Employee News

Kristi Connell, Personal Banker | SouthStar Bank Harker Heights The SouthStar Bank Harker Heights branch recently added, Personal Banker, Kristi Connell to their team. Fairly new to the banking industry, Kristi is excited to bring her positivity and drive to the job. She strives every day to be better in all things she does. An interesting fact about Kristi is that she put out her own album in 2018 titled “Through it All.” Welcome to the SouthStar Bank Family Kristi!

The SouthStar Bank family recently grew with the addition of the new Kerrville location. The acquisition brings ten new members to the team. Kyla Gesell will lead the Kerrville Operations team as Assistant Vice President & Branch Manager. In her new role, she is excited to create a relaxed and fun work environment that people enjoy coming to every day while keeping strong customer service skills as a top priority. In her personal life, Kyla considers her most significant achievement to be the life she is building with her husband and soon-to-be son. Meghan Jackson is a Personal Banker on the Kerrville team. Meghan started her career in banking in 2009 and was promoted from teller to Personal Banker. She considers her friendliness, attention to detail, creativity, and quirkiness to be some of her greatest assets. Outside of work, Meghan loves to spend time with her two teenage sons. Personal Banker, Sche Kehner, began as a teller and has now been in the banking industry for 10 years. Sche enjoys using her fantastic communication skills to build relationships with customers. Away from the bank, some of Sche’s favorite hobbies include wade fishing and hanging out with her husband and fur babies. Claudia Gonzales has been with the bank for the last four years and is transitioning to the role of Personal Banker. She enjoys learning about the banking industry and assisting her customers. Claudia strives to continue learning more about the banking industry as a whole. In her free time, Claudia enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and animals. She also enjoys makeup applications and loves to try out new techniques. Rounding out the operations team is Personal Banker Brittany Selement. She began her career in the banking industry two years ago when she joined the Kerrville team. Brittany loves applying the knowledge she has gained from her time with the bank and is always eager to learn more about the industry. A mountain girl at heart, Brittany loves to travel to Colorado. Exploring the mountains and hiking are some of her favorite activities. Sherri Steadham is a part of the Kerrville lending team as a Loan Assistant. Sherri joined the team and the banking industry under two years ago. Her strong customer service skills have made her a valuable asset to the team. Sherri has lived in Kerrville for nearly 40 years and enjoys spending her free time with family and crafting. Shelby Mossman began her banking career as a teller quickly worked her way up to Personal Banker and later to her current position of Loan Assistant. In her role, Shelby strives to always apply her outstanding work ethic in each customer interaction. Shelby likes to spend her leisure time in the great outdoors, camping and hiking with her pup Buddy.  The Kerrville Lending team is growing with the addition of Donny Lehmann. He joins the team as a Vice President of Lending. Donny has been in the industry for almost 20 years and specializes in Secondary […]

Trent Sconiers, Portfolio Manager | SouthStar Bank Southwest Austin Trent Sconiers joins the SouthStar Bank Southwest Austin branch as a Portfolio Manager. He holds three years of banking operations experience and is currently beginning his new role in the lending department. He started his career as a teller and worked his way up the ranks as a personal banker, operations manager, and Compliance Officer. Trent is excited to connect with prospective customers and learn the lending process from top to bottom. As a graduate of Texas A&M, Trent is a college football enthusiast and enjoys cheering on the Aggies on Saturdays in the fall. He also enjoys hunting, golfing, Texas barbecue, and the occasional craft beer. Welcome to the team Trent! NMLS# 1508585

Kandice Bethke, Vice President of Lending | SouthStar Bank Southwest Austin Kandice Bethke is a Vice President of Lending in the Fredericksburg area. Working in the industry for the last 15 years, Kandice started her career in a teller position and was quickly promoted up the ranks to customer service representative, Lending Assistant, trainer, loan officer, Market Manager, and now Vice President of Lending. Kandice has worked with multiple types of loans in her past roles, including portfolio, mortgage, and commercial.   In her community, Kandice has been on the board of her local Habitat of Humanity chapter for the last two years and recently became the President in 2020. “It is amazing to see so many people come together to help a family in need,” says Kandice. When not at work, Kandice enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband and their three children. Some of their favorite activities include fishing and kayaking. Welcome Kandice!

Liz Radvansky, Personal Banker | SouthStar Bank Bee Cave The SouthStar Bank Bee Cave location has added Liz Radvansky to the team. Liz is joining the team as a Personal Banker and brings over nine years of industry experience. She is eager to bring her expertise and positive attitude to her role. Away from the bank, Liz loves to spend her time outside. Some of her favorite outdoor activities include golfing, hiking, swimming, and bird watching. Welcome Liz!

Tanya McGregor, Personal Banker | SouthStar Bank Leander The SouthStar Bank Leander team is growing with the addition of Personal Banker, Tanya McGregor. She joins the team with over 47 years of experience in the banking industry and a love of community banking. Tanya is most excited to share her vast amount of community banking knowledge with the people around her. Outside of work, Tanya enjoys shopping, reading, playing piano, and spending time with her two adult sons. Welcome Tanya!

Brittany Edwards, Loan Operations Processor | SouthStar Bank Calvert Welcome Brittany Edwards! Brittany joins the SouthStar Bank team as a Loan Operations Processor in our SouthStar Bank Calvert location. She is excited to play a role in making people’s homeownership dreams a reality. Brittany enjoys spending her free time with her family and having “girls day” with her daughter.

Rodney Morales, Vice President of Lending | SouthStar Bank Georgetown Welcome Rodney Morales! Rodney Morales joins the SouthStar Bank Georgetown Branch as Vice President of Lending. Bringing over 25 years of industry experience, Rodney is a valuable addition to the SouthStar Bank team. A graduate of Texas State University and the LSU Graduate School of Banking, Rodney specializes in commercial real estate lending. He strives to help all of his customers achieve their business goals, from securing funding for additional equipment purchases to a loan for a new location. Rodney is dedicated to the Georgetown community. Currently, he serves on the board for the Georgetown Health Foundation and CASA of Williamson County. He is also a member of the Rotary Club of Georgetown. In his free time, Rodney enjoys exploring the outdoors with his wife, Andrea. Some of their favorite activities are walking and cycling. NMLS# 480544

Madison Jalufka, Loan Intern | SouthStar Bank Shiner Madison Jalufka joins the Shiner Branch as a Summer Loan Intern. Madison is a Senior at Texas A&M University, where she is studying Ag Economics. During her internship, Madison is most excited to bring her positive attitude to the team and learn an abundant amount of new information. Madison enjoys staying active in her spare time, spending time with family and friends, and watching football. A secret skill of hers is that she can make great chicken parmesan. Welcome Madison!

Joey Patek, Vice President of Lending | SouthStar Bank Shiner Joseph “Joey” Patek is the Vice President of Lending at the SouthStar Bank Shiner branch. He comes to SouthStar Bank with 20 years of experience as a Superintendent of Schools. During his career in education, Joey created and implemented budgets and secured funding for multiple construction projects. In his new role, he is excited to help his customers achieve their goals and dreams. Outside of the bank, Joey likes to spend time with his family, fishing in Rockport, and listening to music. He is also planning on getting involved with the local Rotary Club. NMLS# 2157148