Leadership

TriPoint Financial is governed and led by an experienced team with more than a century of combined leadership across community, regional, and multi-billion-dollar financial institutions. Our executives bring proven success in bank governance, regulatory navigation, M&A integration, capital planning, and operational transformation.

Dwight Utz, Chairman of the Board

A veteran financial-services leader with 45+ years of executive experience, Dwight has served as President & CEO of PeoplesBank, ECB Bancorp, and VantageSouth Bancshares. He led major transformation initiatives, cultural modernization, and multi-market M&A integration, including the ECB–VantageSouth combination spanning a 46-branch network.

He has held CEO and board leadership roles at several $1B–$2B institutions and co-founded a community-bank acquisition group. Dwight also serves as Board Chair at Central Penn College.

Tom Crowder, Vice Chairman & Treasurer

Tom brings more than three decades of expertise in banking, capital markets, and financial leadership, serving as CFO, COO, and Chief Investment Officer. He has taken three banks public—leading SEC filings, investor roadshows, and listings on NASDAQ and NYSE-MKT.

At ECB Bancorp, Tom managed financial reporting, M&A valuations, an $80MM private placement, and a $340MM investment portfolio while significantly reducing wholesale funding reliance. He currently advises growth-oriented organizations as a board-level financial strategist.

Kevin O’Connor, President & Chief Executive Officer

Kevin is an experienced financial executive with 30+ years in regulated financial institutions, serving as both CEO and CFO. His leadership spans capital planning, technology modernization, and operational turnaround.

He recently oversaw more than $1B in annual cash flow, integrating treasury and liquidity-management technologies to optimize cash use and reduce borrowing costs. Kevin has turned around a distressed $100MM commercial loan portfolio, restructured a $200MM investment portfolio for improved yield, and led a prior institution to $100MM in asset growth in under three years.