The CIO's First 30 Days | Gary Kern

Episode 75: The CIO’s First 30 Days | Gary Kern

This week we welcome, Gary Kern, Chief Information Officer at The Middlefield Banking Company. After 15 years as a CIO at another bank, Gary learned he would need to look for a role elsewhere due to a buyout. At the time this episode was recorded, Gary was literally just wrapping up his first 30 days with The Middlefield Banking Company and he sat down with Jeff Ton to talk about his job search, how to stay motivated, aligning with cultures, relocation factors and, of course, what his first 30 days looked like.

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Time Stamped Table of Contents

1:24 Starting a new position after 15 years in a previous role

2:41 The first 30 days

5:17 The unexpected

9:18 Job search & relocation

16:24 Staying motivated

22:51 Lessons with managing a remote team

27:34 Action items

Gary Kern was recently named SVP and Chief Information Officer (CIO) for The Middlefield Banking Company (MBC); a 119-year-old community bank, headquartered in Middlefield, OH. He is responsible for all technology strategy and direction for the enterprise and its 16 locations. Prior to MBC, Gary spent 15 years as CIO at MutualBank, recently acquired by Northwest Savings Bank. Gary has also previously held Senior IT Leadership roles for Lincoln Financial Group and Conseco Services, LLC, among other past technology experiences.

In 2011, Gary was nationally honored by being named one of ComputerWorld magazine’s Premier 100 IT leaders. In both 2015 & 2016 he was named one of Independent Community Bankers of America’s top 25 Community Bank influencers on Social Media. Gary has two adult children that both live in Indiana, and he, his wife Kelli, and their two dogs are currently moving into their new home in Aurora, OH.