Leadership

Our vision comes from our leadership.

Our commitment to helping our customers achieve their financial goals starts with our executive team and permeates the entire NASB organization.

Tom Wagers

Chief Executive Officer

Tom was elected CEO of NASB in 2022. As CEO, Tom works with the executive and senior leadership team to deliver award-winning mortgage and banking products and exceptional service for NASB customers.

Before joining NASB in 2013, Tom served as interim president and chief executive officer of Atlantic Coast Bank in Jacksonville, Florida, while serving as chief financial officer for nine years.

Tom began his career at Barnett Bank as regional audit manager and worked in various roles before eventually being appointed director of accounting operations.

In addition to his official duties, Tom is a passionate supporter and executive sponsor of NASB’s involvement in the Kansas City Corporate Challenge.

Tom earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from East Tennessee State University and is a certified public accountant. 

Enrique Venegas

President

Enrique Venegas currently serves as the President and a member of the Board of Directors of North American Savings Bank, F.S.B. (“NASB”) and NASB Financial, Inc.  In addition, Enrique has been appointed to serve as the Chief Executive Officer of both entities, effective January 2025. 

With over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry, including 11 years at NASB, Enrique has held various leadership roles, including Executive Vice President, Chief Credit Officer, and Chief Lending Officer.  He has spearheaded lending strategy, portfolio risk management, and residential loan servicing while overseeing nationwide mortgage lending, commercial real estate, and construction and development lending-operations divisions. 

Originally from Santiago, Chile, Enrique moved to the United States at age 20 to attend college. What started as a part-time teller job at a community bank became a long-term journey and a genuine passion for leadership and helping customers and colleagues succeed. 

Enrique is a graduate of the Graduate School of Banking Management at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and holds a business degree from Missouri Southern State University. 

Dena Sanders

Executive Vice President, Retail Banking

Dena oversees all aspects of Retail Banking, Deposit Operations and Retail Funding. She is responsible for the strategic direction, operational and financial goals of NASB’s retail banking network that includes 11 branches within the greater Kansas City metropolitan area.

Dena and her leadership team work to create exceptional customer experiences and competitive banking products that align with customers’ evolving financial needs and goals.

Dena is a graduate of the ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking and holds a master’s degree in architectural management from Kansas University as well as a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Missouri, Columbia. She is a certified financial marketing professional (CFMP) and a member of the ABA Bank Marketing School advisory board.

Rhonda Nyhus

Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer

Rhonda oversees NASB’s financial planning and actions that ensure NASB’s ability to serve its customers through continued financial success.

Rhonda joined NASB in 1995 as manager of internal audit before being promoted to vice president and controller in 1997. She has served as chief financial officer since 2002.

Prior to NASB, Rhonda held various roles in the audit department of Grant Thornton LLP. She earned bachelor’s degrees in accounting and management from MidAmerica Nazarene University.

Paul Hubbard

Executive Vice President, Chief Risk Officer

Paul oversees the facilitation and coordination of enterprise risk management strategies for the NASB. He works with NASB’s Board Risk Committee and senior management to assess, monitor, mitigate, and respond to internal and external risks to the bank. In addition, he works closely with the Chief Information Security Officer to maintain sound bank privacy, information, and business continuity plans.

Paul joined NASB in 2015 as VP, Chief Compliance Officer before being promoted to SVP, Chief Risk Officer in 2022. Prior to NASB, Paul held leadership roles at H&R Block, H&R Block Bank, The Revere Group, and Ernst & Young. He uses his 34 years of financial experience to work with business partners to strengthen and promote NASB’s strong compliance and risk awareness culture.

Paul earned an MBA in economics from Northwest Missouri State University.

Andy Dextraze

Executive Vice President, Chief Information Officer

Andy was chosen to serve as NASB’s Chief Information Officer in 2022 and leads the growth and development of NASB’s information technology platforms, systems, and infrastructure.

Andy joined NASB in 2020 after five years with Veracity Consulting where he helped clients transition legacy systems to Platform as a service (PaaS). Prior to that, he served in leadership positions for H&R Block, United Health Group, and Net Sales.

Andy brings over 30 of experience in the engineering and IT fields and will use this knowledge to elevate our customers’ experiences by keeping NASB on the leading edge of financial technology.

Fred Azar

Executive Vice President, Chief Treasury Officer

Fred joined NASB in 2023 as Chief Administrative Officer, overseeing the organization's accounting, finance, investing, risk, and information technology areas.

Before NASB, Fred worked at Northern Trust in Chicago for over 18 years, managing investments for businesses such as pension funds, Insurance companies, and foundations. He also worked at the Bank of Montreal/Harris Bank in their securities lending division, holding various roles, including senior trader.

Fred has a bachelor’s degree in accounting and an MBA with a concentration in finance from the University of Kansas. 

Eric Rice

Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer

Eric joined NASB in 2023 as the Chief Human Resources Officer. He is committed to attracting top talent, developing and promoting employee well-being, and creating an inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued and respected.

Eric has over 27 years of progressive HR experience in leadership consulting, talent management and development, strategic business partnerships, talent acquisition, performance management, and HR administration.  Before NASB, he held leadership roles at The University of Kansas Health System, Saint Luke’s Health System, United Health Group, Ingersoll Rand, and H&R Block.

Eric has a BS from Kansas State University, an MA from Ottawa University, and an MBA from the University of Kansas.

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