Ross Whipple

Ross Whipple is the chairman and CEO of Summit Bancorp Inc. He is also chairman of the board of trustees at Henderson State University and a board member of the Arkansas Forestry Association and the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Research Institute. Whipple grew up in Malvern and heads Summit Bancorp Inc., a $1.2 billion-asset bank holding company based in Arkadelphia. Whipple also is chairman of the Ross Foundation of Arkadelphia, which manages about 63,000 acres of timberland for conservation as well as charitable purposes in the Clark County area. The nonprofit helps fund the Arkadelphia Promise, providing college scholarships and other resources for all graduating seniors at Arkadelphia High School. His Whipple Family Ltd. owns 62,000 acres of timberland in south Arkansas. He receieved his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Henderson State University at Arkadelphia, 1973, and an MBA from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, 1976.