750 million while establishing financial accountability measures that became a statewide model. Smith's proven leadership in financial management, public administration, and organizational growth—demonstrated through her expansion of Circuit Clerk operations and her educational background from the University of Alabama and Miles College School of Law—brings invaluable expertise to BHM Bank's Board of Directors.
Michael D. Miles
Board of Directors, BHM Bank
Michael D. Miles brings over four decades of distinguished public service and financial expertise to the BHM Bank Board of Directors. Miles served as Jefferson County Treasurer from 2013 to 2021, managing the county's financial operations and investments. His extensive background includes roles as Director of Intergovernmental Relations for the City of Birmingham, Assistant Alabama Secretary of State, and President of a computer security company. Miles holds an interdisciplinary degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham with concentrations in Finance, Political Science, History, and English. Beyond his professional accomplishments, he has demonstrated a strong commitment to community service as Chairman of the Alabama Center for Law and Civic Education, former Financial Crusade Chairman for the American Cancer Society, and President of Childcare Resources through United Way, bringing valuable governance experience and deep community connections to the bank's leadership team.
Robert E. James
Board of Directors, BHM Bank
Robert E. James serves as Chairman of the Board and President of Carver State Bank and Chairman of Carver Financial Corporation. With more than 53 years of service as President of Carver since December 1971, James holds the distinction of being Georgia's longest-tenured bank president and the African American with the longest tenure as a bank president in the United States. A native of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Morris Brown College and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard University, along with two honorary doctoral degrees. James has served two terms as Chairman of the National Bankers Association and has been recognized with numerous awards including being named one of Ebony Magazine's "100 Most Influential Black Americans" and receiving multiple National Bankers Association honors, while also serving on prominent boards including the Savannah Economic Development Authority, where he currently serves in his third six-year term.
Robert James
Board of Directors, BHM Bank
Robert James, II leads America's only Black-owned multibank holding company, Carver Financial Corporation, and its operating subsidiaries. Under his leadership, Carver has increased its equity capital by 5X, won $160 million in New Markets Tax Credits from the U.S. Treasury—the first ever in Georgia for a community bank. Carver’s New Markets business had led to the creation of over 2,000 new quality jobs in distressed communities across the state. Robert also led the first ever all-Black-owned bank syndicate to finance a project for a major American sports franchise. As Immediate Past Chairman of the National Bankers Association and current member of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta's Community Depository Institutions Advisory Council, he brings national leadership experience to minority banking and community development. A 1995 Harvard Law School graduate and 1992 Howard University alumnus, Robert combines legal expertise with innovative financial leadership to drive economic development in underserved communities.