First Community Bank has announced the promotion of Bill Oliva to senior vice president, commercial lending and diversity outreach director.
The promotion was announced Wednesday, August 12.
In his expanded role, Oliva will lead and develop the bank’s commercial lending and diversity outreach efforts throughout First Community Bank’s footprint, with an initial emphasis on central Arkansas.
The bank says Oliva will focus on expanding access to banking services and capital by developing relationships in underserved communities and helping individuals and businesses transition from being unbanked to banked.
Oliva’s career with First Community Bank began while he was still a student at Batesville High School. He joined the bank in October 2007 through the JAG, or Jobs for Arkansas Graduates, program at just 17 years old.
During nearly 18 years with First Community Bank, Oliva has advanced through the organization into increasingly significant leadership responsibilities.
Oliva said he is grateful for the opportunities First Community Bank has provided throughout his career and views the promotion as both an honor and a responsibility. He said he looks forward to expanding access to financial services, strengthening community relationships and helping individuals, families and businesses reach their financial goals.
Dwight Ford, executive vice president and chief lending officer, said Oliva’s commitment to serving others and strengthening communities makes him an outstanding leader for the position. Ford said Oliva has demonstrated a strong work ethic, a heart for people and a vision for creating opportunities throughout the bank’s markets.
Oliva is also active in several community organizations. He is a member of the White River Health Patient and Family Advisory Council, serves on the Avanza Arkansas Board and is a board member for AmigoFest.
Oliva attended the University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville, where he studied criminal justice. He later completed the Barrett School of Banking in Memphis.
Outside of his banking career, Oliva enjoys spending time with his family, riding bikes, lake activities and traveling. He and his wife have four children.
First Community Bank is locally owned and managed and opened August 4, 1997, in Batesville. The bank currently operates 35 locations across Arkansas and Missouri, employs approximately 650 professional bankers and reported $3.6 billion in assets as of June 30, 2026.
For more information about First Community Bank, call 870-612-3400 or visit the bank’s website.
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