Eric Faulkner was named president of Citizens National Bank by its board of directors in an annoucement made Feb. 19. He is only the fifth person to serve as bank president since the bank opened nearly 100 years ago.

Michael Romey, former president, will remain chairman of the board and CEO of the bank. He has held the role of president/CEO since 1986.

Faulkner began his banking career at CNB in 2009 in Columbus, heading up the loan participation program.

He’s been involved with the Ohio Bankers League (OBL) serving as the chairman for the Next Generation Advisory Board and is currently a member of the Community Bankers Association of Ohio’s (CBAO) Legislative and Regulatory Committee.

He’s actively represented the bank through participation in the OBL and CBAO lobbying efforts at  state and national levels.

In August 2018 he completed the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, having been voted president of his class, and also received a Certificate of Executive Leadership.

According to Romey, “The transition of the responsibility for the leadership of the bank has happened gradually over the past year.

"I’m confident as I hand the reins over to Eric that the day to day operations of the bank will continue to run smoothly and I look forward to seeing the advancements the bank makes under his leadership.”

Faulkner received his bachelor of science in marketing and a master's of business administration from Wheeling Jesuit University in Wheeling, West Virginia.

With offices in Bluffton, Celina, Defiance, Elida, Findlay, Lima, Springfield, Van Wert and Toledo, Citizens National Bank has assets totaling more than $840 million and has been serving the communities of West Central Ohio since 1920.