Business Portfolio — Feb. 28, 2016

BANKING

Lawton E. Bassett III of Tifton has been promoted to the role of Ameris Bank and Ameris Bancorp executive vice president and chief banking officer for Georgia and Alabama.

Bassett’s responsibilities will include the oversight of all bank-wide commercial banking initiatives, construction and municipal lending, treasury and cash management, government guaranteed/SBA lending, and all core banking activities throughout Georgia and Alabama.

Bassett has more than 25 years of financial and banking experience, most recently serving as Ameris Bank regional president, where he oversaw the core banking activities in 19 markets, and led teams in these markets through the integration of nine financial institutions acquired by Ameris Bank.

Bassett has been with Ameris Bank for 19 years, serving as regional president and market president. He served as the chief executive officer of Citizens Security Bank, an independently charted Ameris Bancorp owned financial institution, until the charter was collapsed and consolidated into Ameris Bank in 2006. Prior to joining Citizens Security Bank, Bassett served in various commercial lending and leadership roles at Barnett Bank and SunTrust.

Bassett earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Georgia and an associate’s degree in business from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC). He is an honor graduate of the Banking School of the South at Louisiana State University, Graduate School of Banking and is an alumnus of Leadership Georgia and Leadership Tifton.

Bassett and his wife, Alisha, have two children, Lawton IV “Le” and Annslee.

Alfredia Hampton has joined AB&T National Bank as the Main Office head teller.

As a 36-year banking veteran, Hampton will oversee the Main Office’s teller operations. She is a member of Mount Zion Baptist Church, serving on the Finance Committee, Greeters Ministry and the Floral Ministry. In addition, Hampton serves on the board of the Albany Technical College Foundation and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Albany.

AB&T National Bank opened its doors in 1999 as Albany Bank & Trust.

LEGAL

Albany native Petrina Hall McDaniel has joined the partnership ranks of the world’s largest law firm, Dentons US LLP, formerly McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP.

McDaniel was promoted to partner in its Atlanta Litigation and Dispute Resolution Department. Petrina, along with 20 new partners resident in 12 Dentons offices throughout the US, joined the partnership effective January 1.

McDaniel’s career spans over a decade, during which time she has represented the spectrum of the business ecosystem, from Fortune 500 companies to entrepreneurial start-ups.

As a commercial litigator, Hampton is a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US) and trained in consumer privacy and data security. Petrina has litigated claims involving the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, and other state and federal privacy statutes

Atlanta Magazine has consistently recognized Petrina as a “Super Lawyer Rising Star” in General Litigation from 2012-2016.

McDaniel is the wife of James Bruce McDaniel, II of Atlanta and daughter of Walter M. (Celia) Hall, III of Albany. She is a 1997 graduate of Monroe Comprehensive High School.

Luanne Clark has been inducted into the national Academy of Distinguished Neutrals, an association of the top-tier alternative dispute resolution professionals in the United States.

Membership is limited to the most in-demand mediators and arbitrators in each date as selected by their peers and litigation attorneys.

Clarke is a founding partner in the law firm of Moore, Clarke, DuVall and Rodgers, based in Albany with offices in Atlanta, Savannah and Valdosta. She serves as a certified registered mediator and arbitrator in dispute resolutions throughout the state. Clarke defends individuals and business entities in civil litigation with an emphasis in personal injury, employment and workers’ compensation claims. She resides in Atlanta and is the managing partner of the firm’s Atlanta office.

W. Ralph Rodgers Jr., an attorney and founding partner with the law firm of Moore, Clark, DuVall & Rodgers P.C., recently attended the 50th Heckerling Institute in Orlando, Fla.

The Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning is the nation’s leading conference for estate planning professionals, including attorneys, trust officers, accountants, insurance advisors and wealth management professionals. the week-long conference consists of sessions that address estate planning techniques. Other topics include elder law, marital law, asset protection planning and income tax planning.

Rodgers practices in the areas of taxation, estate planning and corporate law.