Data Center Inc. (DCI), the privately-owned developer of iCore360 core banking software and related digital technologies for community financial institutions nationwide, announced that Sarah Fankhauser, DCI President and COO, has been named as the company’s fifth Chief Executive Officer, and reportedly the only current female CEO among major core providers in the U.S. bank technology industry.
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The move, announced last week to DCI clients in a letter from company chairman and prominent Kansas banker Keith Hughes, comes ahead of schedule after Fankhauser was previously named the company’s President and COO in April, with original plans for her to be named CEO later in the year after the formal retirement of current CEO, John H. Jones.
Jones stated that he decided to step down as CEO ahead of schedule due to the impact of COVID-19, adding, “With the transition plan already in place, and Sarah fully prepared to step in, I decided that accelerating the transition would be the best decision for both myself and DCI. I know she is ready to lead DCI to new heights with purpose and distinction, and I’m proud to see her lead DCI as its first female CEO.”
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As originally planned, Jones will remain on the board of directors and also serve in an executive support role to steer the final phases of the company’s new multi-million-dollar underground data center in Kansas City, until his official retirement on October 15, 2020.
Jones joined DCI in 1999 as COO and has served as President and CEO since the untimely death of A.J. Krail in late 2003. During his tenure, Jones completed—and expanded—Krail’s vision to transition the company from legacy mainframe technology to the cloud-based, API-driven iCore360 core banking software, and led the company through multiple successes in expansion, acquisitions and profits.
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