Mike Phillips is currently the chief strategy officer with South Georgia Banking Company, of Tifton, Ga., where he serves as a member of its executive strategic leadership team and provides strategic, financial, and operational counsel. Prior to that, Mike was the CEO of Planters First Bank, of Cordele, Ga. He brings to IMA more than 35 years of management, leadership, and consulting experience within the financial services industry, primarily in Georgia and Alabama.

Mike holds an MBA in finance from Fairfield University and a BS in computer science and business administration from Troy University. He graduated from the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University and the School for Bank Administration at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Mike maintains advanced professional certifications, including the CMA, CFM, Certified Risk Professional, Certified Internal Controls Auditor, and Certified Treasury Professional. He also has served as a member of the Small Business Advisory Committee within the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). Currently, he serves as an IMA volunteer representative within the advisory council for the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission’s corporate governance framework development initiative.