First Financial Bank recently announced the promotions of five employees: David Bailey to executive vice president, commercial banking; Marshall Morris to executive vice president, senior lender; Evan Harris to executive vice president, real estate lending; Collin Heidenheimer to assistant vice president and commercial loan officer; and Tori Waters to assistant vice president, commercial lending.
Bailey, who has been with First Financial for 18 years, is a graduate of the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking and a member of the McMurry University board of trustees.
Morris, who has been with First Financial for 18 years, is a graduate of the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking, and recently served as chairman of the board for the Abilene Chamber of Commerce.
Harris, who joined First Financial in 2006, is a graduate of Texas Tech University, and received a 20 Under 40 award in 2010.
Heidenheimer, who started working in the banking industry while in college, received an undergraduate degree in finance from Texas Tech University in 2017, and a master’s degree in accounting in 2019.
Waters, who joined First Financial as a credit analyst in May, is a 2018 graduate of Hardin-Simmons University.
Health district names new medical director
The Abilene Taylor County Public Health District recently announced that Dr. Gary Goodnight has been appointed its medical director for Taylor County for a two-year term, effective Oct. 30. Goodnight is replacing Dr. Annie Drachenberg, whose contract expired on Oct. 29.
In his new role, Goodnight will oversee the health district’s nurse practitioners and physician assistants and aid in the reporting of infectious diseases to state authorities, among other duties.
Goodnight, who has been in private practice in Abilene since 1990, holds a degree in osteopathic medicine from Oklahoma State University and a bachelor of pharmacy degree from Southwestern Oklahoma State University. He is board certified in otolaryngology, and specializes primarily in otolaryngology (head and neck surgery).
Goodnight has previously served as chief of staff for Hendrick Medical Center, and been a member of Hendrick Medical Center Foundation’s board of directors. He was named one of Hendrick Medical Center’s Physicians of the Quarter in 2012.
Day Nursery of Abilene highlighted in state newsletter
An interview with Cynthia Pearson, president and CEO of Day Nursery of Abilene, is featured in the September issue of Texas Early Childhood Education Newsletter, a publication by nonprofit Children at Risk.
The interview is one of several with child care providers from around the state, focusing on how the pandemic has affected child care and on the impact of federal relief funding.
The newsletter can be read at childrenatrisk.org/txecenewsletter-sept21.
