Jeff Jackson, the former market president for First Tennessee Bank in Chattanooga who has served as regional president for Capital Bank and First Horizon in Florida for the past two years, has been named to head operations across 12 states for First Horizon following its merger last month with IberiaBank in Louisiana.
Jackson was named Monday to the newly created position of chief operating officer for regional banking to help oversee operations and implement strategies for First Horizon Bank across its Southeastern footprint.
Jackson, a Red Bank native who joined the former First Tennessee Bank (renamed First Horizon last year) 11 years ago after working at IBM Corp., helped maintain First Horizon as the biggest bank in Chattanooga while heading operations in his hometown.
In the past couple of years, he has helped turn First Horizon into a top 15 bank following First Horizon's purchase of the former Capital Bank in Florida in 2018. Jackson was recognized for the bank's active philanthropic dedication by receiving the key to the City of Miami- Dade County from Mayor Carlos Gimenez and was recently honored with Florida's Boy Scouts Distinguished Citizen Award.
"Jeff brings a unique perspective to his new role," says Michael Brown, president of Regional Banking for First Horizon. "He was a legacy market president in Chattanooga as well as led a new growth market president in Florida. In both of those positions, Jeff was able to leverage our success by paying close attention to business and client relationships that in some instances span over several generations."
Jackson holds a degree in finance from Auburn University and a certificate in corporate strategy, banking, corporate finance and securities law from Columbia University. He and his wife Ronna-Renee are parents to a son who is a student at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and a daughter who will be attending Hutchison School in Memphis.
"I love challenges," said Jackson. "I look forward to new opportunities presented by the recent merger with IberiaBank. Both banks share similar philosophies of quality service and dedication to our clients and the leadership team mirrors those attributes."
With the completion of its merger with Louisiana's biggest bank in July, First Horizon has grown to $79 billion in assets and is one of the biggest banks in the Southeast with 460 offices.