By By Kerry Whipple Bean – publisher
John Barnett brings career and family experience in banking to his new position as president of BankTrust in Brewton.
A Monroeville native, Barnett has been area president of BankTrust in that community and will continue his responsibilities for the BankTrust Monroeville market along with his new position. Barnett takes over for Ed Livingston, who is moving to Selma, where BankTrust recently merged with Peoples Bank and Trust.
Barnett credits his father, who also ran the bank, with his career in the same industry.
Barnett later took over before Monroe County Bank merged with First National Bank of Brewton and the Bank of Mobile in 2004 to form the company now known as BancTrust Financial Group.
A member of the Coastal Gateway Economic Development Authority Board, Barnett said he is aware of the importance of economic development, especially in a regional sense. The CGEDA is a cooperative effort of Escambia, Monroe and Conecuh counties.
Barnett is a graduate of Birmingham Southern College with a bachelor's degree in economics and a magna cum laude graduate of Cumberland School of Law. He is also a graduate of the Alabama Banking School and earned a private master of banking from the Louisiana State University School of Banking in conjunction with Sheshunoff.
He served in private law practice in Monroeville until 1999 and was named chairman of the board of the Monroe County Bank in 1994 and chairman and CEO in 2004, prior to the merger into BankTrust.
Barnett and his wife, Rebecca, have three children: Courtney, a chemical engineer in Baton Rouge, La.; John, a student at the University of Alabama; and Mallory, a student at Auburn University. Barnett and his wife are looking forward to the move to Brewton, he said, and he does not plan many changes to the service at BankTrust.