Colony Bankcorp, Inc. (Nasdaq: CBAN) (“Colony” or the “Company”), the bank holding company for Colony Bank (the “Bank”), announced the addition of two veterans to its finance team. Laura Finney joins Colony Bankcorp as Senior Vice President, Director of Reporting, and will report to Tracie Youngblood, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Amanda Diehl joins the Company as Senior Vice President, Director of Internal Audit, reporting to Lee Bagwell, Executive Vice President, Chief Risk Officer and General Counsel.
 
Finney served as Director of SEC and Regulatory Reporting, Senior Vice President, at MidSouth Bank, NA in Lafayette, Louisiana, where she had management and reporting responsibility for a wide range of financial functions, including Securities and Exchange Commission quarterly and annual reports. Prior to joining MidSouth Bank, she held similar positions with First American Bank, Athens, Georgia, and State Bank and Trust Company in Macon, Georgia. Previous positions also included serving for a total of eight years as an Audit Manager for two accounting firms, Crowe Horwath, LLP and Porter Keadle Moore, LLP, both in Atlanta.
 
Finney received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting as well as a Masters of Accountancy from Georgia Southern University. She is active with the Georgia Bankers Association (GBA), as well as local organizations such as the Oconee Area Resource Council (OARC), which provides food and mentorship programs for kids; the City of Hope in Athens, a non-profit organization that serves the homeless and empowers and assists them in improving their lives; and the House of Cherith, through City of Refuge in Atlanta, to serve those victimized through sex trafficking. Finney and her husband, Tim, have two children.
 
In commenting on Finney’s joining Colony Bankcorp, Tracie Youngblood said, “We are pleased to welcome Laura to the team. Her expertise in risk assessment, SEC and regulatory reporting and policy and procedure development will be a tremendous asset to Colony Bankcorp. We look forward to working with Laura and to the overall bench strength that she brings to the team as we continue to build a strong financial foundation in support of our continued growth.”
 
Diehl has 19 years of banking experience in both internal and external auditing, having worked most recently as Senior Vice President, Senior Risk Officer with Charleston, South Carolina-based CresCom Bank. Prior to joining CresCom Bank, she held positions of increasing responsibility with Atlanta‑based HeritageBank of the South, which was purchased by Renasant Bank in 2015. Other positions include working as Senior Manager for Elliott Davis, LLC, a public accounting firm in Columbia, South Carolina.
 
Diehl received Bachelors of Science in both Accounting and Business Management and a Masters of Accounting from North Carolina State University. She is a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Internal Auditor and Certified Enterprise Risk Professional. Diehl served on the American Bankers Association Enterprise Risk Management School Advisory Board in 2019, is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accounts, and previously served as membership Committee Chairman, Palmetto Chapter, of the Institute of Internal Auditors. She and her husband, Derick, and two boys attend Good Shepherd United Methodist Church. Diehl enjoys water skiing and cheering on her two sons in football and baseball.
 
Commenting on Diehl’s addition, Lee Bagwell added, “We are fortunate to have someone with Amanda’s extensive audit and credit risk assessment experience join our company. She is a seasoned veteran with a track record of leadership and almost two decades of financial markets expertise. Amanda will be instrumental in assessing the Company’s risks and the controls we have in place to mitigate them, which is central to our ongoing effectiveness and performance. I look forward to working with Amanda and to the contributions that she can make to our team.”