Our Team

Brent has served as CEO of Hawthorn Bank and Director of Hawthorn Bancshares, Inc. since May 2023. He brings decades of community banking expertise, from early roles in commercial banking and nine years as an FDIC examiner, to over 20 years in strategic bank leadership roles.

From 2003, until the sale in 2019, Brent served as Chairman and CEO of Liberty Bancorp, Inc. and BankLiberty where he took the company public, and lead the organization through several acquisitions and organic growth, becoming one of the nation’s top performing community banks. BankLiberty was recognized many times as a “best bank”, “best place to work”, and “strongest mid-size bank”. 

After selling BankLiberty to Central Bank of the Midwest for $103.7 million, Brent accepted a role in May 2020 as CEO of Wisconsin Bank & Trust, a subsidiary of Heartland Financial USA Incorporated, which bought Bank of Blue Valley in 2019. In July 2021, he was named president and CEO of Bank of Blue Valley, a position he held until joining Hawthorn Bank in 2023.

Brent received his bachelor’s degree in banking and finance and his MBA both from the University of Missouri. He remains active as an alumni and will often speak to graduate banking classes.

Mark joined Hawthorn Bank as President of Hawthorn Wealth Management in 2024, bringing over 36 years of experience in the financial industry. He is responsible for directing and overseeing all aspects of wealth management service offerings, including wealth advisory and trust services.

Mark began his career as an audit manager for ten years with Baird, Kurtz & Dobson (BKD), now Forvis Mazars, LLP, where he built a public accounting audit division, consisting primarily of highly regulated organizations, including financial services companies and not-for-profit entities. The primary services of his division included consulting, auditing, M&A, public securities offerings, and SEC reporting.

The next two decades, Mark served as Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer, and Secretary for Blue Valley Bank Corp. and served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer with the Bank of Blue Valley, Blue Valley Building Corp., Blue Valley Investment Corporation, and Blue Valley Wealth Advisors Inc., (RIA). He played a key role in forming Blue Valley Wealth Advisors, Inc. (RIA), serving on the investment committee.

Prior to joining Hawthorn Bank, Mark served as Chief Operations Officer for Country Club Bank leading all of the functional operational areas for wealth, trust, brokerage, bond, retail, deposit, treasury, loans and information technology.

Mark is a graduate of the University of Kansas where he earned his bachelor’s degree in business, accounting, and business administration.

He is actively involved in the community, serving on several boards, including the Starlight Theatre Association of Kansas City since 2015. 

Allison Cox, Senior Vice President, Wealth & Trust at Hawthorn Bank, joined the organization in 2024 with over 20 years of experience in trust administration. As a senior wealth consultant, she provides tailored financial strategies and expertise on trusts, including complex trust funding issues. Allison also consults on income and estate tax issues as it relates to generational wealth transfers.

Allison spent the first part of her career at Commerce Trust Company from 2002-2013 where she successfully built a book of investment and trust clients. A portion of that time, she worked in Columbia, Missouri, building a team as Mid-Missouri Wealth Market Leader, and overseeing three lines of business – trusts, investments, and private banking.

In the 10 years prior to joining Hawthorn Bank, Allison worked with community bank trust departments helping high net-worth families by providing family office and trust and estate administration services. She collaborated with the private banking and commercial lending teams in providing holistic banking solutions as clients transitioned out of their businesses and transferred wealth to the next generation and to charity.

Allison is a graduate of UMKC School of Law earning her Juris Doctor. She also earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from UMKC. Allison obtained her Certified Trust and Financial Advisor certification through the ABA program at Northwestern University.

Allison is a member of the Overland Park Rotary Club, Kansas City Estate Planning Society, and volunteers regularly at Growing Futures Early Education Center and through her local church.

Dan has been with Hawthorn Bank for over 20 years. In his role as Vice President for Hawthorn Wealth Management, he provides personalized plans to help clients achieve their financial and estate planning goals. Dan has over 35 years of experience in the financial industry.

He began his career with A. G Edwards and Sons working with retirement plans and investments, followed by a role at Central Bank where he worked as an investment advisor and then as a trust officer.

Dan is a graduate of Westminster College where he majored in business administration and computer science. He is a Certified Financial Planner, a Certified Trust and Financial Advisor and a graduate of the Cannon Financial Institute Trust School.

He is active in his community as a member of the Jefferson City Chamber of Commerce, Jefferson City Host Lions Club and serves on the Board of Directors for Cole County Residential Services. Dan is a past president of the Rape and Abuse Crisis Services Board of Directors, the Jefferson City Public Schools Foundation Board of Directors, and the Cole County Residential Services Board of Directors.

Gavin joined Hawthorn Bank in January 2025 as Chief Investment Officer for Hawthorn Wealth Management. In this role, he develops and oversees investment portfolios and strategies, balances risk, analyzes data, and collaborates with current and potential clients.

Gavin has over 10 years of investment strategy experience, most recently holding the position of portfolio strategist with Fidelity Investments in Kansas City, where he advised financial professionals on portfolio construction, manager selection, and asset allocation. Prior to that position, he worked for nearly 10 years in Fort Worth, Texas as an investment analyst, including six years with J.P. Morgan.

Gavin is a member of the CFA® Society of Kansas City and a board member for Streams and Valleys, Inc. in Fort Worth, Texas.

He graduated with a bachelor's degree in business administration from Texas Christian University. Gavin is a CFA® Charter holder and has Series 7 and Series 63 licenses.

Jon has served as a board member for Hawthorn Bancshares Inc. since March 2019. He is the President of Ategra Capital Management, LLC, a registered investment advisory firm based in Virginia that he founded in 2005. Jon serves as managing member of Ategra GP, LLC, the general partner of Ategra Community Financial Institution Fund, LP, a fund which invests primarily in the securities of companies in the bank and thrift industry and Ategra LS500, LP, a fund which invests primarily in large capitalization equities in the United States. He also was co-founder of 1st Portfolio Holding Corporation, a fee-based financial services company, which opened in 2009 and was sold to WashingtonFirst Bankshares in 2015 (WashingtonFirst sold to Sandy Spring Bancorp in 2018).

Jon has been a bank investor and advisor since 1992 when he joined Danielson Associates, Inc. (merged with Ambassador Financial Group, Inc. in 2011), a Rockville, Maryland based firm where he was an Associate, Senior Vice President and Partner. His expertise includes merger advisory, equity valuation, and strategic planning.

He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business with a bachelor’s degree in economics and history. In 2013, he authored the book – The Growth Penalty: Unfinished Business, Banking and the American Recovery.

Doug has served as a board member for Hawthorn Bank since October 2023. He is the Principal and Investment Advisor Representative of Eden Capital Management, LLC (ECM) based in Lakewood Ranch, Florida. He created ECM in 2016 to provide clients with enhanced total return investment portfolios, benefiting from his research into undervalued equity and fixed income securities. He is an active investor, privately managing assets for more than 25 years. Some of his previous roles have included serving as Senior Vice President with CNA Financial in Chicago, Senior Vice President with The Main Street America Group in Jacksonville, and Executive Vice President with Selective Insurance Company in Branchville, New Jersey. 

He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business with a bachelor’s degree in economics and a concentration in insurance and risk management.

Allison Cox, Senior Vice President, Wealth & Trust at Hawthorn Bank, joined the organization in 2024 with over 20 years of experience in trust administration. As a senior wealth consultant, she provides tailored financial strategies and expertise on trusts, including complex trust funding issues. Allison also consults on income and estate tax issues as it relates to generational wealth transfers.

Allison spent the first part of her career at Commerce Trust Company from 2002-2013 where she successfully built a book of investment and trust clients. A portion of that time, she worked in Columbia, Missouri, building a team as Mid-Missouri Wealth Market Leader, and overseeing three lines of business – trusts, investments, and private banking.

In the 10 years prior to joining Hawthorn Bank, Allison worked with community bank trust departments helping high net-worth families by providing family office and trust and estate administration services. She collaborated with the private banking and commercial lending teams in providing holistic banking solutions as clients transitioned out of their businesses and transferred wealth to the next generation and to charity.

Allison is a graduate of UMKC School of Law earning her Juris Doctor. She also earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from UMKC. Allison obtained her Certified Trust and Financial Advisor certification through the ABA program at Northwestern University.

Allison is a member of the Overland Park Rotary Club, Kansas City Estate Planning Society, and volunteers regularly at Growing Futures Early Education Center and through her local church.

Dan has been with Hawthorn Bank for over 20 years. In his role as Vice President for Hawthorn Wealth Management, he provides personalized plans to help clients achieve their financial and estate planning goals. Dan has over 35 years of experience in the financial industry.

He began his career with A. G Edwards and Sons working with retirement plans and investments, followed by a role at Central Bank where he worked as an investment advisor and then as a trust officer.

Dan is a graduate of Westminster College where he majored in business administration and computer science. He is a Certified Financial Planner, a Certified Trust and Financial Advisor and a graduate of the Cannon Financial Institute Trust School.

He is active in his community as a member of the Jefferson City Chamber of Commerce, Jefferson City Host Lions Club and serves on the Board of Directors for Cole County Residential Services. Dan is a past president of the Rape and Abuse Crisis Services Board of Directors, the Jefferson City Public Schools Foundation Board of Directors, and the Cole County Residential Services Board of Directors.

Holly joined Hawthorn Bank in 2003 as Vice President & Trust Officer. In this role, she handles all aspects of trust administration including review of trusts, wills, and other estate planning documents. She also meets with existing and potential trust customers, trust beneficiaries, and investment account holders facilitating trust distributions and formulating solutions for customer concerns. Holly works with attorneys to tailor trust and estate planning documents to meeting individual client needs. She often presents to community groups and nonprofits on behalf of Hawthorn bank on the topics of estate planning and the benefits of a revocable living trust as a planning tool.

Prior to joining Hawthorn Bank, she held a private practice as an estate planning and transaction attorney, including two years in the trust tax services area for large company. Holly was also employed as an estate and gift tax attorney for the Depart of Treasury.

Holly is a graduate of University of Missouri School or Law earning her Juris Doctor.

She is an active volunteer at her local church and co-chaired a community-wide day of service event for two years. Holly is also currently serving on the advisory board of University of Missouri Health Care’s Capital Region Medical Center.

Karen joined Hawthorn Bank in 1979, starting her career in the loan department. In 1982, she transferred to the trust services department where she has held variety of positions over the years. For several years she managed the operations of the trust department and currently holds the role of Assistant Vice President and Trust Administrator. 

Additionally, Karen coordinates the Elite Travel Club for Hawthorn Bank, which provides opportunities for members to enjoy local events, day trips, and extended getaways. 

She completed courses through the Center of Financial Training, Nichols Career Center, and SunGard training for trust operations.

Karen is active in the Jefferson City community where she is a member at Immaculate Conception Church, serving on various committees. She also volunteers at Friedens Church Brazito, is a member of the Jefferson City Chamber of Commerce, and is a member of the East Side Business Association.