On October 16, 2025, the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Southside Bancshares, Inc. (the “Company”) and Southside Bank (the “Bank”), a subsidiary of the Company, announced the appointment of Keith M. Donahoe, Jeb W. Jones, and Raymond C. McKinney, CPA, to serve as members of the boards, effective November 15, 2025. “We are honored to add such a respected and talented group of new Directors to our board,” said Lee Gibson, Southside Bank Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”). “We are looking forward to the contributions each of them will bring to Southside, our team members, our customers, and our shareholders.”
In addition, on October 16, 2025, the boards of the Company and the Bank, approved the appointment of Mitchell Craddock to Chief Operating Officer (“COO”) of the Company and Bank, effective immediately following the retirement of Brian K. McCabe, current Southside COO, on November 14, 2025. “We are excited that Mitchell will be at the helm of operations following Brian’s incredible career here at Southside,” said Gibson. “Mitchell’s contributions to Southside, even in his short time back at the Bank, have complimented Brian’s remarkable leadership. We thank Brian for all he has done and look forward to continued success and innovation under Mitchell’s leadership.”
Mr. Donahoe, President of the Company and the Bank, was appointed by the Board as the next CEO, on September 18, 2025, effective upon the retirement of Lee Gibson, current Southside CEO, on December 31, 2025.
Mr. Jones is the CEO of Pro Star Rental, a multi-site equipment rental company in Texas, a spin-off of the Cassity Jones Companies in 2015 through Pro Star Capital LP, in which he serves as President and General Partner. Prior to the spin off, he served as the COO of the Cassity Jones Companies, a portfolio of real estate supply and service companies, from 2009 to 2015. Mr. Jones began his career in management consulting and financial valuation before joining Tenet Healthcare, where he held various management positions throughout Texas from 2002 to 2009, including COO of Nacogdoches Medical Center. Mr. Jones has served on the boards of numerous organizations including: Vice Chair of the Christus Health Northeast Texas Region, Past Chair of Hospice of East Texas, Past Chair of the City of Tyler Planning and Zoning Commission and executive committee of The Texas Lyceum. He holds a BA in economics from Texas A&M University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Mr. McKinney is CEO and President of the The Genecov Group, a real estate and oil & gas investment company based in Tyler, Texas, a position he has held since 2016. Prior to joining the Genecov Group in 2015, he served as a Partner at Gollob Morgan Peddy P.C., an East Texas public accounting firm. Mr. McKinney currently serves as a member of the UT Health Tyler Board of Trustees, the UT Tyler Audit Committee and is a Past Chairman of the Tyler Economic Development Council. He is a graduate of Louisiana Tech University and a licensed Certified Public Accountant.
About Southside
Southside Bancshares, Inc., holding company of Southside Bank, is headquartered in Tyler, Texas, with approximately $8.34 billion in assets as of June 30, 2025. Southside currently operates 53 branches and a network of 70 ATMs/ITMs throughout East Texas, Southeast Texas, and the greater Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin, and Houston areas. Serving customers since 1960, Southside Bank is a community-focused financial institution that offers a full range of financial products and services to individuals and businesses.
