PANDORA – The Board of Directors of First National Bank has officially named Brendon Matthews as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the bank. Matthews has been serving as President of the bank since May, 2024. He succeeds Todd Mason who is retiring after 22 years at First National Bank and 40 years as a community banker. Mason will remain as a director on the board.

Matthews has worked in a variety of roles in his 23 years in banking, including teller, branch manager, small business lender, sales manager, Senior Lender, Executive Vice President, Chief Lending Officer and his most recent role as President. Brendon is originally from Bluffton and is a graduate of Bluffton High School. He received his undergraduate degree in English from Anderson University in Anderson, IN in 2002. After starting his banking career at Madison Community Bank in Anderson (now First Merchants Bank), Brendon earned his MBA from Anderson University and then moved back to Bluffton in 2006 and joined First National Bank. 

Brendon is a graduate of the Barret Graduate School of Banking in Memphis, and the Ohio Banker’s League Blythe Bank Management program. In 2021, he earned a Doctorate degree in Interdisciplinary Leadership from Creighton University.

In the community, Brendon is a Bluffton Lion, has served as a Rotarian and was board chair for both the Bluffton Center for Entrepreneurs and the Bluffton Chamber of Commerce. Brendon has taught undergraduate classes as an adjunct professor at Bluffton University, and at the Ohio Bankers League Brendon served as Chairperson of the Next Gen Advisory Board and currently serves as a director on the OBL Bankservices board.

When he’s not working, Brendon enjoys trail running, sports and keeping up with his daughters’ many activities. Brendon has coached all three of his daughters on the Bluffton High School soccer team and also watched his older two play college soccer at Bluffton and Heidelberg universities. Brendon and his wife, Renee, live in Bluffton.

Matthews stated, “I am honored to serve the bank in this new role and I am excited to work with our great team to keep living out our mission of improving lives through community banking.”

Mr. Mason has a combined 40 years of banking experience in various roles at community banks including 22 of those years serving at FNB. He served as President and CEO of First National Bank since 2007. Todd has previously served on the Board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, the Board of the Community Bank Council of the American Bankers Association, The Ohio Bankers League, and the Ohio State University Lima Advisory Board.