Jeff Austin III, chairman of the board of Jacksonville-based Austin Bank, recently announced promotions of employees approved at the March 2023 board of directors meeting.
Lynn Littlejohn has been named chief human resources officer. Littlejohn, senior executive vice president, received a title change as she continues in her leadership role overseeing the bank’s human resources department as she has diligently for the past 26 years. She is a graduate of Tyler Junior College and the University of Texas–Tyler. She is a licensed certified public accountant and a member of the East Texas chapter of CPAs.
Dan Droege was elected Longview market president. He joined the bank in 2017 as senior vice president/relationship manager in the Oak Forest commercial lending center. He has more than 39 years of banking experience. Prior to coming to Austin Bank, Droege was the president of First Bank & Trust East Texas, president of Regions Bank and executive vice president of Longview National Bank. A graduate of Central Missouri State University, Droege also completed the University of Oklahoma’s National Commercial Lending School and the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University. Taking an active role in the Longview community, he serves as chairman of Great Texas Balloon Race, treasurer of One Hundred Acres of Heritage and is on the boards of Northeast Texas Regional Mobility Authority, East Texas Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America, Longview Museum of Fine Arts and Longview Arboretum and Nature Center.
Teressa Karns was elected senior vice president. She joined Austin Bank in 2011 bringing with her four years of previous banking experience. She has worked as a teller operations supervisor, loan assistant, retail office manager and assistant retail market manager before moving into her current role as retail market manager of the bank’s Pineywoods region. A graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University, she has also completed the Dale Carnegie Leadership course and the Austin Bank Leadership program.
Joan Malone was elected senior vice president. She is the location president at the South Jacksonville office. She has 30 years of banking experience, all with Austin Bank, at which she has worked as a commercial loan secretary, real estate loan processor, operations supervisor, real estate loan officer and lender. Malone attended Tyler Junior College. She has also completed the STAR Leadership training through Austin Bank. She is past chair of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce and received the Jacksonville Business Woman of the Year award. She is also a member of the Kiwanis Club of Jacksonville for which she previously served as president and board member. Malone also received the Kiwanian of the Year award. She is also a member and past president of the Xi Kappa chapter of the Beta Sigma Phi Sorority.
Brad Anderson was elected senior vice president. Anderson, location president of the Palestine branch, has more than 32 years of banking experience and has served in his present capacity since beginning his career with First State Bank of Frankston in 1999. A graduate of Northeastern Junior College in Colorado and Phillips University in Oklahoma, he has also completed the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University. A very active member of the local community, Anderson is a member of New Life Community Church and volunteers with many charitable events throughout the year. His past civic involvement includes the Palestine Rotary Club, Palestine Chamber of Commerce and Palestine YMCA.
Mark Davis was named senior vice president. He brought with him three prior years of banking experience when he joined Austin Bank’s Palestine office as a relationship manager in 2000. A graduate of Sam Houston State University, Davis proudly served in the U.S. Marine Corps. He is an active member of his community, including serving as past president of the Palestine Area Chamber of Commerce, past president of the Palestine Rotary Club, board member for the YMCA and past member of the Palestine ISD School Board.
Chase Luce has been elected location president in Lufkin. With more than 13 years of experience in the financial services industry, Luce joined Austin Bank in 2021 as vice president and relationship manager in the Lufkin office. He came to Austin Bank from VeraBank where he served six years as assistant vice president and commercial lender, responsible for servicing the Lufkin and Nacogdoches market. Prior to VeraBank, Luce spent six years with Texas State Bank. He has experience as a teller, new account representative, branch manager, consumer and commercial lender. Luce is a graduate of Stephen F. Austin University with a degree in finance. Luce serves as president of the Lufkin ISD Education Foundation and on several boards, including Neighborhood Strong, the Lufkin Chamber of Commerce, Lions Club, Rodeo Association, ZOO Association, LISD Tri-ethnic and Lufkin Little League.
Dennis Means was named vice president. He has been a member of the Austin Bank team for 22 years. He serves as the data processing manager in the IT department based out of the bank’s Longview Greggton location. A lifelong resident of Gilmer, Means is a graduate of Kilgore College and American Sentinel University. He and his wife, Jan, are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Means currently serves as bishop of the Gilmer 1st Ward.
Tim Ward was named vice president. He joined the Austin Bank team in 2018 as a relationship manager in the bank’s Nacogdoches office and was promoted to assistant vice president in March 2022. He has more than 18 years of banking experience, with the past five years being at Austin Bank. His banking career began as a teller and he has since held several other positions, including investment analyst, institutional asset/liability management, trust administrator, credit analyst and relationship manager. Ward is a graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University where he received a bachelor’s degree in finance. Ward is active in the Nacogdoches community having served for 15 years as a member of the Nacogdoches Jaycees, including as its president in 2015 and chairman of the Board in 2016. He is also a member of the Nacogdoches Rotary Club.
Paul Bullington has been promoted to assistant vice president. He came to Austin Bank in 2016 to fill the retail office manager position in Grand Saline. In 2020, he retained his position as retail office manager and transferred to oversee operations in the Van office. Bullington has more than 20 years of banking experience. He is a graduate of Tyler Junior College and Texas A&M University. In addition, he has completed the Austin Bank Leadership and STAR programs. Active in the community, Bullington is a member of the site-based development committee for JE Rhodes Elementary School and volunteers with Van youth basketball. He has also served on the Van City Council, both the Grand Saline and Van Chamber of Commerce and on the career technical advisory committee in Grand Saline.
Erick Moreno was promoted to assistant vice president. He is the retail office manager at the Nacogdoches location. In his six-year tenure with the bank, he has worked as a teller, teller operations supervisor and regional trainer before moving into his current role in 2021. Moreno holds a degree in accounting from Stephen F. Austin State University and completed the Austin Bank Leadership training. He serves as a soccer coach for U6 kids.
Linda Stewart was promoted to banking officer. Stewart, the bank’s overdraft program manager, came to Austin Bank in 1992 and currently works from the Longview Greggton office. With more than 44 years of banking experience, she has worked in the credit/note department, as a loan assistant, cash flow manager, loan processing and in new accounts. Prior to Austin Bank, Stewart worked for several banks, including City National Bank, First National Bank of Carthage, Texas American Bank and East Texas Bank and Trust. She has attended Kilgore College and completed numerous American Institute of Banking courses.
Derek Lusk has been named retail office manager in Garrison. After joining the Nacogdoches Austin Bank team as a teller in 2011 and later serving as a customer service representative, Lusk moved to the bank’s Longview Greggton location where he worked as a manager in the customer care center. He then became a universal banker in Timpson and will now assume the role of retail office manager in Garrison. Lusk is a graduate of Panola College.
Established in 1900, Austin Bank operates branches in 36 East Texas locations within 26 cities and 14 counties. Austin Bank is locally owned and operated by the Austin Family, which is celebrating 113 years of service in the Texas banking industry.
