Carlos M. Sepulveda Jr.
Chairman
Carlos M. Sepulveda Jr. has served on the Triumph Financial, Inc. (Nasdaq: TFIN) Board of Directors as Chairman since its inception in 2010. He also serves as Chairman of the Board at TBK Bank, SSB.
Mr. Sepulveda has been the chairman of the board of directors of Cinemark Holdings Inc. since May 2022. He has served as the lead director since 2016 and as a member of the Cinemark board since 2007. In March 2014, he joined the board of directors for Travel Research Advisors LLC, one of the world’s finest chauffeured ground transportation service providers and the industry leader in applying technology to deliver precise and reliable service to every passenger. Sepulveda served on the board of Matador Resources Company (NYSE: MTDR) as an executive committee member and audit committee chair from 2013 to 2017.
Before coming to Triumph, Sepulveda was at Interstate Battery System International for 23 years, spending the final nine years as president and CEO. He continues to serve on the Interstate Batteries board of directors, a position he has held since 1995.
Preceding his tenure at Interstate Batteries, Sepulveda gained more than ten years of experience in various roles with KPMG Peat Marwick Accounting Firm in Austin, New York City and San Francisco, where he was an audit partner and designated associate SEC reviewing partner with the firm.
Sepulveda received his Bachelor of Business Administration with highest honors from the University of Texas at Austin. He is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and the Texas Society of CPAs.
Aaron P. Graft
Founder, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Aaron P. Graft is the Founder, Vice Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of Triumph Financial, Inc. (NYSE: TFIN). He also serves as Vice Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and Public Information Officer of TBK Bank, SSB, and Vice Chairman of Triumph Insurance Group, Inc. In addition, Graft is Chairman of The Bank of the West, based in Thomas, Oklahoma
Before founding Triumph, Graft was the Founder and President of Triumph Land and Capital Management LLC, where he managed multi-family and commercial real estate projects in receivership and led acquisitions of distressed debt portfolios secured by multi-family assets. Earlier in his career, he practiced law at Fulbright & Jaworski LLP (now Norton Rose Fulbright LLP), specializing in distressed loan workouts.
Graft earned both his Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Baylor University, where he later served on the Hankamer School of Business Advisory Board. In 2017, he was honored with the EY Entrepreneur of the Year®️ Award in the Business and Financial Services category for the Southwest Region.
Charles A. Anderson
Director
Charles A. Anderson has served on the Triumph Financial, Inc. (Nasdaq: TFIN) Board of Directors since 2010. He has also served on the Board of Directors at TBK Bank, SSB since 2023.
In 2003, Anderson co-founded Bandera Ventures Ltd., a firm focused on industrial development and acquisitions, distressed office acquisitions and long-term lease opportunities. Before that, Anderson was associated with the Trammell Crow Company where he served as senior executive director, responsible for the development and investment group for the western half of the United States. Since 2014, Mr. Anderson has served on the board of directors and as a member of the investment committee of Highwoods Properties Inc. (NYSE: HIW), a publicly traded real estate investment trust. He also serves on the advisory board at the Baylor Scott & White Dallas Foundation.
He earned his Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Business Administration from Southern Methodist University, where he graduated summa cum laude.
Harrison Barnes
Director
Harrison Barnes has served on the Triumph Financial, Inc. (Nasdaq: TFIN) Board of Directors since 2021. He has also served on the Board of Directors at TBK Bank, SSB since 2023.
A professional athlete since 2012, Barnes is currently a professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association. He currently serves on the board of directors of First National Bank (Ames, Iowa), the largest bank subsidiary of Ames National Corporation (Nasdaq: ATLO). Since 2012, Barnes has overseen all functions of his family’s business affairs, including analysis of representation and business proposals, venture capital transactions and investments in publicly traded companies.
Barnes represented the United States in the 2016 Olympics. He also serves on the board of directors of USA Basketball and is the treasurer and executive committee member of the National Basketball Players Association. He was one of two inaugural player representatives on the NBA Foundation board of directors.
Barnes is actively involved in various community engagement projects, including serving as an ambassador for When We All Vote, a board of trustees member for the Boys & Girls Club of Oakland, and a Learn Fresh champion and advisor for the NBA Math Hoops program.
Debra A. Bradford
Director
Debra A. Bradford has served on the Triumph Financial, Inc. (Nasdaq: TFIN) Board of Directors since 2020. She has also served on the Board of Directors at TBK Bank, SSB since 2023.
Bradford is president and chief financial officer of First American Payment Systems, an industry leader and global solutions provider in merchant account services. She joined First American Payment Systems by Deluxe in 2001 and has served as president and CFO since 2008. Bradford joined the board of directors of Intermex (Nasdaq: IMXI) in 2022 and serves on both the compensation and nominating and governance committees. Prior to the acquisition of First America by Deluxe Corporation, Bradford also served on the board of directors of First American and the audit committee of First American Payment Systems.
Before joining First American Payment Systems, Bradford served as senior vice president and chief financial officer of ACE Cash Express, Inc., a financial services retailer. She also worked in various roles, including as chief operating officer, with IPS Card Solutions (formerly NTS, Inc.), a division of First Data Corporation.
Bradford graduated from the University of Texas in Austin. She is a certified public accountant and a member of the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants.
Richard Davis
Director
Richard Davis has served on the Triumph Financial, Inc. (Nasdaq: TFIN) Board of Directors since 2010. He has also served on the Board of Directors at TBK Bank, SSB since 2023.
He is the founder of Dallas-based DAVACO, Inc., a leading provider of retail, restaurant and hospitality service solutions. In 2000 and 2006, Davis was a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award, and in 2006, he was inducted into the Retail Construction Hall of Fame. Davis currently serves on The Salvation Army’s Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex Advisory Board and the board of advisors for Baylor Scott & White Dallas Foundation.
Davis Deadman
Director
Davis Deadman joined TBK Bank, SSB, then called Triumph Savings Bank, SSB, as its Chief Lending Officer and became a member of its Board of Directors in 2014. He joined the Triumph Financial, Inc. (Nasdaq: TFIN) Board of Directors in 2023.
Since 2011, Deadman has also served on the board of the North Texas Certified Development Corporation, an SBA-chartered entity focused on providing debt capital to the small business community in Texas. From 2004 to 2010, he served on multiple boards, including the bank and the holding company within the NexBank Capital, Inc. platform.
From 2004 to 2010, Deadman served as chief executive officer and president of NexBank, a financial services organization that included a broker-dealer and an investment banking and corporate advisory firm. From 1998 to 2009, Deadman served as a senior portfolio manager and, ultimately, as a partner with Highland Capital Management LP. In this role, he managed a team of investment professionals responsible for a several billion-dollar portfolio of credit investments. Before 1998, he served as an investment officer at Mutual Benefit Life, managing a $200 million commercial real estate-backed loan portfolio.
Deadman received a Bachelor of Business Administration from Texas A&M University and a Master of Business Administration in Finance, Cum Laude, from Southern Methodist University – Cox School of Business. He is a chartered financial analyst (CFA) charter holder.
Laura Easley
Director
Laura Easley has served on the Triumph Financial, Inc. (Nasdaq: TFIN) Board of Directors since 2020. She has also served on the Board of Directors at TBK Bank, SSB since 2023.
Easley was the chief operating officer of Transportation Insight, a leading enterprise solutions provider in the logistics and transportation industry, from 2012 until her retirement in 2019. She served in various other capacities at Transportation Insight from 2005 to 2019, including chief business development officer and chief solutions officer.
Before Transportation Insight, Easley served in various capacities with Menlo Worldwide, The Complete Logistics Company and ABF Freight System.
Easley received a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering and Management from Oklahoma State University. She served on the board of directors for the OSU Cowboy Academy of Industrial Engineering and Management.
Melissa McSherry
Director
Melissa McSherry has served on the Triumph Financial, Inc. (Nasdaq: TFIN) Board of Directors since March 2025. With 30 years of experience spanning financial services, big data and software development, McSherry brings a unique blend of strategic leadership and technical expertise to the board.
McSherry currently serves as an advisor to companies, venture capitalists and private equity firms, focusing on strategic questions and investments in consumer lending and fraud prevention. Previously, she was the chief operating officer of Anywhere Real Estate (NYSE: HOUS), a publicly traded residential real estate company with $5 billion in revenue, where she led product, technology, enterprise marketing, client success and corporate development.
Prior to Anywhere, McSherry was senior vice president of security and data products at Visa, where she spearheaded the transformation of fraud prevention using advanced AI, driving over 20% annual revenue growth. Earlier in her career at Capital One, she was instrumental in the acquisition and integration of HSBC’s U.S. credit card business and led pioneering efforts in machine learning for credit scoring.
In addition to her corporate leadership, McSherry has served on the board of Digisonics, a healthcare technology company, and as a board observer for GoodData, a SaaS-based data management and business intelligence company.
McSherry earned a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University, graduating magna cum laude, and n MBA from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, where she was an Arjay Miller Scholar.
Maribess L. Miller
Director
Maribess L. Miller has served on the Triumph Financial, Inc. (Nasdaq: TFIN) Board of Directors since 2014. She has also served on the Board of Directors at TBK Bank, SSB since 2023.
Miller was a member of the public accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP from 1975 until 2009, including serving as the North Texas market managing partner of that firm’s U.S. healthcare audit practice from 1995 to 1998. Miller joined the board of DR Horton Inc. (NYSE: DHI) in November 2019 and serves as chair of the audit committee and member of the compensation committee.
Miller has served as a member of the board of directors and chair of the audit committee for Zix Corporation (NASDAQ: ZIXI). Miller is also a member of the board of directors and chair of the audit committee for Midmark Corp., a privately-held medical supply company. She was on the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy from 2009 to 2015 and served as the past board chair for the Texas Health Institute. She is a past chair of the board of the North Texas Chapter of the National Association of Corporate Directors.
She graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Texas Christian University. Miller is a certified public accountant.
Michael P. Rafferty
Director
Michael P. Rafferty has served on the Triumph Financial, Inc. (Nasdaq: TFIN) Board of Directors since 2014 and serves as Chairman of the Audit Committee. He has also served on the Board of Directors at TBK Bank, SSB since 2023.
Rafferty was a member of the public accounting firm Ernst & Young LLP from 1975 until 2013, was admitted as a partner of the firm in 1988, and served as the audit practice leader for the southwest region from 2004 to 2013. During his career with Ernst & Young, he primarily served clients in the financial services and healthcare industries.
Rafferty graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of New Orleans. Rafferty is a certified public accountant and is licensed in Texas and Louisiana. He also is on the board of directors of MoneyGram International, Inc. (Nasdaq: MGI), serving on the compliance and ethics committee and the audit committee as chair, positions he has held since 2016.
C. Todd Sparks
Director
C. Todd Sparks has served on the Board of Directors of Triumph Financial, Inc. (Nasdaq: TFIN) and TBK Bank, SSB since their inception in 2010.
He serves as vice president and chief financial officer of Discovery Operating Inc., an oil and gas exploration and production company located in Midland, Texas. He is also currently serving on the board of directors of Midland Classical Academy. Sparks formerly served on the board of directors for FirstCapital Bank of Texas, High Sky Children’s Ranch and Young Life Midland.
Sparks has been an active investor, both inside and outside of oil and gas, for the last 30 years. He has actively participated in many areas of interest including real estate, banking, oil and gas service companies and a variety of start-ups during his career.
Sparks received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Baylor University in 1989 and a Master of Business Administration degree from Texas A&M University in 1992.