Kelli Epperson

Texas Bank and Trust announces officer promotions

According to an announcement by Texas Bank and Trust, Emma Bothwell has been promoted to assistant vice president and real estate risk manager, and Kelli Horn Epperson is now assistant vice president and area operations manager, both in the bank’s Tyler market.

Bothwell has been employed by Texas Bank and Trust since 2017 and has held the position of real estate risk manager since 2021. Her responsibilities include the management of the bank’s appraisal and environmental risk functions. She holds a bachelor of business administration degree with a concentration in finance and a master of business administration degree from The University of Texas at Tyler where she was a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success and president of the Financial Management Association.

Bothwell is a member of Financial Women in Texas and is a recipient of the “Mousters Degree” in Exploring Leadership from the Walt Disney Company. She and her husband Steven are active members of Grace Community Church and they welcomed their first child in 2022.

Epperson began her career with the bank in its main branch location in Longview in 2012. She was subsequently promoted to operations manager in its Broadway location and currently manages operations in its Grande Avenue office.

A Longview native, Epperson graduated from Longview High School. She has three children and two grandchildren.

Texas Bank and Trust Company operates 21 full-service branches throughout East Texas and the DFW Metroplex.

UT Tyler names Outstanding Student Employees

Lindsey Andino, Mathias Eriksen and Justin Vargas, seniors at The University of Texas at Tyler, were each awarded a 2023 Spirit Award in recognition of outstanding service as UT Tyler student employees.

Winners must demonstrate a genuine respect of university traditions and a commitment to continue those traditions, display a consistent spirit of teamwork and cooperation, and promote the university in a positive light.

Andino, a marketing major, served the Office of Marketing and Communications. Eriksen, also a marketing major, served the Department of Management and Marketing. Vargas, a psychology major, served the Office of Academic Success.

The students, all of Tyler, will graduate with UT Tyler bachelor’s degrees this spring and were recognized earlier this month during the annual student employee luncheon. Prior to the luncheon, student employee supervisors nominated their student employees for either a Leadership, Rising Star or Spirit Award.

With a mission to improve educational and health care outcomes for East Texas and beyond, UT Tyler offers more than 80 undergraduate and graduate programs to 10,000 students. UT Tyler recently merged with The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler (now known as UT Tyler Health Science Center).

Through its alignment with UT Tyler Health Science Center (HSC) and UT Health East Texas, UT Tyler has unified these entities to serve Texas with quality education, cutting-edge research and excellent patient care. Classified by Carnegie as a doctoral research institution and by U.S. News & World Report as a national university, UT Tyler has campuses in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.