In Memory of Ronald Nelson Kilgore, Our Beloved and Trusted, Leader, Friend and “Keeper of the Greenleaf Trust Culture”

On January 19th of 2025, The Greenleaf Trust community, inclusive of clients, teammates, board members and friends, lost a valued and important friend. Ronald Nelson Kilgore, our first Chief Executive Officer, passed away after a long and challenging illness.

A wise and important mentor of mine once told me that, “A reputation is a gift you give yourself every day. No one can take it from you, and no one can give it to you. It is the body of your work each and every day that creates your reputation.” I cannot think of Ron without immediately thinking of this quote because of the reputation he built. It was my distinct honor to have known Ron for the past 45 years.

In 1997, Ron was serving as Senior Vice President and Senior Trust Officer for Arcadia Bank and Trust in Kalamazoo. He had previously served in leadership roles at several Kalamazoo banks, including serving trust clients at American National Bank for nineteen years. I approached Ron with the idea of starting a new Michigan chartered bank that would not be in the deposit or lending business, but rather focus only on the fiduciary, trust and wealth management needs of clients. Our distinction, as I explained to Ron, is that we would not be starting the bank with the intention of selling it someday. Instead, our goal was to create a bank that would serve clients in perpetuity for generations to come. The idea intrigued Ron, and there was a glimmer in his eye when I told him that I thought he would be a great CEO and Director of Trust Services. Ron did not necessarily jump at the idea. Those who knew Ron well understand that he was not an impetuous person, but I knew he was interested. We agreed to keep in touch as I developed the idea further. There was a great deal of consolidation going on in regional banks, and within six months of our initial conversation, Ron’s employer, Arcadia Bank and Trust, was sold to FMB Corp. Then, in a matter of weeks, FMB was acquired by Huntington Bank. The idea of serving clients in perpetuity and for generations to come resonated with Ron, so he agreed to join me in the creation of Greenleaf Trust. We took nearly a year to craft our bank charter application for the State of Michigan. With Ron’s wisdom, guidance and experience, as well as the legal expertise of Gregg Stover, we migrated our way through the regulatory processes. We received our Michigan bank charter in May of 1998 and opened our doors for business at 491 West South Street in Kalamazoo in July of 1998.

Ron went to work recruiting a talented, experienced trust operations team. With zero clients and a team of six, we began what would become a fabulous business and banking success story that today totals thousands of clients and over 20 billion dollars of assets. Our clients are served by nearly 200 Greenleaf Trust team members in six Michigan cities, and also in Delaware as Greenleaf Trust of Delaware.

Through every step of our journey, Ron Kilgore’s fingerprint is etched in our success. Ron served as a founding member of the Greenleaf Trust Board of Directors and was critically important in the crafting of our bylaws, policies and procedures. He served as Director of Trust Services and Senior Vice President and Board member until his retirement after twenty-six years of faithful and dedicated service to our clients and team.

At our twenty-fifth anniversary celebration in 2023, we honored Ron with a resolution signifying his Emeritus status of “Keeper of the Greenleaf Trust Culture.” Great organizations are defined by possessing great organizational cultures multiplied by great workplace cultures. These organizations do not create winning cultures by chance, but, rather, by design. Greenleaf Trust’s business success is not simply because we began with a vision and mission to serve clients in perpetuity for generations to come. Instead, it happened because we created a culture that put us on the same side of the desk as our clients, absent from any conflicts of interest. Serving clients in a team delivery model in a spirit of continuous improvement modeled by honest and honorable behavior was natural to Ron, who was compelled to teach it to others whom he led. To build and sustain great cultures, organizations must be full of “Keepers of the Culture.” I had the benefit of having Ron at my side for these past two plus decades. The opportunity to be mentored by this masterful, kind, gentle “Keeper of our Culture” is one of the most important privileges of my life.

The body of one’s work reveals who one is. What is obvious to all who knew Ronald Nelson Kilgore is that he made a huge, impactful difference and did so without ego or hubris. He lived his life with a big servant heart. Well done, my friend, well done. You will be missed.