Jimmy Eppler, former President and CEO of Citizens Bank of Ada, recently announced the promotion of multiple Citizens Bank employees. 

The promotions are as follows: Kassie Cothran to President/Chief Executive Officer and Director, David Young to Executive Vice President/Chief Financial Officer, Brigette Jones to Executive Vice President/Chief Mortgage Officer, Caleb Estes to Senior Vice President, Holly Grider to Senior Vice President, Missy Johnson to Senior Vice President, Zac Walters to Senior Vice President/Information Systems Officer, Rachel Smith to Senior Vice President/Cashier, Danielle Hill to Vice President/Compliance and BSA Officer, Mitch Jarrett to Vice President/Auditor, Lisa Blevins to Vice President, Mark Cox to Vice President, Trevor Sutton to Assistant Vice President/Credit Administration Officer, Tracie Carter to Assistant Vice President/Human Resources Officer, Jennifer Marsh to Executive Assistant/Assistant Cashier, and Lisa Wingard to Operations Officer.

Cothran, 45, has lived in Ada since 1995. He and his wife, Somerlyn, have two children, Kaydence and Kale, who both attend Ada Schools. Cothran graduated from Tishomingo High School in 1995 and attended East Central University, where he graduated in 2000. He is also a graduate of the Graduate School of Banking in Madison, Wisconsin. 

Cothran has been with Citizens Bank of Ada since June 10, 2002, where he has worked as a loan officer. Cothran was most recently an Executive Vice-President and Chief Lending Officer.

Young was raised in Columbus, Ohio before moving to Ada and graduating from Byng High School. He is a graduate of East Central University with a degree in accounting, and holds a Masters in Construction Management from North Dakota State University. He currently holds an Oklahoma Certified Public Accountant license, as well as the AICPA’s Chartered Global Management Accountant credential. 

Prior to joining the Bank, Young worked for a regional accounting firm, serving as audit manager on several client engagements. Young became a member of the Citizens Bank family in December, 1995, serving initially as the Bank’s Internal Auditor, then serving as the Bank’s senior operations officer, and later advancing to become the Bank’s Chief Financial Officer. Young and Lisa, his wife of almost 40 years, have 3 children, 10 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild, where a lot of his time is focused. When not spending time with family, Young can be found in his woodshop.

Brigette is an Ada native who began her banking career with Citizens Bank in 2004, establishing the mortgage department. She has served as Chair of the Ada Area Chamber of Commerce, United Way, and The Ada Jobs Foundation, and is a graduate of the Graduate School of Banking in Boulder. Brigette and her spouse, Shane, have 5 children and 4 grandchildren.

Caleb graduated from Latta High School in 2005 and also attended East Central University, where he graduated with a degree in business finance in 2009. He is also a graduate of the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin. 

Caleb has worked in the lending profession since 2009 and has been employed with Citizens Bank of Ada since 2015. Caleb and his wife, Randi, have 3 sons, Coen, Rhett and Reid. Caleb serves as a member on the Southern Oklahoma Bankers Association Board, Mercy Health Foundation Board, and the Byng School Board.

Holly was raised in Ada, OK and is a graduate of Latta High School. She continued her education at East Central University, earning a degree in Retail Merchandising and Business Administration. She began her career with Citizens Bank in 2015 as a loan officer. 

In her time at Citizens, Holly has completed the Leadership YOUniversity program with the Chamber of Commerce, Consumer Lending School, Commercial Lending School, and Intermediate Lending School with Oklahoma Bankers Association. Holly and her husband, Jeff Grider, have one son, Jaxson Grider, 11. She is actively involved in the community and continues to serve as an Ada Performing Arts Booster club member.

Missy attended Butner High School and went on to attend Mid-America Christian University, earning a degree in management and ethics. She began her career in the finance industry in 2006 and started with Citizens Bank in 2009 as a mortgage loan originator. 

In her time at Citizens, Missy has completed the Leadership YOUniversity program with the Chamber of Commerce, the Emerging Leaders Academy through the Oklahoma Bankers Association, and Intermediate Banking School. She will attend Graduate School of Banking at Colorado later this summer. Missy is actively involved in the community, serving on various boards and committees. She and her husband, Dustin Johnson, have one daughter, Parker.

Zac Walters is a graduate of Ada High School and earned his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from East Central University. He is married to Brandi Walters, and they have two kids. Zac completed SW Graduate School of Banking in Dallas, Texas. Zac has been with the Bank for almost 20 years and has worked in audit, lending, HR, operations, and IT.

Smith is a graduate of Byng High School and Southern Nazarene University with a degree in business administration. She began her career with Citizens Bank of Ada in 2007 and has completed the 2016 Oklahoma Bankers Association Intermediate School, 2017-2018 Independent Bankers Association of Texas Operations School, and the 2019 Oklahoma Bankers Association Operations School. She and her husband, Michael Smith, have two children, Naomi and Luke. Smith is a member of Crosspointe Church in Ada and serves as a board member for Ada Homeless Services.

Hill is a graduate of Stonewall High School and received a degree in Molecular Biology from East Central University. She has been with Citizens Bank of Ada accumulatively for 11 years, where she’s served as Compliance & BSA Officer for 4 years. 

During that 4 years, she has earned Community Bank Compliance Officer (CCBCO) and Certified BSA/AML Professional (CBAP) designations from the Independent Community Bankers Association and Certified AML/Fraud Professional (CAFP) designation from the American Bankers Association. Hill and her fiancé, Brent, share four children. Hill currently serves as a board member for the Ada Artist Association.

Mitchell Jarrett is a graduate of Allen High School and East Central University with a degree in accounting. He started his career at Citizens Bank of Ada in 2001 and has been the internal auditor since 2002. He is a graduate of the Oklahoma Banking Association Intermediate School of Banking in 2003 and earned his certification as a Certified Community Bank Internal Auditor in 2008 through the ICBA Audit Certification Program. He has lived in Ada since 1997 and is a member of the Richmond Avenue Freewill Baptist Church in Allen, Oklahoma.

Lisa graduated from McLish High School and joined Citizens Bank in May 1993. She is a graduate of Oklahoma Bankers Association Compliance, Consumer Lending, Intermediate School and ABA Commercial Lending School. Lisa is married to Curtis, and they have 2 boys, Quinton and Patrick, and 2 grandsons, Noah and Wyatt. Lisa has also served with Kiwanis Club of Ada and Ada Main Street. She enjoys spending time with family and outdoor activities.

K Mark Cox is a graduate of Wewoka High School. He received his Associate of Science degree from Seminole Junior College and his Bachelor of Science degree from Oklahoma Christian College, majoring in Business Administration with a minor in Management. He has been married for almost forty-four years to Pamela, who is an elementary education instructor with Ada Public Schools. Mark and Pam have two grown daughters and six grandchildren. 

Cox was instrumental in developing “fraud prevention training” and has conducted numerous sessions in a variety of venues during recent years. Cox has been in banking for forty-three years with almost 17 years at Citizens Bank of Ada. Cox has been active in Lions Club International, serving in various leadership roles, including two terms as president. 

Cox received the Melvin Jones Fellowship Award in February 2017 by then Lions International President, Robert (Bob) E Corlew. Cox is also a graduate of Leadership Ada. Cox is a member of the Central Church of Christ and has served as an Elder for a number of years.

Sutton is a graduate of Byng High School and earned his Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in accounting from East Central University in December 2014 and 2015, respectively. He has been married to Dr. Emmy, a chiropractor with Ada Family Chiropractic, since March 2022. Sutton currently serves as the Credit Administration Officer at Citizens Bank of Ada and has worked there for 8 years. He obtained ICBA’s Certified Community Bank Credit Analyst (CCBCA) certification in 2018. 

Sutton dedicates much of his time and energy to the community in many respects, including the Ada Main Street Board of Directors, the Ada Area Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors, the ECU Alumni Association Board of Directors, Relay for Life committee, and Young Professionals of Ada. Sutton is a deacon at Trinity Baptist Church in Ada and teaches a finance class and athletes’ Bible study at East Central University.

Carter is a graduate of Ada High School and attended East Central University. She began her career with Citizens Bank of Ada in 2018. She is a 2021 graduate of the Graduate School of Banking’s Human Resource Management School. She also graduated from Leadership Ada and Leadership YOUniversity. 

Carter and her husband, Brian Carter, have two children, Tanae Reeves and Tyler Reeves, along with five grandchildren. Carter is a member of Crosspointe Church in Ada. She is a board member of the Addiction and Behavioral Health Center.

Jennifer is married to Jordan. Together, they have 2 children. She started with Citizens Bank as a teller in September 2013, and has since worked at the note window, as an Administrative Loan Assistant, and now Executive Assistant and Assistant Cashier. Jennifer completed the Leadership Ada program in 2016. Her hobbies include riding in their UTV on the weekends and hanging out with friends and family. 

Wingard graduated from Vanoss High School in 2005 and attended East Central University. Lisa has been with Citizens Bank of Ada since April 2006, where she started as a teller at the Arlington Branch. She was most recently the Deposit Operations Leader and is a graduate of Oklahoma Bankers Association’s Operations School. Lisa and her significant other, DJ Bryant, have 5 dogs together and enjoy road trips and traveling.

About Citizens Bank of Ada

Conveniently located in the heart of downtown Ada, Citizens Bank has been serving the local community for over 50 years. Citizens is managed by a caring Board of Directors and dedicated Officers who are proud to boast that this financial institution is “Locally Owned and Operated.”