Bio

Forest native Freddie J. Bagley played football at then East Central Junior College during the 1970 and 1971 seasons. Bagley led the Warriors to two winning seasons with a 7-3 record each season. After the 1971 season, Bagley received All-State honors and was selected as the Warriors’ most valuable player and most valuable back. He was presented the Andrew F. Webb Memorial Football Award for his character, work ethic, and leadership on and off the field. Bagley, who also played baseball at East Central, signed to play football at Mississippi College, before an injury ended his career. After receiving his bachelor’s degree at Mississippi College, Bagley was hired as a math teacher/coach at Warren Central High School in Vicksburg. The following year, he returned to his alma mater of Forest High School to fill the same position. After one year at Forest he left education to begin a new career with Farmers and Merchants Bank in Forest. He began his association with the organization in 1976 as a management trainee, but it did not take long for him to climb the banking ladder. Bagley would serve as President and CEO of Community Bancshares for several years until he was promoted to Chairman of the Board for Community Bank in 2014. In 2018 Bagley was promoted from Chairman of the Board to Senior Chairman of the Board for Community Bank and Chairman of the Board for Community Bancshares. He has spent the last 44 years helping Community Bank grow from $17 million to over $3.3 billion in assets. Bagley is a purpose driven leader with a clear set of priorities – faith, family, and career. He is an active leader in his church, serves his community, and is a devoted parent