First Security Bank promotes five in Jonesboro

First Security Bank in Jonesboro has made five promotions, including Dana Watkins to senior vice president and Seth Williams to vice president. Kathy Gardner, Alex Beasley and Will Edwards also received promotions to assistant vice president.

Dana Watkins has spent the past 36 years—seven with First Security— working in the banking sector. She has worked in retail banking and lending. In her current role, Watkins manages First Security’s sole real estate central loan processing department in Jonesboro to ensure loan documents are compliant with consumer regulations.

Seth Williams assists clients with estate and investment management, trustee services and financial planning. He holds a bachelor of science in finance, juris doctor and master of business administration and master of laws in taxation which led to a stint of practicing law prior to entering the banking sector.

Kathy Gardner has achieved 29 years of banking experience, nine with First Security. Gardner spends the majority of her time providing service to customers as a commercial loan processor and manages additional responsibilities in accounts payable and human resources.

Alex Beasley began his career with First Security Bank in 2013. Beasley has 12 years of banking experience and currently serves as a loan officer at the main banking center. He is a graduate of Arkansas Tech University with a bachelor of science in business administration and is currently pursuing a master of business administration from the University of Central Arkansas.

Will Edwards graduated from Arkansas State University with a bachelor of science in finance. In 2018, Edwards joined First Security Bank as a management trainee and was named loan officer later that year.