On October 16, the board of directors of Southside Bancshares Inc. and its subsidiary, Tyler-based Southside Bank, announced the appointment of Mitchell Craddock to chief operating officer of the company and bank, effective immediately following the retirement of Brian K. McCabe, current COO, on November 14. In addition, the company announced the appointments of Keith M. Donahoe, Jeb W. Jones and Raymond C. McKinney to serve on the boards of the company and the bank, effective November 15.
Craddock has served as executive vice president and associate chief operations officer of the bank since joining in August 2024. He previously served at Q2, a digital banking solutions company, from 2011 to 2024, and most recently as vice president of premier solutions at Q2, where his role included creating vision and strategy for business development and streamlining processes and systems to drive revenue growth and improve operational efficiencies. He also previously served in various information technology and bank operations roles with Southside Bank from 2002 to 2011. Craddock has more than 20 years of experience in the banking industry.
“We are excited that Mitchell will be at the helm of operations following Brian’s incredible career here at Southside,” says Lee Gibson, CEO. “Mitchell’s contributions to Southside, even in his short time back at the bank, have complimented Brian’s remarkable leadership. We thank Brian for all he has done and look forward to continued success and innovation under Mitchell’s leadership.”
Donahoe, president of the company and the bank, was appointed by the board as the next CEO on September 18, effective upon the retirement of Gibson on December 31.
Jones is the CEO of Pro Star Rental, a multi-site equipment rental company in Texas, a spin-off of the Cassity Jones Companies in 2015 through Pro Star Capital LP, in which he serves as president and general partner. Prior to the spin-off, he served as the COO of the Cassity Jones Companies, a portfolio of real estate supply and service companies, from 2009 to 2015. Jones began his career in management consulting and financial valuation before joining Tenet Healthcare, for which he held various management positions throughout Texas from 2002 to 2009, including COO of Nacogdoches Medical Center. Jones has served on the boards of numerous organizations, including as vice chair of the Christus Health Northeast Texas region, past chair of Hospice of East Texas, past chair of the City of Tyler Planning and Zoning Commission and member of the executive committee of The Texas Lyceum. He holds a BA degree in economics from Texas A&M University and an MBA degree from Harvard Business School.
McKinney is CEO and president of the The Genecov Group, a real estate and oil and gas investment company based in Tyler, a position he has held since 2016. Prior to joining the Genecov Group in 2015, he served as a partner at Gollob Morgan Peddy PC, an East Texas public accounting firm. McKinney currently serves as a member of the University of Texas Health Tyler board of trustees and UT Tyler audit committee and is a past chairman of the Tyler Economic Development Council. McKinney is a graduate of Louisiana Tech University and a licensed certified public accountant.
Established in 1960, Southside Bank operates 53 branches throughout East Texas, Southeast Texas and the greater Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin and Houston areas.
