In early January, the Texas Bankers Hall of Fame announced its 2026 inductees: Mark K. Johnson, Michael G. O’Rourke, Rogers Pope Jr., A. Ford Sasser III and Marelyn B. Shedd. These five iconic bankers will be recognized for their achievements and many contributions to their communities and the banking industry at the 13th Annual Texas Bankers Hall of Fame Gala on April 23 on the campus of Sam Houston State University in Huntsville. The Texas Bankers Hall of Fame, established by the Smith-Hutson Endowed Chair of Banking at SHSU, recognizes and honors the accomplishments of outstanding bankers who have made valuable contributions to the banking profession and pioneered the Texas banking industry.
Mark M. Johnson began his banking career in 1968 at Texas Commerce Bank in Houston. In 1975, he returned to his hometown of San Antonio to join National Bancshares Corp. of Texas, serving as president, chief operating officer and director. In 1994, he became president and director of Texas Bancshares Inc. and also served as chairman, president and director of its subsidiary, First National Bank of South Texas.
In 2001, Johnson joined Texas Capital Bank as president of the San Antonio region. He was promoted to chairman of the region in 2009 and, in 2014, was named vice chairman and managing director, overseeing major statewide operations. His responsibilities included leadership of the builder finance group—one of the bank’s largest divisions serving top national homebuilders—as well as oversight of all commercial real estate banking activities and regional leadership in Austin, Fort Worth and San Antonio. Johnson is a laureate of the San Antonio Business Hall of Fame
In 2023, Johnson joined Bank of Texas (BOK Financial) as regional chairman. He currently oversees the bank’s Central Texas markets and remains actively involved in broader banking initiatives and community engagement.
Johnson has also served as chairman of Juris Medicus, a leading national medical expert sourcing firm.
Johnson earned his BBA degree in finance and banking from Texas Tech University, where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity. He serves in leadership roles for the Remember the Alamo Foundation, Alamo Trust Inc. board, San Antonio Zoological Society, CHRISTUS Children’s Foundation & Friends of CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Foundation and Briscoe Western Art Museum. His past board leadership includes roles with the Alamo Area Council of Boy Scouts of America, San Antonio Academy, YMCA, August Heart Foundation, United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County, Opera San Antonio, Downtown Rotary Club, Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo.
Johnson has served as chairman and director emeritus of the Texas Tech University Rawls College of Business advisory council and was honored with its Distinguished Alumni Award. He is a former trustee of Southwest Research Institute and a past chairman of both the Texas Business Hall of Fame and San Antonio CAN! High School advisory board.
Michael G. O’Rourke is celebrating his 41st year at Farmers Branch-based TIB NA, having joined the bank in 1984. He began his TIB career as chief lending officer, shortly after serving as vice president and section manager for First City Bank of Dallas for five years. In 1999, O’Rourke was named president of TIB NA’s investment arm, TIN Capital Markets. In 2000, he was named a director of TIB NA.
In 2004, O’Rourke was promoted to president and chief operating officer of the bank, taking over management of TIB’s day-to-day functions. Just 18 months later, he became only the third president and CEO of the organization. Under his leadership, TIB has shown steady growth and exceptional stability through a variety of economic cycles. Today, it is the largest bankers’ bank in the nation, serving more than 1,400 community banks and nearly 300 shareholder banks in 48 states.
O’Rourke is a graduate of Texas Tech University with a BBA degree in finance.
Rogers Pope Jr. is chairman and chief executive officer of Longview-based Texas Bank and Trust Co. and has served the bank for more than three decades. He was previously employed in the financial institutions practice group of the Dallas law firm Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP.
Pope received his BBA degree from Baylor University and his juris doctor degree from Baylor Law School. Later, he graduated with distinction from the SW Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University and was named valedictorian of class XLII. He is also a graduate of the American Bankers Association’s National Commercial Lending School and National Graduate Trust School.
Active in professional and industry associations, Pope serves as immediate past chairman of TIB NA. He has previously served as chairman of the Independent Bankers Association of Texas (IBAT) and the SW Graduate School of Banking Foundation, and served in leadership roles and/or committees for the Independent Community Bankers of America, Texas Bankers Association, Southwest Association of Bank Counsel and the Conference of State Bank Supervisors.
Pope has received both the Chairman’s Award and the Excellence in Leadership Award from the Independent Bankers Association of Texas and has been recognized on IBAT’s Wall of Heroes and Legends. He is also the recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award from the SW Graduate School of Banking.
Pope has been extensively involved in community affairs throughout his career and has served as chairman of the board to the Longview Chamber of Commerce and Longview Regional Medical Center and as president of the Greater Longview United Way and Rotary Club of Longview. He previously served as a board member to LeTourneau University, Buckner International and the Christus Good Shepherd Foundation. Currently, he serves on the board for Grace Community School and the East Texas Communities Foundation.
Pope is a past recipient of the Longview Chamber of Commerce Chairman’s Award and has also been recognized as a distinguished alumnus of Longview High School. Along with his father, Pope is a co-recipient of the East Texas Area Council/Boy Scouts of America Distinguished Citizen Award.
A. Ford Sasser III was born in San Antonio and grew up with an agricultural background. He attended Texas A&M University and received a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics. While in school, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps. He then went to work for the Texas Department of Banking as a bank examiner. Later, he was employed at a bank in Beeville. Sasser moved the family to McAllen in 1986 and in 1999 invested in Rio Bank, for which he was named president and CEO. Today, he serves as the bank’s CEO and vice chairman of the board.
Sasser has served as chairman of the Texas Bankers Association and sits on the advisory board of the Commercial Banking Program at Texas A&M. In addition, he was appointed by the governor to serve as a public member on the board of the State Bar of Texas. He was also a public member of the State Bar grievance committee. In McAllen, Ford served on the board of Valley Baptist Hospital, Easter Seals, Hope Family Clinic, the McAllen Economic Development Corp., Museum of South Texas History, City of McAllen board of adjustments and appeals and City of McAllen zoning board, McAllen Country Club board and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
In 2025, Sasser was inducted into the Rio Grande Valley Sports Hall of Fame for his many years as a football official at the high school and college levels. He also wrote a book, Why Would Anyone Officiate Football?, which was published in 2013.
He is most proud of serving on the board of Can Achieve Maximum Potential (CAMP) University, which he and his wife organized in 2007 for young adults with special needs. Sasser and his wife have a special needs daughter, and it is because of her that they found that there is little help for the parents of special needs adults after they leave the public school system in the Rio Grande Valley. Today, CAMP University provides a day habilitation program for more than 60 campers.
Marelyn Shedd currently serves as CEO of the Abilene region of Abilene-based First Financial Bank, a $14.8 billion financial institution with 79 locations across Texas. She has been with the bank for 34 years and began her career there as senior vice president/commercial lender, later becoming the bank’s senior lender, followed by being appointed president in 2012.
Shedd is a graduate of Baylor University with a BBA degree in finance. She has served on numerous boards, including the Development Corp. of Abilene, Abilene Arts Alliance, Abilene Ballet Theatre, Community Foundation of Abilene (past chair), Hendrick Medical Center Foundation (past chair), Historic Paramount Theatre and United Way of Abilene. Shedd also currently serves on the board of trustees for Abilene Christian University.
Shedd has been honored with the Paul Harris Fellow Award by the Rotary Club Foundation, the Woman of Outstanding Achievement Award from the American Association of University Women and the Junior Achievement Hall of Fame Award.
Click here to learn more about (and register for) the 13th Annual Texas Bankers Hall of Fame Gala, April 23 on the campus of Sam Houston State University in Huntsville.
