Board of Directors

John Beckworth has served as the lead director of the Company since 2023 and is a member of the Company’s Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee. He previously served as a director of Allegiance Bancshares, Inc. beginning in 2009. Mr. Beckworth practiced law in Houston for thirty years from 1983 until 2013. He was an associate and partner at Fulbright & Jaworski LLP before leaving to start his own law firm in 1994. From 2013-2018, Mr. Beckworth served as an associate dean at The University of Texas School of Law in Austin. Since 2018, Mr. Beckworth has continued in the school as a member of the law faculty. Also in 2018, Mr. Beckworth became affiliated as of counsel at Jackson Walker LLP in Austin. He has served as a trustee of The University of Texas Law School Foundation, and he is a former president and chairman of the board of The University of Texas Ex Students Association. Mr. Beckworth is a member of the Texas and American Bar Associations and he is a life fellow of the Houston and Texas Bar Foundations. He is an associate member of the American Board of Trial Advocates and he is board certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Oil, Gas and Mineral Law. Mr. Beckworth is a director of the Texas Cultural Trust, The Will Erwin Headache Research Foundation, and the LBJ Foundation. Mr. Beckworth also operates family ranching, oil and gas and investment interests. He received Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor degrees from The University of Texas at Austin and The University of Texas School of Law. In 2017, Mr. Beckworth became a National Association of Corporate Directors (“NACD”) board leadership fellow. As an experienced attorney and administrator, Mr. Beckworth provides service to the board and management as lead independent director and as a member of the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee.

Jon-Al Duplantier has served as a director of the Company since 2023 and is a member of the Company’s Audit Committee and Compensation Committee. He previously served as a director of Allegiance Bancshares, Inc. beginning in 2021. Mr. Duplantier enjoyed a 25-year career in the oil and gas industry with Conoco Inc., ConocoPhillips and Parker Drilling Company. Most recently, he served as Parker Drilling’s President, Rental Tools and Well Services, a position he held from April 2018 until his departure in July 2020. Prior to that role, Mr. Duplantier held a series of executive positions at Parker Drilling from 2009 to 2018. In those positions he had responsibility across more than a dozen countries, and his roles included management and oversight of legal affairs, corporate compliance, internal audit, human resources, environmental, safety and procurement. In December 2018, Parker Drilling Company commenced voluntary chapter 11 proceedings and filed a prearranged plan of reorganization under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. Prior to joining Parker Drilling, Mr. Duplantier worked for ConocoPhillips from 2002 to 2009, where he held legal and management roles. From 1995 to 2002, Mr. Duplantier served in multiple roles of increasing responsibility at Conoco Inc. Mr. Duplantier holds a Juris Doctorate from Louisiana State University and a Bachelor of Science degree from Grambling State University. Mr. Duplantier serves on the Board of Directors of Sitio Royalties Corp. (NYSE: STR), where he is a member of the Compensation Committee. Mr. Duplantier also serves on the Board of Directors of AltaGas Ltd. (TSX: ALA), where he is a member of the Human Resources and Compensation Committee as well as the Governance Committee. Mr. Duplantier’s broad experience across commercial, governance and legal aspects of business along with his professional and leadership experience qualify him to serve on our board, as well as on the Audit and Compensation Committees.

Mr. Franklin serves as Executive Chairman of Stellar Bank, Chief Executive Officer of Stellar Bancorp, Inc. and serves as a director of the Company and Bank. He joined the Company in connection with the merger of equals with Allegiance Bancshares, Inc. and CBTX, Inc. in 2023. Mr. Franklin previously served as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of CBTX, Inc. from 2013 until 2023. Mr. Franklin began his more than 40-year Houston banking career working for a small community bank in Houston upon graduation from the University of Texas. He then moved to a large, regional bank before gravitating back to his primary interest of community banking. He became President of American Bank in 1988, where he served until the bank was sold to Whitney Holding Corp. in early 2001. Mr. Franklin and his team then joined Horizon Capital Bank, where Mr. Franklin raised sufficient capital to match the bank’s existing capital and took the position of President of Horizon Capital Bank. He served as President until the bank was sold to Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. in 2005. Mr. Franklin then started VB Texas, Inc. in November of 2006 as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, serving until a merger of equals between VB Texas, Inc. and the CBTX, Inc. in 2013. Mr. Franklin graduated from the University of Texas in 1977 with a B.B.A. in Finance. He is serves on the board of Junior Achievement of Southeast Texas and previously served on the Board of the Texas Bankers Association. Mr. Franklin has actively served various charitable organizations over the years, along with serving on the board of a Houston private school. Mr. Franklin adds financial services experience, especially lending, oil and gas expertise and asset liability management to the Company’s board of directors, as well as a deep understanding of the Company’s business and operations. Mr. Franklin also brings risk and operations management and strategic planning expertise to the board of directors, skills that are important as the Company continues to implement its business strategy and evaluate and integrate growth opportunities.

Mr. Havard has served as a director of the Company since 2023, is Chairman of the Company’s Compensation Committee and a member of the Company’s Audit Committee. He previously served as CBTX, Inc.’s Chairman of the Compensation Committee and as a member of the Company’s Audit Committee and Corporate Governance. In addition, Mr. Havard served as a director of CommunityBank of Texas, N.A. beginning in 2007, and was a member of its Audit, Budget and Compensation and Funds Management Committees. Mr. Havard has been a practicing attorney since 1988 and he handles commercial litigation and complex business transactions and is a member of numerous professional organizations and societies, including the State Bar of Texas, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. Prior to his legal career, Mr. Havard was an auditor with a prominent national accounting firm and has been a licensed Certified Public Accountant since 1982. He also serves as a director of several private companies. Mr. Havard graduated from Lamar University in 1979 with a B.B.A. in Accounting and received his J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center in 1987. Mr. Havard’s prior experience as a Certified Public Accountant and auditor, which included performing audits for various banks in the Houston marketplace, as well as his experience as an attorney, qualify him to serve on the Company’s board. His knowledge accumulated from serving on company’s Audit, Compensation, Corporate Governance and Nominating Committees as well as various bank committees provide him with a unique perspective of the inner workings of the Company’s organization.

Frances H. Jeter has served as a director of the Company since 2023 and is the Chairman of the Company’s Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee. She previously served as a director of Allegiance Bancshares, Inc. beginning in 2014. She has more than 25 years of experience in marketing, public affairs and business and nonprofit management. Ms. Jeter is a Managing Director and head of the Houston office for Sard Verbinnen & Co., a strategic communications firm. Ms. Jeter previously served as Group Vice President of Internal and External Affairs for Spectra Energy. Before joining Spectra Energy, Ms. Jeter served as Chief Marketing Officer for Bracewell & Giuliani LLP and served as Vice President of Public Affairs for Duke Energy Gas Transmission, a predecessor company of Spectra Energy. She is a Life Trustee and a past Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Kinkaid School in Houston and a former Trustee of The Hockaday School in Dallas. She is the founding Chair of Houston’s The Fay School and is also a former member of the Board of Directors of the Greater Houston Community Foundation and St. Luke’s Episcopal Health Charities, among a number of other non-profit organizations. Ms. Jeter received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her extensive experience in the public company arena is leveraged to assist the organization in all areas of marketing and public and investor relations and financial communications. Her attention to detail and working knowledge of corporate and board governance matters are well-suited to her service on the board and Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee.

George Martinez has served as a director of the Company since 2023 and is the Charmian of the Company’s Risk Oversight Committee. Mr. Martinez is one of the organizers of Allegiance Bank and was the Chairman of the Allegiance Bancshares, Inc. Board of Directors from 2008 to 2022. He served as Chief Executive Officer of the Company and the Bank from their formation through 2019 and assumed the role of Vice Chairman of the Bank in 2020. Mr. Martinez began his banking career in 1974 as a co-founder of Sterling Bank, where he served as an Executive Vice President from 1974 to 1980, and then as Chief Executive Officer of Sterling Bancshares, Inc. from 1980 to 2001 and as Chairman from 1992 to 2004. From 1998 to 2008, Mr. Martinez served as President of Chrysalis Partners, LLC, a leadership consulting firm. From 2003 to 2020 he served on the Board of Directors of Cornerstone Building Brands, Inc., a leading provider of exterior commercial and residential building products, as well as on the Board of Directors of Landmark Worldwide Enterprises, Inc., a personal and professional growth, training and development firm. Active in the Houston community, he serves as an Emeritus Member of the Board of Advisors for the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management at Rice University. He was inducted into the Texas Bankers Hall of Fame in April 2017 and recognized for his valuable contributions to the Texas banking industry. In 2004, he was awarded the Ethical Leadership in Action Award from the University of St. Thomas Center for Business Ethics and in 2021 he was a recipient of the Texas Bankers Association 50-Year Banker Award. Mr. Martinez received a Bachelor of Business Administration and Economics degree from Rice University in 1963.

William (Nick) S. Nichols has served as a director of the Company and Bank since 2023 and is a member of the Company’s Audit Committee and Risk Oversight Committee. Mr. Nichols was one of the organizers of the Allegiance Bank and served on Allegiance Bancshares, Inc. board beginning in 2008 and the board of the Allegiance Bank beginning 2007. Mr. Nichols retired in 2017 as the President of Suncor Companies, LLC, a real estate development company that primarily focused on the development of freestanding retail facilities throughout the United States. From 1974 to 1984, he worked as an audit principal at Ernst & Young. He has held numerous board appointments, including advisory director at Community Bank, Katy, Texas. Additionally, he is the founder and director of the Nichols Foundation, a foundation to provide college scholarships to students on a need basis. He also serves on the Development Council of the Mays Business School at Texas A&M University. Mr. Nichols is a Certified Public Accountant and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants. He received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Texas A&M University. Mr. Nichols’ understanding of the Houston business market and leadership experience qualify him to serve on our board. Mr. Nichols makes good use of both his experience in the real estate industry and as a CPA as he contributes by serving as a director of the Bank.

Mr. Penland has served as a director of the Company since 2023. He previously served as a director of CBTX, Inc. and CommunityBank of Texas, N.A. beginning in 2007, and served on CBTX, Inc.’s Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee and the Company’s Compensation Committee. Mr. Penland founded Quality Mat Company, based in Beaumont, Texas, and served as its President from 1974 until August of 2019, when he assumed the title of Chief Executive Officer. Quality Mat Company is one of the largest mat producers in the world and is one of the oldest companies in the business, with the capabilities of producing everything from heavy equipment mats to event matting. Quality Mat Company’s products carry exclusive patents that serve a variety of major industries. Mr. & Mrs. Penland started the Penland Foundation in 2006, a foundation that helps local organizations in his southeast Texas community, as well as Houston. Mr. Penland has significant experience serving on both public and private boards of directors for community banks. Prior to joining the Company’s board of directors, Mr. Penland served as a director of Texas Regional Bancshares, Inc., a Nasdaq listed bank holding company, from 2004 until its merger with BBVA in 2006, and as a director of Southeast Texas Bancshares, Inc. prior to its acquisition by Texas Regional Bancshares, Inc. Mr. Penland brings key leadership, risk management, operations, strategic planning and oil and gas industry expertise that assists the board of directors in overseeing the Company’s operations in addition to his knowledge of the communities the Company serves.

Mr. Reaud has served as a director of the Company since 2023 and is a member of the Company’s Risk Oversight Committee. He previously served as a director of CBTX, Inc. beginning in 2020, and in 2021, he began serving on CBTX, Inc.’s Audit Committee and the Compensation Committee. Mr. Reaud is the founder and CEO of Privateer Capital Management, LP which was formed in 2013. Privateer is a family-owned, multi-strategy investment company headquartered in Austin, Texas. He is also the founder and Chairman of the Lucena Group, which provides security and intelligence solutions to individuals and large corporations around the world. Mr. Reaud attended college at Washington and Lee University, where he studied European History, graduating Magna Cum Laude. After college, Mr. Reaud enrolled in the University of Texas School of Law, from which he received a J.D. with honors. He served as a law clerk to Justice Harriet O’Neill of the Texas Supreme Court. He then worked as a prosecutor for the Travis County Attorney’s Office. Mr. Reaud left his position as a prosecutor to attend the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned an MBA with a double major in Finance and Strategic Management. Mr. Reaud sits on the boards of three charitable foundations, The Reaud Foundation, the Beaumont Foundation of America, and the University of Texas Law School Foundation. He is also a trustee of the Austin Symphony, a member of Business Executives for National Security, and a Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. Mr. Reaud’s excellent credentials, board-level experience, and knowledge of the Texas market enhances the Company’s risk management and assists in identifying and executing strategic business goals.

Steven F. Retzloff serves as Senior Executive Chairman of Stellar Bank and Executive Chairman of Stellar Bancorp, Inc. He joined the Company in connection with the merger of equals with Allegiance Bancshares, Inc. and CBTX, Inc. in 2023. Mr. Retzloff previously served as Chairman of Allegiance Bank and CEO of Allegiance Bancshares, Inc. and was one of the organizers of the Bank. Mr. Retzloff has over 39 years of business experience and 30 years of Houston Banking experience. He served as a director of Sterling Bancshares, Inc., a publicly traded multi-billion dollar financial institution, and Sterling Bank from 1987 to 2006, including terms as Chairman of the board of Sterling Bancshares from 1990 to 1992 and from 2004 to 2005. He is currently Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Retzloff Industries, Inc. and is an advisory director to Pharos Capital Partners III. Prior to co-founding Allegiance Bank, Mr. Retzloff owned and managed Travis Body & Trailer, Inc., a nationwide manufacturer of specialized truck trailers. His past work experience also includes General Motors, Bristol Myers and Retzloff Capital Corporation. Mr. Retzloff received an Industrial Engineering degree from The Georgia Institute of Technology and a Master of Business Administration degree (with distinction) from the Babcock Graduate School of Management at Wake Forest University. Mr. Retzloff currently serves as a director of the Independent Bankers Association of Texas, Faith in Practice, The Open Door Mission, the Greater Houston Partnership and, since 2021, the Houston Food Bank also serving as a member of its finance committee. He also serves as Chairman of the Finance Committee for the Greater Houston Partnership. He previously served as Vice President of the Kinkaid School Investments Foundation and previously served as trustee of Pines Presbyterian Church and on the advisory board for the Mays School Banking Program at Texas A&M University and Fuller Texas School of Theology. Mr. Retzloff's significant experience as a director and officer of community banks and his extensive leadership skills qualify him to serve on our board.

Fred S. Robertson has served as a director of the Company and Bank since 2023. He previously served as a director of Allegiance Bancshares, Inc. beginning in 2011. Mr. Robertson has over 30 years of experience overseeing institutional and retail investments. He has managed fixed income investments and designed extensive quantitative models for bond management. For the past five years, Mr. Robertson has been managing his personal investments. Mr. Robertson holds a number of non-profit board appointments and volunteers with many organizations in Houston. Mr. Robertson received a Bachelor of Science from Cornell University and a Masters of Business Administration in finance from The College of William and Mary. Mr. Robertson’s significant experience in the banking industry and leadership skills qualify him to serve on our board. Mr. Robertson utilizes his knowledge of investment and fund management as Chair of the Bank's ALCO Committee. His financial expertise provides additional benefit to the Company as he serves as a member of the Compensation Committee.

Mr. Swinbank has served as a director of the Company and Bank since 2023 and is a member of the Company’s Risk Oversight Committee. He previously served as a director of CBTX, Inc. and CommunityBank of Texas, N.A. beginning in 2013, and in 2017, he began serving on the Company’s Audit Committee, the Company’s Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee, and the Company’s Compensation Committee. Mr. Swinbank served as a director of VB Texas, Inc. and Vista Bank Texas from 2006 until the merger of equals with CBTX, Inc. in 2013. Mr. Swinbank is the co-founder of The Sprint Companies, Inc., a Houston based sand and gravel company, and is Partner of Sprint Ft. Bend County Landfill, Sprint Sand & Clay, Sprint Waste Services, and Sprint Transports. In 2014, he became a Partner of River Aggregates and A&B Valves. Mr. Swinbank received his B.S. in Agricultural Economics from Texas A&M University in 1974. Mr. Swinbank brings a wealth of business experience, as well as a sharp focus on the financial efficiency and profitability of the Company’s customers, to the board of directors.

Mr. Williams has served as a director of the Company since 2023 and is a member of the Company’s Compensation Committee and Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee. He previously served as a director of CBTX, Inc. and CommunityBank of Texas, N.A. beginning in 2007. He served as Chairman of CBTX, Inc.’s Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee beginning in 2017. Mr. Williams is the managing partner of Williams Hart Law Firm, L.L.P. in Houston, Texas, where he practices in the area of mass tort cases. Mr. Williams currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Houston Astros, and the Houston Police Foundation, and serves on the Board of Advisors for the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University. Mr. Williams is listed in Top Attorneys in Texas, Best Attorneys in Texas, The Best Lawyers in America, and Texas’ Best Lawyers, and he has been selected as a Super Lawyer every year since 2003. Mr. Williams received a B.B.A. from Baylor University and a J.D. from Baylor School of Law, where he graduated first in his class. Mr. Williams has significant risk management and strategic planning skills. In addition, he brings strong legal, lending and financial skills important to the oversight of the Company’s enterprise and operational risk management.

Mr. Wilson has served as a director of the Company since 2023 and is the Chairman of the Company’s Audit Committee. He previously served as a director of CBTX, Inc. and served as Chairman of its Audit Committee beginning in 2017. He also served as a director of CommunityBank of Texas, N.A beginning in 2007 and became Chairman of the Bank’s Audit Committee in 2008. Since 1979, Mr. Wilson has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Bar C Ranch Company, retiring in 2019 as President and assuming the role of Chairman of the Board. The Bar C. Ranch Company is a real estate development company developing and investing in industrial, commercial and office properties in Texas. He has served as Manager and General Partner of Wilson Realty, Ltd., an owner of industrial buildings in Beaumont, Texas, since 1977. As Trustee of the Caldwell McFaddin Mineral Trust and the Rosine Blount McFaddin Mineral Trust, Mr. Wilson has managed large oil and gas mineral holdings across the State of Texas, creating operating leases and purchasing minerals on behalf of the trusts. Mr. Wilson founded Wilson Realty, Ltd. and Wilson & Company, a brokerage and management company. He is a retired Real Estate Broker in the State of Texas and has served as a director and President of the Beaumont Board of Realtors and a director of Texas Association of Realtors. Mr. Wilson has also served on numerous civic and charitable boards in the southeast Texas region. He joined the board of directors of First Security National Bank of Beaumont in 1979 and joined its audit committee in 1981, serving First Security National Bank of Beaumont and its holding company until the bank was acquired by First City Bancorporation of Texas. Mr. Wilson received his B.B.A. in Accounting from The University of Texas at Austin in 1976 and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant. Mr. Wilson’s service as a bank director at other institutions, coupled with his investment, accounting and financial skills adds administration and operational management experiences, as well as corporate governance expertise to the board of directors. In addition, as a Certified Public Accountant, Mr. Wilson brings extensive accounting, management, strategic planning and financial skills important to the oversight of the Company’s financial reporting, enterprise and operational risk management.