Mr. Carothers is a retired partner of Ernst & Young LLP, where he spent 37 years in the financial services audit practice, including 24 years as a partner specializing in banking and capital markets. Throughout his career, he advised a wide range of public and private financial institutions on accounting and financial reporting, regulatory compliance, risk management, internal controls, mergers and acquisitions, capital markets transactions and much more. Mr. Carothers served in several national leadership roles at EY and was a trusted adviser to executive management teams, audit committees and boards of directors. He currently serves on the board of directors of Citizens Bank of Winfield and the Mountain Brook First Responders Foundation. A recognized industry leader and frequent speaker on emerging trends in banking and financial services, Mr. Carothers is a retired certified public accountant and received his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Alabama.