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  6.  | Denali State Bank Taps FNBA Exec as New CEO

Denali State Bank Taps FNBA Exec as New CEO

Oct 28, 2025 | Finance, Right Moves

Photo Credit: Denali State Bank

Denali State Bank selected Ryan Strong to serve as President and CEO upon the retirement in January of Steve Lundgren.

Strong joins Denali State Bank with more than twenty-five years of financial industry experience, most recently as the Chief Banking Officer at First National Bank Alaska (FNBA). Lundgren states, “I’ve known Ryan for many years, and I’m pleased to welcome him to the Denali State Bank family.”

Strong has also held the title of executive vice president and senior executive officer at FNBA and chaired the board of the Anchorage Economic Development Corporation. Prior to joining FNBA, he was president of Alyeska Title Guaranty Agency. Strong is relocating from Anchorage back to Fairbanks, where he previously lived and earned his MBA from UAF. He earned bachelor’s degrees in finance and philosophy from the University of Notre Dame.

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Alaska Business Magazine March 2026 cover

March 2026

Denali State Bank has grown from $260 million to more than $530 million in assets during Lundgren’s tenure as President and CEO since 2011. It reported the highest return on assets of all banks operating in Alaska over the last two years. Lundgren states, “Although Denali State Bank’s financial performance has been notable, I’m most proud of our staff for being recognized by the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner Readers’ Choice Awards as the #1 Best Bank in Fairbanks for the last three years. With Ryan at the helm, the Bank is well positioned to continue these financial and customer service successes for years to come.”

Alaska Business Magazine March 2026 cover
In This Issue
ARCTIC DEVELOPMENT
March 2026
While all of Alaska is “arctic” to the rest of the country, our focus in the March 2026 Arctic Development special section is on projects more closely aligned to the actual Arctic, including an update on the Port of Nome deep-draft project, offshore oil activity, plans for projects on Savoonga and on the North Slope, and our cover story about the transportation industry’s efforts to operate responsibly in waters worldwide, which has direct applications to Arctic Seas. Also in this issue: learn more about the Chin’an Gaming Hall, USACE projects, the new Wildbirch Hotel, and the transportation and logistics of Girl Scout cookies. Enjoy!
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