Hancock Whitney Expands Pine Belt Banking Team

Local commercial and private wealth bankers bring added insights, expertise to help clients succeed

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (April 12, 2021)—Six of South Mississippi’s best bankers—Ryan Hinton, Shawn M. Harris, Paul C. Harris, Lee Gill, CFTA, Ginny Brister, and Leslie Mauldin recently joined the Pine Belt banking team at Hancock Whitney, one of America’s strongest, safest financial institutions and the largest bank headquartered in the state.

“We are very pleased to welcome six of the Pine Belt’s most client-oriented and community-minded bankers to our Hancock Whitney team,” said Hancock Whitney Pine Belt Market President Michael Schloegel. “We believe their strong business, civic, and service leadership and their expertise in helping commercial and wealth banking clients make the most of their assets will further strengthen the comprehensive banking choices we bring to the people and businesses driving the Pine Belt’s economic vitality.”

Hinton is a senior vice president and middle market banker; Shawn Harris, a vice president and commercial banker. Paul Harris is a senior vice president and private banker, while Gill is a vice president and trust advisor. Brister and Mauldin serve as a trust administrator and private banking administrator, respectively. All six bankers will serve clients across the 122-year-old Hancock Whitney’s greater Pine Belt footprint.

About the bankers

Ryan Hinton started his banking career with AmSouth Bank and has more than 15 years of experience in the financial services industry, including branch management, commercial credit, commercial banking, and equipment finance. Before joining Hancock Whitney, he served with Regions Bank for 14 years, most recently as the banker responsible for overseeing the bank’s equipment finance division in Mississippi.

Hinton received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in risk management from The University of Mississippi and graduated from the Mississippi School of Banking at The University of Mississippi. He also earned his Certified Lease and Finance Professional (CLFP) designation in 2020.

Active with the Area Development Partnership (ADP), Ryan is a past board chair of the Southeast Mississippi Community Investment Corporation (SEMCIC), a non-profit corporation under the ADP dedicated to job creation, business creation and expansion, and support of small business capital in the Pine Belt region. The Leadership Pinebelt (LPB) alumnus is a former member of Pine Belt Young Professionals

Currently active with United Way of Southeast Mississippi, he serves on United Way’s Community Impact Committee. He attends Heritage United Methodist Church.

Shawn Harris, a Picayune, Mississippi, native and Midtown Hattiesburg resident, was previously a commercial banker at Regions Bank. He began his financial services career 15 years ago with Trustmark Bank’s Management Development Associate (MDA) program and served in a variety of roles, including corporate communications, branch management, private banking, and commercial banking. An alumnus of Mississippi College (MC), he holds both a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree in marketing and a Master of Business Administration degree from MC. He is also a graduate of the Mississippi School of Banking at The University of Mississippi.

A past United Way of Southeast Mississippi board chair, Harris served on the United Way executive and strategic planning committees for seven years and was chair of the audit, resource development, and community impact committees. He is also past president of the Downtown Hattiesburg Association’s board of directors and is currently serving as treasurer. Active with the Area Development Partnership, Harris is a member and former board member of Pine Belt Young Professionals and received that organization’s Outstanding Alumni Award. He is also past president of the Mississippi College Alumni Association Advisory Board and is still an active executive board member.

The Leadership Pinebelt (LPB) graduate earned the LPB Susan Walker Community Leadership Award and served on the LPB steering committee for five years, helping coordinate the program for subsequent classes. In 2019 he received the Bud Kirkpatrick Professional Award and earned recognition as Signature Magazine Best of the Pine Belt Best Volunteer. He was also one of the Hattiesburg American’s inaugural “Top 20 under 40” winners.

 Harris is in his second year of service on the City of Hattiesburg’s Board of Adjustments and currently chairs the council. Additionally, he is on the Pine Burr Area Council Scouts BSA executive board and the Piney Woods Conservation Group leadership committee. Harris has also coached with the Hattiesburg Youth Soccer Association (HYSA) for six years. He and his family are members of Hardy Street Baptist Church, where Harris is active in the choir and on the finance committee.

Paul Harris, formerly a private banker and wealth advisor at Regions Bank for two decades, has more than 28 years of experience in the financial services sector. He was previously an independent financial advisor associated with American Express Financial Advisors.

The Franklinton, Louisiana, native has lived in Hattiesburg since 1988. He earned Bachelor of Arts in business and Bachelor of Science degrees in banking and finance from the University of Southern Mississippi. He also holds a Series 7 general securities license and is a Registered Investment Advisor. Harris is a member and past president of the Rotary Club of Hattiesburg—Sunrise Chapter.

Lee Gill is a lifelong resident of South Mississippi who graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi. He has lived and worked in Hattiesburg for a total of 26 years. Gill began his banking career with the former AmSouth Bank, which merged with Regions Bank in 2006, and was most recently a vice president and trust advisor with the bank. Gill has significant banking experience in the consumer, commercial, and trust/wealth management arenas of financial services and holds the prestigious Certified Trust and Financial Advisor (CFTA) designation.

 A longtime servant leader in the Pine Belt, his community involvement includes volunteering with youth organizations, remaining active in local civic and business clubs, and participating in ministries and mission activity at Temple Baptist Church.

Ginny Shaw Brister began her banking career in 2016 as a trust assistant for Regions Bank. Previously, she served as a paralegal for more than 10 years in various fields of law. Originally from Pass Christian, Mississippi, she earned a bachelor’s degree in paralegal studies, with a minor in history, from the University of Southern Mississippi. Brister now resides in Sumrall.

Leslie Mauldin joined Hancock Whitney after almost three years as a private wealth assistant at Regions Bank. She has nearly 14 years of financial services experience. Previously she served with a law firm for five years, closing real estate transactions and working in other areas of law. The Hattiesburg native attended Jones Junior College and is a member of Temple Baptist Church.

About Hancock Whitney

Since the late 1800s, Hancock Whitney has embodied core values of Honor & Integrity, Strength & Stability, Commitment to Service, Teamwork, and Personal Responsibility. Hancock Whitney offices and financial centers in Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas offer comprehensive financial products and services, including traditional and online banking; commercial and small business banking; private banking; trust and investment services; healthcare banking; certain insurance services; and mortgage services. The company also operates a loan production office in Nashville, Tennessee. BauerFinancial, Inc., the nation’s leading independent bank rating and analysis firm, consistently recommends Hancock Whitney as one of America’s most financially sound banks. More information is available at hancockwhitney.com.

Hancock Whitney Media Contact

Paul Maxwell, Senior Communications Officer

paul.mawell@hancockwhitney.com

228-867-8690