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Leadership

Executive Management

As they manage over 4,000 employees on a day-to-day basis, these leaders uphold our values to ensure we maintain our promise to help our shareholders focus on what matters most.
David KemperDavid W. Kemper is Executive Chairman of Commerce Bancshares, Inc. He joined Commerce Bank in 1978 as Vice President in charge of Commercial Lending and in 1991 was elected to his current position. Kemper heads the Executive Committee of Commerce Bancshares, Inc. A 1972 graduate of Harvard University, Kemper received a Master of Arts in English Literature from Worcester College, Oxford University in 1974 and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1976. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Kemper is a director of Post Holdings, Inc., Tower Properties Company, and serves as an advisory director for Enterprise Holdings. Kemper serves as Vice Chairman of the board of trustees of Washington University in St. Louis. He is also on the board of trustees of the Missouri Botanical Garden and the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center.
John KemperJohn W. Kemper is President and Chief Executive Officer of Commerce Bancshares, Inc., and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Commerce Bank. Kemper joined Commerce in 2007 and prior to his current role, served as the organization’s President and Chief Operating Officer. Before joining Commerce, he worked in the New York and Chicago offices of McKinsey & Company, a management consulting firm.

Kemper holds a Bachelor of Arts in history and political science from Stanford University, a Master of Science in economic history from the London School of Economics, and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. He is a member of the Visa Executive Client Counsel and serves on the boards of several civic organizations in the St. Louis region.
Chuck KimCharles G. Kim is Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Commerce Bancshares, Inc. Kim has corporate responsibility for all financial functions for the company. He also has responsibility for strategic planning, marketing, the retail line of business, the consumer and corporate card business, Commerce Mortgage Corporation and is a member of the Executive Committee of Commerce Bancshares, Inc. Kim is a member the board of directors of the Bank Administration Institute (BAI) in Chicago. Kim also serves on the board of trustees of Missouri Baptist Medical Center and on the board of directors of the Missouri Baptist Healthcare Foundation, as well as the board of directors of Junior Achievement of Mississippi Valley and the board of trustees of Logan University. Kim graduated with honors from the Washington University Executive MBA program and holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Washington University, St. Louis, MO.
Kevin BarthKevin G. Barth is Executive Vice President of the Commercial Line of Business for Commerce Bancshares, Inc. and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for Commerce Bank, Kansas City Region. In addition to his direct responsibilities for the Commerce Kansas City region, Barth is responsible for Commerce’s operations in Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas. He oversees strategy, product development and policy for Commerce Bancshares, Inc.’s commercial banking and is a member of the Commerce Bancshares Executive Committee. Barth received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from Graceland University. He earned his MBA from Rockhurst University. Mr. Barth currently serves on the boards of the Kansas City Area Development Council, Kansas City Life Insurance Company, Hodgdon Powder Company, Children’s Mercy Hospital and the Greater Kansas City Area Chamber of Commerce. Previous board service includes The Kansas City Board of Trade, Cereal Food Processors and Starlight Theatre.
Sara FosterSara Foster has overall responsibility for Talent Management, Talent Development, Legal, Compliance, Audit, Non-Credit Risk Management and Flight Operations. Foster is a member of the Executive Committee of Commerce Bancshares, Inc. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of Missouri – St. Louis, MO, and a Masters in Business Administration from Washington University, St. Louis, MO. Foster serves on the Board of Directors of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri, Normandy Schools Collaborative and the University of Missouri – St. Louis Chancellor’s Council.
John HandyJohn is the president and chief executive officer for Commerce Trust Company. Prior to joining Commerce Bank in December 1999, John was the chief operating officer and a director of TIAA-CREF Trust Company, FSB, the Missouri-based trust subsidiary of the national teachers' retirement fund manager. Prior to joining TIAA-CREF, he was with Bank of America (formerly Boatmen's Trust Company) for 10 years, where his responsibilities included managing a group of 14 regional trust offices in seven states. John received his bachelor of arts degree in economics and business administration from Wittenberg University in 1985. In 1991, he graduated with honors from the ABA Graduate Trust School of Northwestern University, where he earned his CFSC designation. John also holds a Series 65 license.
Bob HolmesRobert S. Holmes is Executive Vice President of Commerce Bancshares, Inc., Chairman and CEO of Commerce Bank of St. Louis, and serves on the Executive Management Committee of Commerce Bancshares, Inc. Holmes oversees the bank's commercial banking activities in the St. Louis region, commercial offices in Cincinnati, Nashville, Indianapolis, Grand Rapids, community markets in Missouri and Illinois, community relations and foundation advisory services for the St. Louis market, capital markets, tax credits, commercial mortgage placement, dealer services and equipment finance. He holds a Master of Business Administration from St. Louis University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from University of Missouri in Columbia. Holmes serves as a director and member of the executive committee of the St. Louis Regional Chamber, the United Way of Greater St. Louis, and Tower Grove Park. Holmes is a member of University of Missouri's College of Business - Finance Advisory Board and Washington University Olin School of Business WFA – CFAR advisory board. He is a board member of St. Louis YPO-Gold and a director of Sherwood Forest, a United Way supported agency. He also serves on the investment committee of SixThirty, a global FinTech Venture Fund and Business Development Program.
David OrfDavid L. Orf is Chief Credit Officer of Commerce Bancshares, Inc. He has responsibility for overseeing credit administration, lending policies and portfolio management processes to ensure the overall quality and credit culture of Commerce's lending portfolio. Orf is a member of the Executive Committee. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri – Columbia, where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance.

Derrick BrooksDerrick R. Brooks is a Senior Vice President of Commerce Bancshares, Inc., and Director of Enterprise Digital Strategy and serves on the Executive Management Committee. He is responsible for creating and driving the enterprise digital vision, strategy and thought leadership across Consumer, Wealth and Commercial lines of business. He has over 20 years of digital product development experience, including 10 years in management and IT consulting. He has helped Fortune 500 companies realize their strategic objectives by delivering competitive digital solutions across desktop, mobile, content management systems, and custom application development solutions. He has a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis.
Jeff BurikJeffrey M. Burik is a Senior Vice President of Commerce Bancshares, Inc., Director of Commercial Card and Merchant Services, and has responsibility for payment products marketed nationally. Burik serves on the Executive Committee of Commerce Bancshares, Inc. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Emporia State University, Emporia, KS.

Patty KellerhalsPatricia R. Kellerhals is a Senior Vice President of Commerce Bancshares, Inc., Director of Core Retail Banking, and serves on the Executive Management Committee. She is responsible for directing strategy and execution for the retail line of business and oversees all aspects of retail banking. Kellerhals graduated from Lindenwood University with a Bachelor of Arts in business administration.
Doug NeffSince 2013, Doug Neff has served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Commerce Bank, Southwest Missouri Region. Neff is a Senior Vice President of Commerce Bancshares, Inc., Director of Community Market Strategy and serves on the Executive Management Committee. He is responsible for facilitating collaboration and communication across the Bank’s community market footprint. Neff graduated from the University of Missouri with a Bachelor of Arts in finance and a minor in economics from the Prochnow Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin.
Paula PetersenPaula Petersen is a Senior Vice President of Commerce Bancshares, Inc. and Director of Specialty Consumer Lending and Strategic Services and serves on the Executive Management Committee of Commerce Bancshares, Inc. She is responsible for driving corporate strategy and marketing as well as managing the corporate planning framework and management reporting. She also has responsibility for BankCard/Installment Loan Servicing. Ms. Petersen graduated with honors in 2007 from the UMKC EMBA program and holds a BBA in Finance from Wichita State University.
David RollerDavid Roller is a Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Commerce Bancshares, Inc. He leads the Enterprise Technology Function, Bank Operations and Corporate Services. Roller is a member of the Executive Committee of Commerce Bancshares, Inc. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Missouri – Kansas City.

Board of Directors

As entrepreneurs, industry specialists and community leaders, our Board of Directors is comprised of professionals of different backgrounds and professional experience. In keeping with Commerce Bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility practices, the Board believes diversity of perspective is crucial to representing the communities and customers we serve and strengthens our ability to provide long-term value for all of our shareholders. Accordingly, Board diversity, including diversity with respect to race, ethnicity, gender, geography and areas of specialty, is an integral component in selecting nominees for Board consideration.

Here is a summary of the composition of our 12-member Board of Directors.
Commerce Board of Directors composition - 25% non-dependent, 75% dependent, representing gender, racial and ethnic diversity.
Commerce Board of Directors composition - 25% non-dependent, 75% dependent, representing gender, racial and ethnic diversity.

Commerce Bancshares, Inc. Directors

Terry BasshamDirector since February 2013. Prior to his retirement as President & CEO of Evergy, Inc., Mr. Bassham served as Chairman of the Board, President and CEO (since June 2012), of Great Plains Energy, KCP&L, and Greater Missouri Operations. Mr. Bassham originally served as KCP&L Executive Vice President of Finance, Strategic Development and CFO, more recently as Executive Vice President of Utility Operations. He graduated from the University of Texas-Arlington and earned a Juris Doctor degree from St. Mary's University Law School in San Antonio, Texas. Mr. Bassham previously practiced as a regulatory attorney and has served as an advisory director of the Company's banking subsidiary in Kansas City. He is active in the Kansas City area community and currently serves as a board member of Kansas City Scholars. Mr. Bassham brings to the Board an inside perspective of the energy industry, and experience in a highly regulated industry with a publicly traded company.
John CappsDirector since January 2000. Mr. Capps, a graduate of Stanford University, created a group of automobile dealership franchises in St. Louis County, Missouri that was acquired by Asbury Automotive Group in 1997. Mr. Capps stayed active in the acquiring company through its initial public offering. In 2011, Mr. Capps left Asbury Automotive Group to operate a new automotive dealership under BCJ Motors, Inc. and Weiss Toyota. Mr. Capps gives the Board a direct insight into a major line of business for the Company. He is active in the community and currently serves as a board member of St. Louis Priory School, St. Louis Children’s Hospital Foundation, the St. Louis Art Museum, Backstoppers, Inc. and KIPP School of St. Louis.
Karen DanielDirector since January 2018. Ms. Daniel graduated from Northwest Missouri State University and received her master's degree in accounting from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She spent 11 years with the certified public accounting firm of Peat Marwick (KPMG), rising to Senior Audit Manager. Ms. Daniel joined Black & Veatch in 1992 with the internal audit group, was named Chief Financial Officer in 1999 and joined the Black & Veatch Board of Directors in 2006. In her role as CFO, she was responsible for developing and executing business strategies, and as President of Black & Veatch's Global Finance & Technology Solutions Division, led the global finance and IT organizations. She retired from Black & Veatch in July 2018 as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Executive Director. Ms. Daniel serves on numerous public and philanthropic boards, including Snap-on, Inc., Livongo Health, Inc., Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City, Northwest Missouri State University Foundation, Kansas City Campus for Animal Care and City Year Kansas City. Ms. Daniel also served as Vice-Chair of former President Obama's Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa.
Earl DevannyDirector since April 2010. Mr. Devanny is a former advisory director of Commerce Bank and has extensive experience with regulated industries. Mr. Devanny holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of the South (Sewanee). Mr. Devanny has served as CEO of TractManager Holdings, LLC since September 2016. Prior to this position, Mr. Devanny served as the President of Healthcare at Nuance Communications from April 2014 to August 2016, as CEO of The TriZetto Group from July 2010 to May 2013, and the President of Cerner Corporation from August 1999 to July 2010. This experience brings a professional insight into the healthcare industry, one of the Company's most important target industries for financial services.
W. Thomas Grant, IIDirector since June 1983. Mr. Grant served as a Consultant of Quest Diagnostics from 2007-2010, Chief Executive Officer of LabOne, Inc. from 1995 through the sale of the company to Quest Diagnostics in 2005, where he served as Senior Vice President until 2007. During his tenure, the company grew from a market capitalization of less than $80 million to $934 million at the time of sale. Prior to LabOne, Mr. Grant was the Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer at Seafield Capital Corporation, a healthcare holding company, from 1990 to 1995. From 1986 to 1990, he served as Chief Executive Officer of Business Men's Assurance Company, an insurance company. Mr. Grant received a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Kansas and a master’s degree in business administration from the Wharton School of Finance, University of Pennsylvania, and brings to the Board an insight into the insurance and healthcare industries. Mr. Grant is currently the Director of SelectQuote and is serving on the Board of SelectQuote.
David KemperDirector since February 1982. Mr. Kemper became Executive Chairman in August 2018. He previously was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Company from 1991 to 2018 and was President of the Company from 1982 until February 2013. He graduated cum laude from Harvard College, earned a master’s degree in English literature from Oxford University, and an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He is the Past President of the Federal Advisory Council to the Federal Reserve Board. Mr. Kemper is active in the St. Louis community, serving as a board member of Washington University in St. Louis, the Missouri Botanical Garden, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, the St. Louis Art Museum, and a member of Civic Progress in St. Louis. Mr. Kemper brings to the Board a thorough understanding of the financial industry and an appreciation of the values upon which the Company was founded.
John KemperDirector since September 2015. Mr. Kemper is President and Chief Executive Officer of Commerce Bancshares, Inc., and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Commerce Bank. Mr. Kemper joined Commerce in 2007 leading strategy and working across a number of leadership roles within the Company. Prior to his current role, Mr. Kemper served as the Company’s President and Chief Operating Officer. Before joining Commerce, Mr. Kemper worked as an Engagement Manager in the New York and Chicago offices of McKinsey & Co. While at McKinsey, Mr. Kemper led consulting teams on strategy and operations engagements for a number of clients in the financial services and airline industries. Mr. Kemper holds a Bachelor of Arts in history and political science from Stanford University, a Master of Science in economic history from the London School of Economics and an M.B.A. from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. Mr. Kemper is a member of the Visa Senior Client Counsel and serves on the boards of several civic organizations in the St. Louis region.
Jonathan KemperDirector since February 1997. Mr. Kemper transitioned from day-to-day responsibilities at the Company in August 2018; he currently oversees the Commerce Bank Trusts and Foundations Office. After graduating from Harvard, Mr. Kemper received an M.B.A. from Harvard University's Graduate School of Business. Prior to working for the Company, Mr. Kemper held various positions in the financial industry in New York and Chicago, including positions with Citicorp, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and M. A. Schapiro and Company. Mr. Kemper previously served on the Federal Advisory Council to the Federal Reserve Board from January 2012 to December 2015. Mr. Kemper is involved in several community and business organizations in addition to his responsibilities at Commerce Bank. Mr. Kemper is a recognized community leader in one of the Company's largest markets and also brings expertise in current and emerging technologies to the Board.
Benjamin RassieurDirector since August 1997. Mr. Rassieur is President of a successful, private company that performs heat treating and metal finishing at six plants in three states and Mexico. His business provides a leading indicator of general economic conditions. Mr. Rassieur graduated cum laude from Amherst College with a degree in economics. He has been a director of Commerce Bank and has been a long-time member of the Company’s Audit and Risk Committee, and is the current Chairman of the Audit and Risk Committee. His community involvement includes being a Director of Concordance Academy.
Todd SchnuckDirector since April 2010. As Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Schnuck Markets, Inc., Mr. Schnuck brings to the Board a unique perspective from a consumer driven industry that faces many of the same issues that the Company faces, such as selection of retail locations, geographic expansion, and customer loyalty. With stores in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Wisconsin, Schnuck Markets, Inc. operates in much of the same footprint as the Company. A graduate of the University of Virginia with an M.B.A. from Cornell, Mr. Schnuck had several years' experience in the investment banking profession before joining the family-owned business and serving as its Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer prior to his current position. Mr. Schnuck has previously served as an advisory director of Commerce Bank.
Andrew TaylorDirector since February 1990. Mr. Taylor has led Enterprise Holdings and its operating subsidiaries (collectively “Enterprise”), to the position of the largest rental car provider in the world. He has public company board experience and is actively engaged in community service and philanthropic activities in the St. Louis area. His company is ranked high in customer satisfaction and as a place to work and start a career. Mr. Taylor is also the Executive Chairman of Enterprise Fleet Management, Inc., which leases over 300,000 vehicles to small and medium sized businesses. Managing credit risk is an important component of this business. Mr. Taylor is a graduate of the University of Denver with a degree in business administration.
Kimberly WalkerDirector since February 2007. Ms. Walker holds an M.B.A. in finance, with distinction, from the University of Michigan, an M.A. in economics from Washington University in St. Louis, and a B.A. in economics and public administration from Miami University of Ohio, where she graduated magna cum laude. Ms. Walker also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. She has extensive experience in institutional asset management and has knowledge of internal controls and audit committee functions. Ms. Walker served as Chief Investment Officer at Washington University for 10 years through December 31, 2016 and as Executive in Residence at Washington University’s Olin Business School in 2017.

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