– Appointment Sets New Milestone for Inclusion in the Industry –
HUTCHINSON, KAN., April 17, 2020 – Data Center Inc. (DCI), the privately-owned developer of iCore360® core banking software and related digital technologies for community financial institutions nationwide, today announced the election of Sarah Fankhauser to President and COO by the company’s board of directors.
Fankhauser becomes the first female president in the company’s 57-year history, and the only female president among major core providers in the bank technology industry.
Fankhauser’s appointment was announced at the company’s annual shareholder meeting yesterday, ratified by unanimous vote of the board of directors. The board also announced that John H. Jones, who has served as president and CEO since the untimely death of A.J. Krail in late 2003, will remain as CEO for a transition period until his pending retirement early next year, at which time Fankhauser will also be named CEO, making her the only female CEO in the same industry space.
Said Jones, “Working with Sarah over the past twenty years has been a privilege. She’s helped direct the most significant initiatives in our recent history, from development of our iCore360 software to landmark business acquisitions and more. And I have no doubt she will continue to lead DCI to even bigger and better endeavors.”
After graduating Friends University in Wichita, KS, Fankhauser’s banking career began as a teller at a large DCI client bank where she worked her way to Branch Operations Officer. She joined DCI in 1993 as an Analyst/Instructor training other DCI clients how to use the company’s core processing system.
Between 1995 and 2004, Fankhauser quickly rose through the ranks at DCI in a series of promotions during a period of other management successions, reaching the position of Senior Vice President, heading the company’s customer support and product development divisions.
During a 2009 reorganization, Fankhauser was promoted to Executive Vice President under Jones, and also subsequently named Chief Operating Officer in 2014.
Said Fankhauser, “My career started in customer service, so providing the best customer experience has always been my priority, and will be as DCI president. I’m excited about the modern digital future we are building, and I will ensure its delivered with the highly personal service our family of community bankers deserves, and has come to expect from DCI.”
Sarah and her husband Daren, also a senior executive at DCI, are parents of twin daughters at Kansas State University. Sarah is an avid KSU football fan, enjoys biking trail routes in Kansas and Colorado, and has served on the Rise Up Reno County (Community That Cares) board of directors.
Fankhauser’s succession to president also triggered several other senior management promotions at the company, specifically the promotions of Dennis Queal to Executive Vice President/CFO; Daren Fankhauser, 24 years of experience at DCI, to Senior Vice President, Chief Development Officer & Chief Architect; Sencer Tasan to Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer; Susan Flores to Senior Vice President of Customer Support; Tanna Faulkner to Senior Vice President of Sales and Digital Communications; Paul Jones to Vice President of Customer and Professional Services; and Arlene Fairbanks to Customer Support Officer.
To read The Org article, click here.
About DCI
DCI is the developer of the award-winning iCore360® core banking software and related technologies for community banks nationwide. DCI is privately owned by a group of bank clients, with several clients serving as board members and user group leaders. In addition to iCore360, DCI provides integrated, digital omnichannel solutions for online/mobile/AI banking, onboarding, private ATM network/card management, tellers, remote capture, custom analysis, risk/vendor management, managed IT and more. Among other awards, DCI has been named a FinTech Rankings Top 100 technology provider by IDC Financial Insights, a FinTech ForwardTop 100 technology provider by American Banker and BAI, a multiple winner of the BankNews Innovative Solutions Award and endorsements from multiple regional banking associations. For more information about DCI, visit www.datacenterinc.comor contact info@datacenterinc.com.