Crosswhite named to bank board
Jane Dees Crosswhite was elected to The Citizen Bank’s board of directors, it was announced.
“I am honored to welcome Jane Dees Crosswhite to our Board of Directors,” said Greg McKee, President and CEO. “Her vast experience is an acclaimed local business, coupled with her knowledge of the community, will certainly make her a valuable addition to our leadership. Our customers will be the beneficiaries of her contributions to the Board.”
Crosswhite, who is a Neshoba County native, is the executive vice president and secretary/treasurer of Williams Brothers, Inc., a general merchandise business that was established by her family in 1907 at Williamsville. It remains a widely-recognized and popular shopping destination across the South.
Crosswhite is very excited to be part of the board due to her history with the bank.
“I’m thrilled to be affiliated with the bank, they’re like family to me,” she said. “I am blessed to be part of an establishment that has excelled throughout the years as much as The Citizen’s Bank.”
Crosswhite graduated from Leake Academy and attended East Central Community College on a basketball scholarship. She graduated from Meridian Community College in 1981, Mississippi State University in 1984, and then returned to her family-owned business.
Crosswhite received an invitation to join the board after asking to be on in back in April of this year.
“I found out they wanted me on during a meeting in May, after I requested to be on the board in April,” she said. “Greg McKee called me in and told me he wanted me on the board. I went home, prayed about it, and then called him telling him I accepted the invitation.”
Crosswhite already had a huge amount of retail experience in 1977 as a high school student who always enjoyed accompanying her mother to market each season, and she began to learn the logistics of the business at an early age. She attributes her determination and work ethic to the lessons she learned from her family members in the Williams Brothers business. Her mother, Peggy Dees, grandmother, Nannie Mae Williams, and her uncle, Cooper Williams, were instrumental in her ability to continue and expand the business into the next generation to allow for continued growth and success.
“I’m really hoping my 40 years of business background and knowledge will help the bank,” she said. “I’m so impressed with Greg McKee. He and his board are so knowledgeable of what’s going on in the backing world, and they have so many branches all across Mississippi, from here to the coast. Greg, his forefathers and the wonderful employees are the reason it’s still going.”
Jane and her husband, Allen, have two children, Chad and Clay. Chad is the fourth generation of the family to work at Williams Brothers. They also have four grandchildren, Mary Thomas, Hudson, Russell, and Hayden. She and her family have been members of Pinelake Church in Brandon for 20 years, and in their free time, they love attending Mississippi State sport events and spending time with their grandchildren.
The bank also announced the appointment of Greg Cronin, Gulf Coast President of The Citizens Bank, to the Board of Directors.