Joel Smith is a distinguished professional who has made significant contributions to the financial and community development sectors, particularly within Native American communities. Since 2013, he has served as Senior Vice President and Chief Credit Officer at Native American Bank, where he oversees the bank’s CDE and NMTC program activities, deploying capital in Indian Country and making a positive impact on economic empowerment. Prior to joining Native American Bank, Joel gained valuable experience during his 5-year tenure at CoBank, where he focused on financing electric cooperatives and rural infrastructure. Joel’s commitment to Native American economic development goes beyond his professional role, as he is an enrolled member of the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma and serves on the board of directors for several Native American local and national non-profit organizations, including Caddo Nation Economic Development Agency (CNEDA), Denver Indian Center, Rocky Mountain Indian Chamber of Commerce, Oweesta (a national Native CDFI), and the NDN Fund (a 501(c)(3) national Native loan fund).
Joel holds an MBA in Finance from the University of Colorado Denver and earned a dual BBA in Finance & Accounting from the University of Oklahoma. Additionally, he is an alumnus of the Graduate School of Banking at Colorado and holds an RMA Credit Risk Certification designation.
Joel was named to the 2015 Native American “40 under 40” by the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development and to the 2020 “40 under 40” by the Independent Community Bankers of America as an emerging community bank leader.
