Harris Elected To Independent Bankers Association of Texas Board of Directors
The Independent Bankers Association of Texas (IBAT) is proud to announce that Tracy Harris, president and chief executive officer of La Grange-based National Bank & Trust, has been elected to serve on the IBAT board of directors for a three-year term. She has been a member of the IBAT board since 2018 when she was appointed to the position by then-IBAT Chairman Ronnie Miller to fill a vacated seat. Harris will now continue that service as an elected board member. She officially accepted this position during the association’s 47th annual convention held September 18-21 in Austin.
With more than 25 years in the banking industry, Harris has served at National Bank & Trust for the past seven years. Prior to being named president and CEO, she served the bank as vice president/lending. She has also served at Pioneer Bank Texas in La Grange, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage in Katy and Mt. McKinley Bank in Fairbanks, Alaska. Her career path prior to banking included jobs as a high school teacher, rural health clinic director and human resources manager.
Active in the banking industry, Harris is a member of the Federal Reserve System’s Community Depository Institutions Advisory Council and will be its chair in 2022. She is also past secretary/treasurer of the South Central Texas Bankers Association. Harris is also active in her community, having served as president of the Rotary Club of La Grange and as co-sponsor of the La Grange ISD Interact, a community organization.
Harris earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration and a Master of Arts degree in management from Wayland Baptist University. She is also a graduate of the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University.
Harris and her husband of 31 years, Jason, have a daughter and son-in-law, as well as a one-month-old grandson. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, playing golf and fishing and hunting with her husband.
IBAT’s 2021-22 elected officers are Chairman Tom Sellers of Alliance Bank in Sulphur Springs, Chairman-Elect K. Kyle Irwin of Western Bank in Gruver, Secretary-Treasurer Christopher Doyle of Texas First Bank in Texas City, Immediate Past Chairman Brad Tidwell of VeraBank, N.A. in Henderson, IBAT Education Foundation Chairman Hazem Ahmed of Independent Financial in Houston and IBAT Leadership Division Chairman Justin Steinbach of Frost Bank in Dallas. New additions to the IBAT board include John David “J.D.” Baker of Llano National Bank, Thom Canfield of Mason Bank, Mike Fernandez of Texas National Bank in Abilene, Tracy Harris of National Bank & Trust in La Grange, Sloan Kuehl of First National Bank of Central Texas in Waco and Reed Williams of Brady National Bank.
Formed in 1974, the Independent Bankers Association of Texas (IBAT) represents Texas community banks. The Austinbased group is the largest state community banking organization in the nation, with membership comprised of more than 4,600 banks and branches in 700 Texas communities. Providing safe and responsible financial services to all Texans, IBAT member bank assets range in size from $26 million to $44 billion with combined assets statewide of nearly $193 billion. IBAT member banks are committed to supporting and investing in their local communities.