Denali State Bank Taps FNBA Exec as New CEO
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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September 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.”
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