Alumni Spotlight - Ron Mills

A&M-Texarkana alumnus Ron Mills grew up in New Boston, working with his dad in real estate as a teen. The foundational ties of the business to financing, funding, and building client relationships led Ron to pursue his current career of nearly 40 years. “There’s a tie to banking in real estate. I knew after high school that I wanted to go into banking.”  

Ron obtained his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from East Texas State University (now East Texas A&M University) in 1983. “After I graduated, I moved back to New Boston with plans to move to Dallas. I went to the President of First National Bank in New Boston to ask if he’d offer a reference. Long story short, he hired me.”  

At First National Bank of New Boston, Ron had the opportunity to work in all different areas of the business. “I had excellent hands-on training in New Boston. I made a lot of great commercial relationships that I still have to this day. I guess I’m a relationship-based person. I love building long-lasting relationships.”  

Ron applied for a commercial lending position at Oaklawn Bank in Texarkana, eventually becoming Assistant to the President. “I enjoyed the challenge. My primary job was taking care of and bringing in foreclosed properties and refurbishing them for resell as homes or commercial properties.”  

In early 1990, the bank became responsible for a very large estate. “My boss, Robert McDowell, also an A&M-Texarkana alumnus, asked if I was interested in moving to the trust department. I considered it and decided to go for it, working on this very large estate. It was kind of like trial by fire, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and from there, I pursued my master’s at A&M-Texarkana.”  

While working on his MBA at A&M-Texarkana, Ron was also subsequently attending trust school through Northwestern University in Chicago, followed by trust schools in Texas. “At that time, I had the mindset to further my education, and it really clicked and made sense. I enjoyed every minute of it. The University was one building. It was a great group of people, and we all got to know each other. I’m still friends with a lot of them to this day. Sometimes you think a non-traditional student doesn’t always have as strong of an experience as a traditional student, but that’s not the case. It’s an outlet for non-traditional students. We welcomed the class time. It gave us a break from life. We not only had the camaraderie but were also improving ourselves.”  

Ron also eventually had the opportunity to become an adjunct business professor at A&M-Texarkana, teaching money and banking in the evenings. “I loved the camaraderie with the class. A lot of people I taught still come up to me when they see me today, saying how much fun they had in that one class. I made it fun. I was able to bring in a lot of real-life experiences that I really think helped them understand the subject matter better. Several former students have entered the banking or finance business. Some have remained here in town, and some have moved to Dallas or Little Rock. When they come to town, they still want to get together. I didn’t realize what kind of impact it had.”  

Ron has had a unique experience that very few share, celebrating 39 years with the bank, despite the mergers through the years. “We’re on our fifth bank and I haven’t even moved desks or moved cities.” When Ron took the position at Oaklawn, it eventually merged with First United Bancshares of El Dorado. “I got the opportunity to grow from a smaller bank to a slightly larger bank. In 2000, we merged with BancorpSouth, so we were able to incrementally become an even larger bank. So, I’ve gone through all these mergers, but never left my “seat,” which is kind of neat.” Fast forward to 2022, when BancorpSouth merged with current Cadence Bank. “I’ve gradually taken higher roles with each bank. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it, stepping up. We have a very good representation in our department. I’m very proud of how we’ve gotten that established. We know we’re helping. We want to take care of our clients while they live their lives.”   

Ron is currently the Managing Director of Wealth with Cadence Bank. “I have people I manage in Houston, Shreveport, Hattiesburg, Austin, and on any given day, I’ll be talking with and assisting people in nine different states.” 

Even though Ron has stayed with the same bank for so many years, just like other companies, it’s changed so much over the years. “When I started, we had five people here in the department and now 39 years later, we have six. Yet, the amount of business we handle has quadrupled since then, due to the software platforms we use that make us even more efficient.”  

Ron is also actively engaged in the Texarkana community, serving on various non-profit and charitable foundation boards, including serving on the A&M-Texarkana Alumni Association Board for many years. “I don’t want to be half-way on a board; I want to be all in. I feel like if we’re living in a community, we need to give back. It’s our responsibility to make it a better place to live. I love the continued engagement. I’m on the board of several charitable foundations and it’s much easier to match the needs of organizations with foundations when you’re involved with them and know them.”  

Ron is married to Deborah, a retired Career and Technical Education (CTE) teacher, and they have two sons, Clay and Wes. Clay is a Talent Manager in New York City, NY and Wes is a Physician’s Assistant in Psychology in Richmond, VI. As an A&M-Texarkana alum, actively engaged in the community, Ron is proud of the University’s current growth.  

“I’m proud to see it grow. All the different course, degree, and athletic offerings are all very important for its continued growth. I think the more exposure the University has and its growth in every area will resonate with people in the community and attract students for years to come.”