Kenneth H. Maloy, president and CEO of SouthCrest Financial Group, announced that Stephenie Frazier Whitfield joined the company as SVP of SBA Lending of SouthCrest Bank.

“Stephenie is a recognized visionary in small business lending,” said Maloy. “The experience she brings to the table will galvanize our efforts to meet the financial needs of businesses in our communities.”

Frazier Whitfield brings more than 17 years of SBA experience to SouthCrest, from operating her own business consulting firm in Washington, D.C. to working as a business banker in the fourth largest U.S. bank and as an SBA lender for community banks in Metropolitan Atlanta. Her emphasis at SouthCrest will be on the small business government guaranteed lending industry, and building a top-tier SBA loan program that utilizes lender expertise and technology to meet the needs of businesses.

Frazier Whitfield is a board member of DEBCO, a non-profit financial services organization. She has also supported the small business lending community using her knowledge as a featured contributor and editor with Coleman Publishing . She is the founding chairperson of the Georgia Lenders Quality Circle, a trade association for government-guaranteed lenders. The Washington, D.C. District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration named her Women in Business Advocate of the Year.