BancorpSouth announces five promotions in the Fort Smith area

Rebecca Gomez, Patricia Mays, Judy Phillips, Joyce Sears and Karen Wuthrich have received promotions at BancorpSouth in Fort Smith.

Gomez has been promoted to branch officer. She began her career at BancorpSouth in 1998 and served as teller and customer service representative at the East Branch, prior to transferring to the North Branch as a customer service representative. She was named branch supervisor in 2012 and branch manager in 2014. Gomez is a 1987 graduate of Alma High School and is bilingual in Spanish.

Mays has been promoted to assistant vice president. Mays has more than 30 years of banking experience, with 23 of those at BancorpSouth. She rejoined BancorpSouth in 2006 as a customer service representative. In 2008 she was named Van Buren branch manager, and in 2009 promoted to branch officer. Mays is a Fort Smith native and a graduate of Northside High School. She attended Westark Community College and has completed a number of American Institute of Banking courses.

Phillips has been promoted to loan officer, and has 44 years of banking experience. She first joined BancorpSouth in 1971 in the customer service area before relocating out of state. In 1975, she rejoined the bank as a proof operator, later becoming supervisor of the proof and transit department. She also later served as a customer service representative. In 2001, Phillips moved to the South Branch as administrative loan assistant. In 2013, she was promoted to loan representative. Phillips has completed the BancorpSouth Lenders Orientation program and has participated in American Institute of Banking courses throughout her career.

Sears has been promoted to branch officer, and has 42 years of banking experience, with 21 of those at BancorpSouth. During her career she has served as teller, vault teller, customer service representative, consumer and commercial loan assistant and mortgage loan originator. Sears transferred to the Fayetteville Branch in 2008 where she was named branch supervisor for the Fayetteville and Rogers branches in 2012 and branch manager of both branches in 2014. She attended Gentry High School, Arkansas Tech University, East Central University, and Westark Community College.

Wuthrich has been promoted to first vice president in commercial lending. She has 40 years of experience, with more than nine years at BancorpSouth. She holds an associate’s degree from Westark Community College and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Arkansas State University. Wuthrich is a graduate of the 2013 Leadership Fort Smith class, chairman of the Fort Smith Housing Assistance Board, treasurer of Girls, Inc. of Fort Smith, sustaining member of Junior League of Fort Smith, a member of Leadership Fort Smith Alumni Association, and is a PEO Chapter F. member.

BancorpSouth Inc. is a financial holding company based in Tupelo, Miss., with approximately $13.6 billion in assets. The company operates 287 commercial banking, mortgage, and insurance locations in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas, including an insurance location in Illinois.