The Operating Board of Directors is pleased to announce that our 2026 Mr. East Texas is Johnny Brooks.
Harry J. “Johnny” Brooks currently serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Citizens State Bank, a position he has held since September 2021 following the acquisition of Security Bankshares, the parent company of Citizens. With more than 43 years of experience in the banking industry, Brooks has spent his career serving the greater Houston metropolitan area.
Throughout his career, Brooks has led multiple financial institutions, including Commercial Bancshares, Inc., the Kingwood Region of First Financial Bank, Sterling Bank, and Partners Bank of Texas.
Brooks has long been active in civic and community service. He has served on the boards of organizations such as the March of Dimes and the Greenspoint Chamber of Commerce. He has also served as an outside director of SpawGlass. Most recently, he was elected to serve as a director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.
Brooks has made both an economic and civic impact on the people of Tyler County. Upon acquisition of our local bank, he elected to keep the headquarters here in Woodville instead of moving management to a larger city, an economic boon for the Tyler County community. He has also seen fit to donate generously to our local schools and to community events, such as the Tyler County Fair. He certainly cares about our community and shows this care with his donations. Simply put, Tyler County is lucky to have Johnny Brooks.
He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Houston. He also earned a degree from the National Commercial Lending Graduate School at the University of Oklahoma. In addition, Brooks has a professional certification in RMA Credit Risk Certification for commercial lending.
He and his lovely wife, Cindy, have been married for 43 years and currently reside in Kingwood. They have one son, Will, and daughter-in-law, Mary Kate, who live in The Woodlands. Brooks is especially proud to work alongside his son each day, as Will has followed in his father’s footsteps in building a successful career in banking. Of all his accomplishments, Brooks is the most boastful about his grandchildren, Graham and Addison.
