Ryan Coaxum, vice president/commercial lender at Mount Pleasant-based Guaranty Bank & Trust, was honored by the American Bankers Association as a recipient of its inaugural “ABA Emerging Leader Award.” This new award recognizes the next generation of bank leaders who are committed to the highest standards of achievement and service to both their industry and their local communities. Coaxum and 10 other winners were recognized during the ABA Annual Convention held in Austin, October 2–4.

The winners were selected by a diverse steering committee of industry professionals. The qualities and characteristics the committee evaluated as judging criteria included a dedication to the profession, inventiveness, leadership skills, mentoring ability, personal integrity, tenure at the bank and broader commitment to a career in banking, sustained career progress and academic training, including advanced degrees and certificates/certifications.

Coaxum, an Austin native with more than a decade of banking experience, is part of the original team that brought Guaranty Bank & Trust to Central Texas. He is a commercial lender who works with a diverse group of clients across a broad range of industries focusing on their loan, deposit and private banking needs.

Coaxum graduated magna cum laude with a BBA degree from Huston-Tillotson University, a historically black college and university in Austin. Additionally, he is a graduate of the Essential Program at Leadership Austin. He serves on the nonprofit boards of Ballet Austin, I Live Here I Give Here, The Trail Conservancy and the Adderley School for the Performing Arts.

“We congratulate these high performers who have already begun to have a significant impact on our industry,” says Rob Nichols, ABA president and CEO. “These recipients have demonstrated a range of banking skills, a commitment to conduct their work with integrity and a strong desire to help their customers and communities flourish. The future of our industry is bright because of leaders like these.”

Established in 1913, Guaranty Bank & Trust operates 33 branches in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, Houston region, Central Texas and East Texas.