CEO & President of INB Joins BRANDT Board of Directors

Date:04-30-2020

BRANDT, a leading agriculture retailer and manufacturer of specialty agriculture products, has named Sarah Phalen, CEO and president of INB, to its 11-member board of directors. Phalen will initially serve a one-year term.

After being named president and CEO of INB on January 1, 2011, Phalen has grown INB into a $1 billion organization with Illinois offices in Peoria, Bloomington, and Champaign, as well as a Missouri office in Chesterfield. The bank has its headquarters and branch locations in Sangamon County, Illinois.

“INB has worked with BRANDT for a long time, so I’ve seen the type of organization it is,” said Phalen. “I’m looking forward to bringing my distinctive experience to the company. My goal is to provide additional leadership to help the company continue to grow.”

With 25 years in banking, Phalen is an original member of the management team that brought the second generation of Illinois National Bank (INB) into the Springfield, IL market. Employed by the bank since June 1999, she served as senior vice president overseeing retail services, marketing, non-lending business services and compliance, and mortgage lending before assuming her current role.

Phalen is an Illinois native. She grew up in Sherman, IL and is a Williamsville High School graduate. She received a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and earned an MBA from the University of Illinois at Springfield. Phalen is a Certified Treasury Professional.

“We are thrilled to welcome Sarah to the BRANDT board,” said Rick Brandt, CEO and President of BRANDT. “As we continue to work to balance our board, Sarah brings a unique leadership perspective that promises to inspire the next generation of leaders at BRANDT.”

In addition to her bank responsibilities, Phalen serves as a Director on the Board of The Hope Institute Foundation and SIU Healthcare. She also serves as Treasurer of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Foundation and Treasurer of the Economic Development Corporation of Land of Lincoln.