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Author: First Freedom Bank

First Freedom Announces Staff Promotions

We are excited to announce the following staff promotions at our bank:

Sarah Poss – First Vice President from Vice President

Sarah joined our bank in 2015 as a Financial Service Representative and currently serves as the Director of Retail Banking.  Sarah has a B.S. in Anthropology from Middle Tennessee State University and is also a graduate of The Southeastern School of Banking and the Tennessee Bankers’ Retail Banking Leadership Series.  She is currently enrolled in the MBA program at Tennessee Tech University. 

Phillip Vance – First Vice President from Vice President

Phillip joined our Bank as a Relationship Specialist in 2014 and currently serves as a Relationship Manager. Phillip has a B.S. in Accounting from Tennessee Tech University and is also a graduate of the prestigious Stonier / ABA Graduate School of Banking at University of Pennsylvania. He is a Board Member of the Lebanon Wilson County Chamber of Commerce, currently serving as Chairman-Elect, and is also a member of the Lebanon Breakfast Rotary Club. He previously served as a Board Member of the United Way of Wilson County.

Ryan Woodall – Vice President from Assistant Vice President

Ryan joined our Bank as a Relationship Manager in 2019 and continues to serve in this role.  Ryan has a B.S. in Political Science from Tennessee Tech University and an MBA from Cumberland University.  He is also a graduate of the Southeastern School of Commercial Lending. Ryan is a Board Member of the Kiwanis Club of Lebanon, currently serving as President-Elect, and is also a Board Member of the United Way of Wilson County.

Ashley Montgomery – Vice President from Assistant Vice President

Ashley joined our bank in 2015 as a Financial Services Representative and currently serves as the Office Manager for our Mt. Juliet Office.   She is an honor graduate of the Southeastern School of Lending, having graduated in the top 10%, and is currently enrolled in the Southeastern School of Banking and the American Bankers Association General Accounting Program.  Ashley is a Board Member of the Mt. Juliet Noon Rotary Club, presently serving as Club Membership Chairman.

Rachel Honaker – Vice President from Assistant Vice President

Rachel joined our bank in 2021 as a Personal Banker and currently serves as the Putnam County Market Manager.  She has a BS in Finance from Tennessee Tech University and is a Graduate of the Tennessee Bankers’ Retail Banking Leadership Series.  Rachel is a Board Member of CASA of the Tennessee Valley and an Advisory Board Member of Tennessee College of Applied Technology.  She is also a Member of the Rock House Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. 

Denise Bingham – Vice President from Assistant Vice President

Denise joined our Bank in 2017 as a Personal Banker and currently serves as the Office Manager for our Providence Office.  Denise has an extensive career in the banking industry. Prior to joining our team, she served as an Officer and Branch manager with a large corporate bank.

Tatum Ortlepp – Assistant Vice President from Bank Officer

Tatum joined our bank in 2018 as a Financial Service Representative and currently serves as the Retail Banking Sales Manager and our Shareholder Services Representative. Tatum has consistently been ranked as a top performer and was voted by her peers as the bank’s Red Carpet Service Award winner in 2021.

Blair Fry – Assistant Vice President from Bank Officer

Blair joined our Bank in 2019 as a Financial Services Representative and currently serves as a Credit Analyst in the Commercial Division.  Blair has a B.S. in Accounting from Middle Tennessee State University.

Conner Bostion – Bank Officer

Conner joined our Bank in 2022 as a Financial Services Representative and currently serves as a Relationship Specialist in the Commercial Division.  With this promotion, Conner will serve as a Relationship Manager.  Conner received his B.S. with a double major in Finance and Economics from Tennessee Tech University.


We prioritize promoting from within and are always excited to have the chance to recognize our staff’s hard work and talents. We know that our successes are only possible with a great team, and we are proud to have that. You’ll find most of the people mentioned here make it a point to be a part of their community, and you can learn more about that by clicking the “Community News” button below. If you’d like to learn more about who we are as bank, click the “About Us” button.