Promotions and Additions in the North Region
Andy Hughes, was recently promoted to the position of Columbus Market President for Citizens National Bank and will continue to serve as the Senior Relationship Banker for Citizens National Bank’s North Mississippi Region.
With 35 years of banking experience, Hughes joined Citizens National in March of 2014. From 2009 to early 2014, he served as a Community Bank President of Renasant Bank (formally M&F Bank) and also served as President of BankPlus' Private Client Group in Jackson from 2004 to 2009.
Hughes is a graduate of Mississippi State University with a Bachelor's degree in Banking and Finance with a minor in Real Estate, and he is also a graduate of the Louisiana School of Banking.
Jeffrey Smith, President of Citizens National Bank’s North Mississippi Region, recently commented: “We are extremely fortunate to have an experienced banker such as Andy on our team, who has such a strong loan, sales and management background. He is also a perfect fit for the position of Market President, having lived and worked in the Golden Triangle most of his life.”
Hughes and his wife, Tricia, attend First United Methodist Church in Columbus, and he also enjoys participating as a member of the Rotary Club in Columbus.
Ben Upton also recently joined the Bank as a Relationship Banker. Upton’s banking experience includes four years of service as a Personal Banker at Wells Fargo in Hattiesburg and five years of experience with Cadence Bank. He began his tenure with Cadence as a Branch Manager in Columbus and later assumed the position of a Business Development Officer for the Bank in Starkville.
Jeffrey Smith recently commented that “Ben will definitely be an asset to our team since Columbus is
his hometown. He has numerous connections throughout the community, and he is extremely well acquainted with the businesses and citizens who live and work here.”
Active in the community, Upton’s background includes service as Vice President of the Columbus Exchange Club, as a member of the Kiwanis Club of Starkville, and as a Treasurer for the Columbus affiliate of Habitat for Humanity. He also served previously as a board member for Volunteer Starkville, and is a 2014 graduate of the Lowndes County Leaders Association in Columbus.
A 2008 graduate of Mississippi State University, Upton received his Bachelor’s degree in Business with an emphasis in Risk Management and Financial Planning and his Associate’s Degree from Northeast MS Community College in Booneville. He is also a 2004 graduate of New Hope High School in Columbus.
Upton and his wife, Hailey, are members of Fairview Baptist Church in Columbus, where they attend, along with their daughter, Abby.
Citizens National Bank is an independent, Mississippi-owned community bank with $1.3 billion in assets and manages an additional $920 million through its Wealth Management Division.
The Bank has been in continuous operation since 1888, and has 26 bank locations throughout the state of Mississippi in Columbus, Macon, Olive Branch, Southaven, Kosciusko, Philadelphia, Meridian, Quitman, Ridgeland, Madison, Flowood, Hattiesburg, Laurel, and Waynesboro.