JANUARY 2021
Jill Sharp Vaughan currently serves as the Smith-Hutson Endowed Chair of Banking for Sam Houston State University, where she is responsible for overseeing the college’s accredited Bachelor of Business Administration and Executive MBA degrees programs in Banking and Financial Institutions.
Prior to this role, Vaughan served as Executive Vice President and Southwest Regional Credit Executive for Zions Bancorporation where she was responsible for Credit Risk Management and Special Assets and Management of $18B in regional loans. In December of 2021, Vaughan retired from banking after 38 years to assume her current role at SHSU.
Upon receiving her BBA in Finance at SHSU, Vaughan began her banking career in 1983 at InterFirst Bank and later served as President of ProBank in The Woodlands. When the bank sold to BBVA in 1996, Vaughan joined Klein Bank and Trust as a Relationship Manager with oversight of the Montgomery County Commercial lending market. In 2004 the bank merged with Amegy Bank of Texas where Vaughan served as Executive Vice President and Group Executive Director for Regional Commercial Lending prior to accepting her credit risk management role in 2016.
Vaughan has been actively involved in various civic causes and community activities. She served on the Smith-Hutson Sam Houston Banking Board and a Chair of the Advisory Board of the College of Business for SHSU prior to her University role. She previously served as President of The Montgomery County Community Foundation, Treasurer and Board Member of the North Houston Association, Chair of Conroe-Lake Conroe Chamber of Commerce, Chair of Montgomery County United Way, and Board Vice Chair of Lone Star College Foundation.
Vaughan was a charter member and second President of the Rotary Club of Lake Conroe and is a Paul Harris Fellow. Vaughan was and elected Trustee of the Montgomery Independent School District where she served 14 years. She also served as Trustee of the Region 6 Education Service Center.
Vaughan was honored as an inaugural member of the SHSU College of Business Hall of Honor in 2006. In 2017, Vaughan was named as an Outstanding Woman in Banking and Finance and received the 2016 North Houston Association Compass Award. In 2018 she was inducted into the Texas Banking Hall of Fame and was recognized as a Trailblazer for the Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce. In 2020, Vaughan was a member of the Zions Bancorporation Team that was recognized as a Top 5 Women’s Team in Banking. In October 2022, Vaughan was recognized as a Distinguished Alumni for SHSU.
Vaughan is a native Texas born in Madisonville and is proud to be a third generation Texas banker. Her father, R Datus Sharp, grandfather Datus Sharp, and grandmother Vera Sharp were active in the independent Texas Banking industry in Madisonville throughout their careers. She and her husband David are longtime residents of Montgomery and have a son Luke who is a 4th generation banker with Community Bank in Houston.
