Emma Bothwell has been promoted to vice president and real estate risk manager for Texas Bank and Trust office in Tyler. (Contributed Photo)

Altra named Diamond Award recipient

Altra Federal Credit Union was among 180 credit unions nationwide named as winners of the prestigious Diamond Award – the Marketing, PR & Development Council’s annual competition for marketing excellence Altra received the following recognition:

• Annual Report – Community is Our Heart

• Complete Campaign – End of Summer Youth Promotion

The Marketing, PR & Development Council of America’s Credit Unions also announced the list of all winners for its annual Diamond Awards, recognizing the best marketing campaigns in the credit union industry from the past year. Credit unions, advertising agencies, and associations submitted 1,400 submissions for the prestigious awards.

“We are incredibly honored to be recognized with the prestigious Diamond Award for our marketing excellence,” said Cheryl Dutton, SVP & Chief Marketing Officer at Altra. “These awards, which we have been winning since 2017, are a testament to the hard work and dedication of our entire marketing team.”

In all, 180 organizations from 42 states were selected as winners.

“We are truly thrilled to celebrate Altra Federal Credit Union and the other Diamond Award winners with such a prestigious recognition,” said Lesli Bishop, Co-Chair of the Diamond Awards and Chief Marketing Officer at Family Savings Credit Union in Gadsden, Ala. “These credit unions not only reflect the core values of the credit union movement, but they exemplify the forward-thinking and innovative strategies within our industry.”

For more than 30 years, the Diamond Awards have celebrated the excellence in credit union marketing.

About America’s Credit Unions

America’s Credit Unions is the unified voice for not-for-profit credit unions and their more than 140 million members nationwide. America’s Credit Unions provides strong advocacy, resources and services to protect, empower and advance credit unions and the people and communities they serve. For more information about America’s Credit Unions, visit AmericasCreditUnions.org. About Councils Councils is a member-led, collaborative community of credit union leaders providing vibrant peer interaction, new ideas and innovation to foster professional development while advocating for the overall success of the credit union movement. There are eight Councils with a network of more than 8,000 credit union professionals. About Altra

Altra Federal Credit Union is a nationwide, fullservice cooperative financial institution with over 156,000 members and $2.9 billion in assets. They currently have 17 locations in six states. Altra was founded in 1931 as Trane Federal Credit Union and is headquartered in Onalaska, WI. As a not-for-profit and member-owned organization, Altra is dedicated to fostering member loyalty by offering products, services, and guidance that help our members, staff, and communities thrive. Alongside convenient banking services available online, via chat, mobile, or phone, Altra provides a comprehensive range of financial services, including personal and business banking, lending, and investments. To learn more visit www.altra.org.

Wayne-Sanderson Farms celebrates women leadership in agriculture

At Wayne-Sanderson Farms, dedicated women are making their mark, leading with integrity, determination, and an unwavering commitment to excellence. A great example is at the company’s Tyler Complex, where Ashley Van Natta recently made company history as Wayne-Sanderson Farms’ first female Complex Manager, stepping into a role that oversees every aspect of live production, processing, and facility operations.

As Van Natta has embraced this new challenge, she’s done so with the support of a dynamic leadership team, where half of the members are other accomplished female leaders, each bringing their unique strengths and expertise to the table. These leaders prove that women not only belong in agriculture, but they thrive in it.

Please see the links below to learn more about the amazing women in leadership in Tyler.

Ashley Van Natta – Complex Manager: wayne-sanderson.com/3DDqyny

Shae King – Operations Manager: wayne-sanderson.com/4hNAsku

Kimberly Maddox – Health & Safety Manager: wayne-sanderson.com/4hKdfzy

Tierney Gregory – Quality Assurance Manager: wayne-sanderson.com/3Rijv6S

About Wayne-Sanderson Farms

Wayne-Sanderson Farms is an industry leader and the nation’s third-largest poultry producer, serving customers, consumers and communities with integrity, leadership and responsible farm, workplace and business practices. With a diverse portfolio of products, a strong operating culture and an industry-leading workforce of more than 26,000 people and over 2,000 farm partners, Wayne-Sanderson Farms owns and operates 23 fresh and further-processing facilities across Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina and Texas.

Wayne-Sanderson Farms produces affordable, high-quality poultry products for retail, foodservice, restaurant, industrial and institutional segments under the brand names of SANDERSON FARMS® COVINGTON FARMS®, NAKED TRUTH®, BUFFALOOS®, FLY’N SAUCERS®, CRISPY FLIERS®, PLATINUM HARVEST®, CHEF’S CRAFT®, WAYNE FARMS®, and WAYNE-SANDERSON FARMS®. For more information, visit WayneSandersonFarms.com or follow Wayne-Sanderson Farms on LinkedIn, Facebook, X (Twitter) and Instagram.

TDEM announces new Chief of Media and Communications

AUSTIN – The Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) announced the promotion of Wes Rapaport to Chief of Media and Communications. This promotion comes as Assistant Agency Director Seth W. Christensen has been selected as the Communications Director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a Presidential Appointment working with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.

Rapaport’s promotion comes after serving as Section Chief of Media and Communications. Since joining TDEM as a Media and Communications Officer in 2021, Rapaport has supported numerous local and state-level disasters, as well as nearly 20 presidentially-declared disasters and Fire Management Assistance Grants.

In his role, Rapaport works closely with Chief Kidd and state executive leadership to coordinate life-safety messaging for Texans before, during, and after disasters. Additionally, he oversees coordination of the Texas State Emergency Operations Center’s joint information center and serves as primary point of contact for media.

“We have an immense responsibility to keep Texans informed through all phases of disasters, and Wes will help lead our team of communications professionals as we maintain our operational excellence and serve all Texas communities,” said Texas Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd.

Rapaport is an award-winning journalist, having previously served as a correspondent covering statewide issues in Texas. He was one of the few reporters stationed in Rockport when the eye of Hurricane Harvey passed over the Texas coast in 2017. With more than a decade of experience in television and video production, his work has appeared in publications from El Paso to Europe. Rapaport graduated from Chapman University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Television & Broadcast Journalism.

Christensen was one of the first employees to join TDEM as the agency made its transition to The Texas A&M University System in 2019 after he served stints as the Governor’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Policy Advisor, and Chief of Staff for the Texas Juvenile Justice Department. At TDEM, he held the role of Chief of Media and Communications, and added the Preparedness Division to his portfolio last year.

“I am thrilled for Seth’s appointment to work on issues that are critical not just for the Lone Star State but for the entire nation and we wish him the best in this new chapter of service,” said Chief Kidd. “Having worked closely with Seth over the past decade in his various state government capacities, I can confidently say the USDA has selected one of our best and brightest.”

Learn more about TDEM’s Media and Communications team online at tdem.texas.gov/media.

Smith County Bar Foundation announces the winner of the prestigious Justinian Award

The Smith County Bar Foundation recently announced that the Honorable Justice Diane DeVasto is the winner of the 2025 Justinian Award. This prestigious honor is being bestowed upon Justice DeVasto in recognition of her dedication to the rule of law and commitment to honoring and supporting others.

The Justinian Award is given annually to an outstanding Smith County attorney for their community service, legal ethics, and professionalism. Recipients of the Justinian Award exemplify, by conduct and by character, the morale conduct and professional traits others seek to emulate and which all admire.

This year’s award highlights Justice DeVasto’s groundbreaking work in the Texas judiciary, which has had a profound impact on the legal community and society at large. For more than 50 years, DeVasto has dedicated her life to the legal profession and is one of only three people to have served as a judge at four different levels of the state’s court system.

After graduating from Baylor Law School in 1974 and developing a successful practice, DeVasto entered the judicial side of law at a time when few other women did. She began her judicial career as an associate municipal court judge in 1981 and became the first full-time judge at the Tyler Municipal Court in 1983. She served as Presiding Judge until 1994, when she was elected to the Smith County Court at Law, where she served until her appointment to the 241st District Court. In 2003, then-Governor Rick Perry appointed her to the Twelfth Court of Appeals, the first woman to hold that honor.

“We are thrilled to recognize the incredible career and selflessness of the Honorable Justice Diane DeVasto with the Justinian Award,” said Mandy Nelson, president of the Smith County Bar Foundation. “Her dedication to our community and to the practice of law is awe-inspiring. Justice DeVasto is the embodiment of what this award means and is the personification of the values we all strive to uphold in our community. Justice DeVasto is an inspiration.”

The Justinian Award will be formally presented during the annual Law Day celebration on May 12 at Hollytree Country Club.

About Smith County Bar Foundation

The Smith County Bar Foundation is the charitable arm of the Smith County Bar Association and is dedicated to promoting justice and the rule of law through education, advocacy, and community service. Established in 2002, the Smith County Bar Foundation has been a leading voice in the East Texas legal field, developing and implementing a variety of community initiatives that drive positive change.

For more information about the Justinian Award and the upcoming Law Day celebration, please contact Beth Filla at ed@smithcountybar.com.

Texas Bank and Trust announces officer promotions

According to an announcement by Texas Bank and Trust, Emma Bothwell has been promoted to vice president and real estate risk manager, and Ani Villeda has been promoted to banking officer and East Texas regional credit analyst manager, both in the bank’s Tyler market.

Emma Bothwell has been employed with 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, environmental risk, and construction draw 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, and is a graduate of the Bank Operations Institute by Independent Bankers Association of Texas (IBAT).

Bothwell currently serves as vice president of Financial Women in Texas, and is a member of both the Junior League of Tyler and the Leadership Division of IBAT. She and her husband, Steven, have one child, and are active members of Grace Community Church.

Villeda joined the bank in September 2020, as a credit analyst. She was promoted to a senior credit analyst in 2022 and credit analyst manager for the east region the following year. A graduate of Chapel Hill High School in Mt Pleasant, Villeda holds a bachelor of business administration from The University of Texas at Tyler. She and her husband of 10 years, Alvaro Rodrigo Villeda, Jr., live in Tyler.

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

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