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Jess Laird

President and CEO

Jess Laird is President and CEO of First State Bank in Athens, Texas.  He began his banking career in 1984 as a loan officer and manager of Investex Savings.  He has been with First State Bank since 1988.  His background in lending includes commercial as well as consumer loans and residential mortgages.  His focus now is primarily on management and growth as well as regulatory and legislative issues.

Jess is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a B.S. degree in Biology and has an M.B.A. from the University of Texas at Tyler.  He is also a graduate of the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at SMU.

Jess is married and has two grown children.  He enjoys remodeling houses, working on collector cars, playing guitars and fishing.

Meet Our Leadership

say hello to our team

  • Michael Austin Neill
    Michael Austin Neill Sr. Vice President / Branch Manager
  • Jay Eckert
    Jay Eckert Vice President
  • Cathy Jezek
    Cathy Jezek Senior Vice President
  • Lisa Guthrie
    Lisa Guthrie Assistant Cashier, Loan Administrative Assistant
  • Jason Hayes
    Jason Hayes Vice President and Controller
  • Kim Hodges
    Kim Hodges Assistant Vice President of Marketing
  • Sue Cardin
    Sue Cardin Vice President / Branch Manager
  • Luke Lemons
    Luke Lemons Vice President and Commercial/Real Estate Officer