Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida announced that Charles M. (Chuck) Shaffer, executive vice president and currently head of community banking and former controller, has been appointed chief financial officer and head of strategy, effective March 15.  Executive Vice President Julie Kleffel, who has headed small-business banking for the past two years, will succeed Shaffer in overseeing the community banking division, which includes small-business banking. The appointments continue the bank's evolution as a differentiated and integrated Florida-based community bank. Stephen A. Fowle, executive vice president and CFO, will continue in the role until mid-March to ensure a smooth transition.

About the new roles for Shaffer and Kleffel, as well as the addition last month of Jeffery (Jeff) Bray as executive vice president of Service and Operations. Shaffer, who joined Seacoast in 1998 as a financial analyst, has led the Community Banking Group as executive vice president since October 2013. He has been a key driver in influencing Seacoast's retail, small business, mobile, wealth and nonbank distribution strategies as well as its earnings improvements and technology innovations.

Previously, he served as senior vice president and controller from 2005 to October 2013. An Orlando area native, Kleffel joined Seacoast as EVP for Small Business Banking when her previous institution, BankFirst and its parent The BANKshares Inc., merged with Seacoast in October 2014. At BankFirst, she was EVP and Commercial Sales leader and has 20 years of overall banking experience.

As president of DFC Global's eChannel Division, Bray expanded the digital consumer lending business in North America and Europe, where he oversaw the consolidation of operations through multiple acquired lending services. Besides an earlier leadership role at Bank of America, he has held leadership posts at Capital One Financial and General Electric Appliance Division.