Jeff Austin III, chairman of the board of Jacksonville-based Austin Bank, recently announced promotions of employees approved at the March board meeting.
Troy Moore has been named regional president for the North region. He joined the bank in December 2025 as executive vice president/deputy regional president, working from the Longview Oak Forest office. With 33 years of lending experience in the Longview and Kilgore area, he has held leadership roles, including senior commercial lender and market president. Moore is a graduate of Kilgore College, the University of North Texas and the SW Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University. He has served on the board of Habitat for Humanity and is a member of AMBUCS. His past affiliations include the Great Texas Balloon Race, Alley Fest, Chamber of Commerce, Boys and Girls Club, Stamper Park Resource Center, Longview Housing–Family Self-Sufficiency Program and One Hundred Acres of Heritage.
Amanda Atkins has been named senior vice president. Serving as retail market manager for the bank’s Rural region, she has more than 28 years of banking experience. Prior to her current roles, she served as a retail office manager and assistant retail market manager, along with many years as a teller supervisor, personal banker supervisor and administrative assistant of marketing and business development. A longtime resident of Hallsville, Atkins attended Kilgore College.
Dee Dee Lang has been named senior vice president. She has more than 30 years of banking experience and began her 28-year tenure with the bank at First State Bank in Frankston. Currently, she oversees the fraud department. Lang has held numerous positions during this time, including assistant internal auditor, roles in bookkeeping, new accounts and as a teller and loan processor. She is a certified AML and fraud specialist and a graduate of the Bank Operations Institute through the Independent Bankers Association of Texas.
Kyle Bridges was promoted to location president. Currently serving as the relationship manager in the bank’s Timpson location, he joined Austin Bank in 2015 as a teller in the Nacogdoches office. Following a brief break in service, in 2018, he returned to the bank’s Timpson office as a commercial portfolio manager. In 2019, he was promoted to banking officer and relationship manager. Bridges is a graduate of Stephen F. Austin University, where he completed a BS degree in agriculture. He is an active member of the community, serving with the Panola & Shelby County Livestock Show, Shelby County Poultry Festival and as a member of the Center Rotary Club.
Lori Danielson has been named vice president. She joined Austin Bank in 2023 as a relationship manager. She is a graduate of Texas A&M University. Danielson has more than 11 years of business development, sales and management experience, having served as area vice president of business development for Gentiva Health Services. She was the owner and publisher of Coffee News of East Texas for 14 years and spent eight years with Concord Management Ltd. in marketing management. A native of Longview, Danielson is a sustaining member of the Junior League of Longview, for which she served as executive vice president. She has also served on the Junior Achievement board of directors, LeTourneau University President’s Advisory Council and CHRISTUS Good Shepherd Guild. She is also a Leadership Longview alumna. Danielson currently serves on the board for the East Texas Literacy Council and the Martin House Children’s Advocacy Center.
Heather Stephens was promoted to vice president and assistant BSA officer. She joined Austin Bank in 2014 from Capital One, for which she worked as a lead teller. Starting as a teller operations supervisor in the Noonday office, she moved to the BSA department in 2015 as a BSA analyst and was promoted to an operations officer and senior BSA analyst in 2021 and assistant vice president/senior BSA analyst in 2024.
Morgan Nelson has been promoted to assistant retail market manager for the bank’s Rural region. She joined the Austin Bank team in 2008 as a teller. Later, moving into management, she worked as a teller operations supervisor and customer service representative before moving to retail office manager of the Longview Greggton office and now filling that role in Kilgore.
Kelly Kizer was named vice president. She joined Austin Bank in 2007 as the retail office manager in Grand Saline, bringing with her four years of previous banking experience. She currently serves as retail office manager in the Lindale office. A graduate of the Austin Bank STAR Program, Kizer has also completed courses at Tyler Junior College. Active in her community, she is a member of the Lindale Chamber of Commerce.
Tamara Cox has been named vice president. She has more than 27 years of banking experience and began her 23-year tenure with Austin Bank in 2004. She served as retail office manager in Tyler West Loop and later moved to Tyler Cumberland in the same role. She now serves as retail office manager for Tyler South. Prior to her time at Austin Bank, Cox held positions such as teller, supervisor and relationship manager. A longtime Tyler resident, she graduated from Tyler Junior College and earned a bachelor’s degree from Texas Christian University.
Kelly Burns has been named banking officer. She joined Austin Bank in 2021 as a treasury management sales specialist. She has more thab 19 years of banking experience, having served as a relationship banker, branch manager, risk management specialist and overseeing both treasury management and vendor management. A California native, Burns attended Riverside Community College on a full academic scholarship and later graduated from the University of California–Riverside.
Jodie Ham was promoted to banking officer. She joined the Austin Bank team in 2007 as a teller before transitioning to teller operations supervisor in 2012. Following a brief time away from the bank, she returned in 2014 as a loan assistant. Ham serves as a trainer for new loan assistants in the region and served as a mentor to staff in the Cleveland office when it was opened. She also served on the culture committee for three years and helped train lending staff on new mortgage software. She now serves as a relationship manager in the bank’s Troup office. She earned degrees in accounting and business administration from both Angelina College and Stephen F. Austin State University. Active in her community, Ham serves as secretary for Cushing ISD Parent/Teacher Organization.
Established in 1900, Austin Bank has branches in 41 Texas locations within 29 cities and 14 counties. Austin Bank is locally owned and operated by the Austin family, which is celebrating 116 years in the Texas banking industry.
