DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 19, 2025--
The SW Graduate School of Banking (SWGSB) at SMU Cox has announced new leadership and added three new trustees to its board roster of highly respected advisors. T. Gary Hudson, former president and CEO and current board member of Farmers & Merchant’s Bank is the new SWGSB chairman and R. Scott Heitkamp, president and CEO of ValueBank Texas is the new SWGSB vice chairman, and Christopher J. Furlow, president and CEO of Texas Bankers Association continues as secretary. Sanford M. Brown, partner and co-chair of the Financial Services Group at Alson & Bird; Greg Massey, chairman and CEO of First United Bank & Trust; and Jan Mills, president and chairman of First National Bank of Winnsboro, Texas, were named to the board of trustees at the February 2025 meeting.
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SW Graduate School of Banking at SMU Cox Announces New Leadership and Trustees: T. Gary Hudson, chairman; R. Scott Heitkamp, vice chairman; Christopher J. Furlow, secretary; and new trustees Sanford M. Brown, Greg Massey and Jan Mills.
“I’m proud to welcome our new leadership and three new trustees who increase SWGSB’s breadth of knowledge and influence in the financial services industry,” said SWGSB President and CEO William T. Chittenden, Ph.D. “We look forward to their guidance as we continue to provide exceptional educational experiences as the nation’s leading graduate school of banking. We also thank Victor R. Pierson, chairman, president, and CEO of Moody National Bank, and Darla R. Rooke, president and CEO of Junction National Bank in Junction, Texas, for their service to SWGSB as they rotate off our board of trustees.”
T. Gary Hudson, Chairman
Former President and CEO and current Board Member
Farmers & Merchants Bank
Gary Hudson is a member of the board of directors of Farmers & Merchants Bank, headquartered in Stuttgart, Arkansas. With approximately $1.65 billion in total assets, the bank operates 29 branches, which includes eight operating in Northwest Arkansas doing business as The Bank of Fayetteville.
Hudson practiced law in DeWitt before becoming vice president and trust officer of Farmers & Merchants Bank in December of 1980. He became president and CEO of DeWitt Bank and Trust Company in 1988 and returned to Farmers & Merchants as executive vice president and a member of the board of directors in 2002 when the bank built a branch in DeWitt. He was named president and CEO in January 2009.
Hudson’s career includes a long list of leadership roles in civic, business, and educational organizations. He served on the Arkansas State Banking Board for 10 years and was chairman twice. His current community service includes Stuttgart Unlimited and the Stuttgart Chamber of Commerce.
Hudson is a graduate of Arkansas State University, the University of Arkansas School of Law, and the SW Graduate School of Banking at SMU Cox.
R. Scott Heitkamp, Vice Chairman
President and CEO
ValueBank Texas
R. Scott Heitkamp is chairman of the Independent Community Bankers of America® (ICBA), the only national trade association that exclusively represents community banks. President and CEO of ValueBank Texas in Corpus Christi, Texas, Heitkamp has served ICBA and the community banking industry for decades. He is chairman of the ICBA Executive Committee as well as the board of directors, and a member of the Bank Services, Nominating, and Policy Development committees. He is a former chairman of ICBA’s Federal Delegate Board, ICBPAC, and the Membership/Marketing Committee and a previous chairman and current member of the Independent Bankers Association of Texas.
On the local level, Heitkamp has served as chairman on the Driscoll Hospital Development Foundation board of directors and is a current member of the board of directors of the Texas State Aquarium. He is the previous chairman of the San Patricio County Economic Development Corporation and is past president of the Aransas Pass Rotary Club. Heitkamp also is past president of the Independent Bankers Association of Texas Leadership Division and past advisory director of the Texas Tech University Banking School.
Heitkamp is a graduate of Texas Tech University, where he received his bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance.
Christopher J. Furlow, Secretary
President and CEO
Texas Bankers Association
Chris Furlow is president and CEO of the Texas Bankers Association (TBA). Founded in 1885, TBA is the oldest and largest state banking association in the U.S. Furlow’s professional career has prepared him well to meet the challenges facing Texas banks. Previously, he was president of Ridge Global, an international risk management consulting firm, where he helped clients in financial services and other sectors leverage resilience for competitive advantage.
Furlow has an extensive background in complex policy/regulatory issues in both the public and private sectors. Following the 9/11 attacks, he was named director for State Affairs in the White House Office of Homeland Security, where he served as liaison to the nation’s governors. During the historic stand-up of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, he was appointed executive director of the Homeland Security Advisory Council, where he led operations of the department’s cross-disciplinary public and private sector committees and served as a senior advisor to Secretary Tom Ridge.
Furlow brings more than 25 years of legislative and political experience to TBA’s advocacy efforts. He is a member of the Voter Education Committee of the American Bankers Association and a board member of the Coalition of Bankers Associations, serves on the Smith-Hutson Chair of Banking Advisory Board at Sam Houston State University.
Sanford M. Brown
Partner and Co-chair of the Financial Services Group
Alston & Bird
Sanford M. Brown counsels and represents financial institutions and specialty finance companies, as well as their shareholders and holding companies, in matters involving state and federal banking laws, regulations, and enforcement actions; in corporate transactions, such as mergers, acquisitions, securities offerings, and holding company matters; and on issues involving cybersecurity, privacy, and identity theft.
Brown is a SWGSB faculty member and a frequent speaker at regional and national banking seminars and educational programs. He served in the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency from 1987 to 1989. His responsibilities included a wide range of matters relating to the regulation of national banks, including the development of banking policy in the areas of risk-based capital and dividends.
Brown is nationally ranked by Chambers USA in the Financial Services Regulation: Financial Institutions M&A category. He is listed in The Best Lawyers in America® in the areas of Banking and Finance and Financial Services Regulation, including in the latter category as the Dallas/Fort Worth “Lawyer of the Year” in 2015, 2017, 2021, and 2024.
Greg Massey
Chairman and CEO
First United Bank & Trust
Greg Massey, a Durant, Oklahoma, native, is a highly accomplished leader in the financial services industry. As chairman and CEO of First United Bank & Trust, he leads a thriving organization managing over $16 billion in assets and serving more than 60 communities across Oklahoma and Texas.
Under his leadership, First United has achieved significant growth through innovative initiatives that prioritize culture, customer satisfaction, and employee engagement. Guided by its purpose, “To inspire and empower others to Spend Life Wisely,” the organization exemplifies Massey’s dedication to purposeful leadership and conscious capitalism.
Massey holds a degree in finance from Oklahoma State University and is a SWGSB graduate. He actively serves on the boards of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, the Oklahoma Business Roundtable, the Oklahoma State Chamber of Commerce, and the OSU Foundation, reflecting his strong commitment to community and personal growth.
Jan Mills
President and Chairman
First National Bank of Winnsboro
Jan Mills is president and chairman of First National Bank of Winnsboro, a $160-million community bank founded in 1893 in rural Northeast Texas. She began her banking career over four decades ago at First National making her way to her current positions in 2003 and 2006, respectively. Additionally, she serves as secretary-treasurer of the bank’s holding company, Etex Banco, Inc.
Throughout her career, Mills has been involved in numerous organizations that support the financial services industry and is an advocate for community banking. Her greatest honor has been serving as the 137 th chairman of the Texas Bankers Association, the oldest and largest state banking association in the nation. She currently serves on the advisory board of the banking program at East Texas A & M University in Commerce. In 2022, Bank News magazine named her an Outstanding Women in Banking honoree.
Mills is an honors graduate of SMU Cox and a graduate with distinction in leadership from SWGSB. Her family’s SWGSB legacy spans three generations of Texas bankers, beginning with her father in 1968 and continuing with her son in 2025.
To read more about the SW Graduate School of Banking Board of Trustees, visit swgsb.org/about.
ABOUT THE SW GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BANKING AT SMU COX
Since 1957, the SW Graduate School of Banking at SMU Cox (SWGSB) has educated and empowered bankers in all positions, other financial services professionals and affiliates, regulators, bank directors, and aspiring bank directors with knowledge and relationships that strengthen careers, organizations, and communities. SWGSB is a nationally recognized leader in banking and commercial lending education, bank management training, and bank director training programs. Learn more at swgsb.org or call 214.768.2991 for more information.
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CONTACT: info@swgsb.org
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