Millette Stroud, Courtesy

The Greater Tyler Association of Realtors recently announced the 2018 award recipients to individuals for outstanding dedication and service to the Association.

They are: Cody Castagno with Finance of America, Affiliate of the Year; Kelly Vullo Raulston with RealEdge Real Estate, Rookie of the Year; Amanda Davis-Jackson with RealEdge Real Estate, Above and Beyond Award; Debbie Ezzell with RealEdge Real Estate, Glover Tunnell Award; and Kyle Smith with RealEdge Real Estate – Realtor of the Year. 

New Hires at Henry & Peters 

Jeni Ramsey joined Henry & Peters as manager in the Tyler office’s Accounting Solutions department. Ramsey will part of the consulting team, where she will be able to use her small business and QuickBooks expertise for the benefit of clients.

Deidra “Dee” Case joined Henry & Peters as a Longview staff associate. Case is a recent graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University and is a native of Mount Vernon. She has completed her Master of Professional Accountancy and her Bachelor of Business Administration degrees. She is also completing her QuickBooks Online certification and has obtained authorization to sit for the CPA exam.

Jana Cilliers joined Henry & Peters as Tyler administrative assistant. Cilliers will complete her Bachelor of Business Administration from LeTourneau University in December of this year.

Alex Collins joined Henry & Peters as Tyler executive assistant. Collins is a graduate of UT Tyler with a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in psychology.

Austin Bank Promotions 

The following Austin Bank employees receive promotions:

Jeff King, regional president for Smith County, has been promoted to executive vice president and advisory director. He began his banking career in 1994 at Bancorp South in Mississippi where he worked in operations, internal audit, loan review, lending and as a branch manager

He is a graduate of the University of Mississippi and the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking. A resident of Tyler, King and his wife, Carrie, have one son, Austin.

Sandy Rayburn, controller, has been promoted to executive vice president. Rayburn is a graduate of Dumas High School and West Texas A&M University. She is also a graduate of the Texas Tech School of Banking in Lubbock.

She and her husband, Jim, attend St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church in Flint and reside south of Tyler.

Patty Steelman, certified financial marketing professional and director of marketing for Austin Bank, has been promoted to executive vice president. Steelman joined Austin Bank in 1999, and has over 37 years of marketing and advertising experience.

She is a graduate of the American Bankers Association School of Bank Marketing at the University of Colorado, ABA School of Marketing and Management at SMU and Leadership Tyler Class 19.

Elena Gomez, relationship manager in the Tyler Med Center location, has been promoted to senior vice president.

A graduate of Tyler Junior College and LeTourneau University, she also has completed numerous lending and banking training courses through the years. Gomez resides in Tyler where she enjoys spending time with her family including 21 nieces and nephews. Serving in the community, she teaches financial literacy and Junior Achievement classes.

Millette Stroud, relationship manager, has been promoted to senior vice president. With 33 years of experience in lending and management, she works from the Whitehouse office.

She is a graduate of Robert E. Lee High School, attended Tyler Junior College, 2015 Graduate of the American Bankers Association of National Commercial Lending School at SMU, 2017 graduate of American Bankers Association Advanced Commercial Lending School at Southern Methodist University and Leadership Tyler Class 26.

Stroud and her husband, Chris, reside in Whitehouse and have four sons.