Mrs. Jackie Tillman of WB&T Bankshares, Inc. in Valdosta, Ga., has graduated from the 2015 Southern Operations & Technology School.  The two-year school is produced and managed by the Georgia Bankers Association in cooperation with the Florida,  Louisiana, South Carolina and Tennessee Bankers Associations, and is held at the Georgia Center’s UGA Hotel and Conference Center in Athens, Ga.

The school’s curriculum is designed to reflect the most up-to-date issues in technology.  Focusing on policy, strategy, regulation, equipment and training, the curriculum is taught by a faculty of experienced bankers and other well-qualified industry experts.

Graduates attended two extended resident sessions at the University of Georgia, during which time they learned through lectures, discussions and case studies.  The students were also required to complete a home study project between resident sessions.

"Operations and technology are central to the business of banking, so bankers need broad-based understanding and in-depth knowledge in these areas," said School Director Sandy Robinson, senior vice president and director of internal audit of Ameris Bancorp Inc. in Moultrie, Ga. "Technology in banking is rapidly changing, and the Southern Operations & Technology School curriculum lays the groundwork for meeting these challenges."

11 bank operations and technology professionals graduated from this year’s school, including Tillman.

Born and raised in Valdosta, Tillman is a graduate of Lowndes High School. She began her banking career in 2002 with Commercial Banking Company and joined the WB&T Bankshares, Inc. team in 2004 as a teller for Guardian Bank. She began working in operations in 2006 and has since been internally recognized numerous times for her community involvement. Tillman and her husband, Tim, have three children: TJ, Ansley, and Jackson.