Southern Bank names Higgins, Roberts, and Rivenburgh as Regional Presidents

(Poplar Bluff, MO – 02/10/2025) – Southern Bank recently announced Keith Higgins, Chris Roberts, and Brian Rivenburgh have been promoted to Regional President in the bank’s Northwest, South, and East Regions, respectively. As Regional Presidents, they will be responsible for leading their respective lending teams in loan origination and credit management, as well as working with the retail teams to establish and enhance relationships with customers and drive deposit growth. They’ll also be responsible for setting goals and leading teams to achieve them, setting the tone for the bank’s performance in their regions.

Higgins has more than 30 years’ banking experience in the Kansas City area. He graduated from the University of Central Missouri, obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with an emphasis in finance. Prior to joining Southern Bank in 2023, he served as Market President and Division President for several area banks, focused on the development of banking relationships. Higgins has served as the Market President in the Kansas City market for the past year.

Roberts has over 30 years of banking experience in the Central Arkansas area. After graduating from the University of Central Arkansas, he started his career as a Commissioned Senior Examiner for the Arkansas State Bank Department, while furthering his education at the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University. He’s also worked for several area banks as a City and Market President, focused on developing new markets. Roberts has been with Southern Bank 12 years and previously served as the Market President for the Central Arkansas market.

Rivenburgh has more than 30 years of experience in the banking industry. After completing his undergraduate degree at Colorado State University, he relocated to the Cape/Jackson area to complete a master’s degree at Southeast Missouri State University. He worked at several area banks prior to joining Southern Bank 10 years ago and has served as a Market President in the East Region for the past 5 years.

Southern Bank

Southern Bank has served the financial needs of America’s Heartland for over 135 years, making it one of the oldest financial institutions headquartered in Missouri. Southern Bank offers dynamic and competitive products and services. An intense focus is placed on core values of being strongly rooted within the communities it serves, while offering the innovative technology and ease of accessibility consumers seek from larger banks. Southern Bank is a $4.4 billion financial institution, with 65 locations in Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois, and Kansas.