First Federal names new bank officers

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At its recent annual meeting, First Federal Community Bank, SSB announced the promotion of eight employees.  Jennifer Nelms was promoted to Senior Vice-President, Jonnie Bankhead and Lori Benson were promoted to Vice-President, Kandace Davidson was promoted to Assistant Vice-President, Rhonda Kittle was promoted to Assistant Vice-President/Assistant Branch Manager of the Mt. Pleasant branch, Karen McDowell and Brandi Allred were promoted to Senior Accountant, and Kimberly Ross was promoted to Assistant Branch Manager of the Clarksville branch.

 

Mrs. Nelms was raised in Paris, is a graduate of Paris High School and holds a BBA in Marketing and an MBA from Texas A&M – Commerce.  She has worked her entire professional career at First Federal and has been with the bank since 2009, holding various positions during that time.  She is currently the Credit Administrator at the Downtown location.

 

She and her husband Joey have three daughters, Jaylen, Riley and Ava, and attend Covenant Christian Church.  Nelms has attended the Texas Bankers Association Lending School, the Texas Tech School of Banking and the Texas Bankers Association Management Development Program.

 

Ms. Bankhead joined the bank in 1998 as a Teller and is currently the Teller Manager for all four bank locations.  She is a graduate of Chisum High School and the Bank Operations Institute School of Banking.  She has participated in Texas Bankers Association’s Teller Management School and Security & Risk Management School.  She is also a graduate of Leadership Lamar County.

 

She has two children, Taylor and Tanner, who attend Chisum Schools.  She also serves on the board of the Lamar & Red River County Crime Stoppers.

 

Mrs. Benson is the Human Resources Manager for the bank and also handles all of the bank marketing.  She is a graduate of Paris High School and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Texas A&M University – College Station.  She has attended the Texas Bankers Association Management Development Program and is also a graduate of Leadership Lamar County and Leadership Paris ISD.  She is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management, the Red River Valley Human Resources Association, and the DallasHR Association.

 

Benson and her husband, Aaron, have three children, Reagan, Parker and Carter, and attend East Paris Baptist Church where they are active in the youth ministry.  She also sings on the church Praise Team and serves on the Missions and Finance Committees.  She recently served as the Treasurer of the Downtown Food Pantry for 6 years and is on the board of the Paris High School Band Boosters.

 

Ms. Davidson is a Credit Analyst at the Downtown location.  She is a graduate of Prairiland High School and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Texas A&M-Commerce in 2021, earning a BAAS in Organizational Leadership. She is also a graduate of the Leadership Lamar County program and a member of the National Society of Leadership & Success. Davidson completed Texas Bankers Association Lending School and has been accepted into their Management Development Program, which will begin this quarter. She has a five-year-old daughter, Kyndal Reese. Davidson also serves as Treasurer on the Executive Board of Directors of the United Way of Lamar County. She and her daughter are members of Canaanland Church of God in Reno, where she serves on their worship team playing the piano.

 

Mrs. Kittle is the Assistant Branch Manager of the Mt. Pleasant branch and has been with the bank for 21 years starting as a Teller.  She has also worked in New Accounts and as a Loan Assistant.  She is a graduate of Mt. Vernon High School.

 

Kittle has been married to her husband, Tony, for 30 years.  They have a son, Brett Ragsdale, and his wife Ashley, and two grandsons, Holden and Layton.  She is an active member of the Circle C Cowboy Church where she is the Audit Team leader and is on the annual ladies conference committee.  She also leads a ladies’ Bible study.

 

Mrs. McDowell has been with the bank for a total of 22 years serving all of those years in the Accounting department.  She is a graduate of Carthage High School in Carthage, MO, and earned an Associate of Science degree from Paris Junior College.

 

She and her husband, Ronnie, live in Lamar County.  She has been an active member of the Kiwanis Club of Paris since 2007, serving on the board as Club Treasurer and participating in many club activities including stocking the shelves at the Downtown Food Pantry monthly.  She was also a recipient of the Kiwanian of the Year award in 2010.

 

Mrs. Allred has a combined 21 years in banking, serving 15 of those with First Federal.  She was born and raised in Paris and graduated from North Lamar High School.  She holds an Associate of Science, a Bachelor of Business Administration, and an MBA from Texas A&M – Commerce.  She is also a graduate of the Texas Tech School of Banking. Allred and her husband, Derek, live in Paris.

 

Ms. Ross is the Assistant Branch Manager of the Clarksville branch.  She is a graduate of Rivercrest High School and holds an Associate’s degree from Paris Junior College.  She started her banking career in 2004 and has held numerous positions during her years of banking.

 

Ross has been a Red River County resident for 38 years.  She currently lives in Bogata with her significant other, Waylen, and their 9-month-old son, Landen.  She has served on the Historic Red River County Chamber of Commerce board as the Treasurer and Vice President for 8 years.

 

“We are blessed that these great employees have made their career with our bank,” said Brad Meyers, President and CEO.  “These promotions recognize their hard work and dedication to the long-term success of our bank.  Congratulations to each of them.”

 

First Federal is observing its 100^th year serving northeast Texas with two locations in Paris and branches in Clarksville and Mt. Pleasant.