Meet Our Chairman

John P. Stinner, NBA Chairman

John P. Stinner, president and CEO of Valley Bank & Trust Co. in Gering, was elected chairman of the Nebraska Bankers Association during the association’s Annual Convention on Friday, May 3, 2013, at the Embassy Suites in La Vista.  Stinner succeeds Clark D. Lehr, First Nebraska Bank in Columbus.

Stinner holds a bachelor of science degree in business administration, graduating with honors from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1973.  The following year, he received a master’s degree in economics and accounting from UNL.

Following his graduation from UNL, Stinner was a CPA for Peat Marwick Mitchell in Lincoln, now known as KPMG LLP. He then spent seven and a half years with First Commerce Bancshares in Lincoln, serving as head internal auditor and senior lender.  In 1988, Stinner and a small group of investors founded Gering State Bank with one location and six employees.  The name was changed to Valley Bank & Trust Co. in 1996 to reflect that the bank had truly become a “valley bank” with locations and customers the length of the North Platte Valley. Today the $331 million bank has 11 locations in Nebraska and Colorado with more than 125 employees. Stinner has served as the bank’s president and CEO since its founding.

Stinner has assumed many volunteer leadership roles that have allowed him to make a positive impact on his community and the state of Nebraska. He was on the Gering Public School Board for 10 years, five of those as president. He also has served as president of several other organizations in the community, including the Scottsbluff Country Club, Twin City Development, USA Wrestling, YMCA, and the Zoological Association. In addition, Stinner has served on the boards of the Carpenter Center, a local recreational and educational facility; Gering Wrestling Club; Hospital Authority No. 1 of Scotts Bluff County; Oregon Trail Foundation; Western Nebraska Community College (WNCC) Cougar Ball Booster Club, WNCC Foundation, and WNCC Business Incubator; and the WyoBraska Museum, to name a few.

He also has been actively involved with the Gering Downtown Revitalization Committee, Elks Club, American Legion, Knights of Columbus, and Rotary. 

Stinner’s involvement in the banking industry includes service on various Nebraska Bankers Association boards and committees. He currently serves on the board of directors for the NBA as well as the Nebraska Bankers Insurance & Services Co. (NBISCO). He is a past member of the NBA Government Relations Committee, NBA BankPAC Committee, and NBA Executive Management Committee.

Stinner and his wife Rita have two grown children and two grandchildren.