The Independent Bankers Association of Texas (IBAT) recently honored Brad Tidwell and Claire Renzetti with the IBAT Chairman’s Award. The IBAT Chairman’s Award is the association’s highest honor, recognizing individuals whose contributions extend beyond service to IBAT and demonstrate an extraordinary commitment to the community banking industry as a whole. IBAT’s 2025–26 Chair Greg Wilson, president and CEO of Lamar National Bank, announced the prestigious award in September and it was bestowed during IBAT’s 52nd Annual Convention in San Antonio.
Tidwell has served as president and CEO of Henderson-based VeraBank since 2008. Under his leadership, the bank has grown from $700 million in assets to more than $3.9 billion and has evolved into a progressive, full-service financial institution, offering retail and commercial banking, wealth management and insurance. Prior to joining VeraBank, Tidwell spent 17 years with JPMorgan Chase. He holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in agricultural economics from Texas A&M University.
Renzetti, Ph.D., is the Judi Conway Patton endowed chair in the Center for Research on Violence Against Women and professor and chair of sociology at the University of Kentucky. She is editor of the journal Violence Against Women, co-editor of the Interpersonal Violence book series (Oxford University Press) and editor of the Gender and Justice book series (University of California Press). She has authored or edited numerous books, chapters and articles in professional journals. Renzetti has held elected positions in the Society for the Study of Social Problems, American Sociological Association, American Society of Criminology and the Eastern Sociological Society.
Established in 1930, VeraBank serves 16 counties in East, Central and Southeast Texas with 42 branches.
