Michelle S. Hickox has been elected executive vice president and chief financial officer of First Financial Bankshares Inc., the bank announced.

She replaces James R. Gordon, who resigned that position Jan. 9 to pursue other opportunities.

“We are delighted to welcome Michelle to the company’s executive management team and to Abilene,” said Scott Dueser, chairman, president and CEO.  “Michelle's vast banking, accounting and public company knowledge, experience, and expertise, especially in a larger bank, will be instrumental in helping us continue to grow.” Hickox most recently served as chief financial officer of Independent Financial Group Inc. (IBTX) and its subsidiary, Independent Bank, an $18 billion publicly-traded bank holding company based in McKinney. There, she led IBTX through its initial public offering in 2013 and played a key role in 10 acquisitions during her tenure.

Prior to joining IBTX, she was an audit partner at RSM US LLP in Dallas, serving financial institutions throughout Texas. She is a certified public accountant and a graduate of Texas A&M University, where she currently serves as a trustee of the 12th Man Foundation. Gordon has agreed to serve as a consultant to assist in the transition process. “On behalf of our board of directors, I thank James for his contributions and wish him much success in his future endeavors,” Dueser said.

Lancium project effort nets DCOA, city and county a national award

The Development Corporation of Abilene announced that its collaboration with the city of Abilene and Taylor County to land Lancium here has been honored by Business Facilities Magazine with a 2022 Deal of the Year Impact award.

Lancium is a Houston-based energy technology and infrastructure company. The firm broke ground for its flagship 1-gigawatt green energy campus northwest of Abilene in November.

The company projects $2.4 billion in investment and 57 full-time jobs over a 20-year period.

"Lancium’s development is a tremendous opportunity to ensure the viability of the community through the diversification of our economy," DCOA president and CEO Misty Mayo said. "This project exemplifies the mission of the DCOA to lead economic growth in Abilene by attracting industries and projects that support job creation, foster strong business, and ensure a prosperous community for years to come.”

The magazine's annual award recognized 18 development projects in several categories, including renewable energy and workforce development.

Convention and Visitors Bureau names convention sales manager

Courtney Eden has been hired by the Abilene Convention and Visitors Bureau as convention sales manager.

Most recently, Eden was events manager for ASM Global, which has taken over management of the Abilene Convention Center. She has more than 10 years of experience in sales and hospitality, having also worked for Hyatt Hotels.

She is a graduate of Abilene Christian University, with a bachelor's degree in business administration management. She is a member of Junior League of Abilene.

"Courtney's experience and industry knowledge add instant value to the ACVB, and we are delighted to have her on the team," said Robert Lopez, vice president of the ACVB. "With the development happening downtown and the soon-to-open conference hotel, we wanted to add to the strength of our sales team, and Courtney helps us do that."

The DoubleTree by Hilton is scheduled to open in June.

"I am thrilled to have the opportunity to leverage my extensive hotel and event planning experience by joining the accomplished sales team at the ACVB," Eden said. "With so much happening in Abilene, I am excited to showcase our wonderful city to convention planners and help drive tourism to the area."

Lights to go on in pedestrian tunnel this week

Two pedestrian tunnels that will better link the central downtown area with the emerging South of Downtown Abilene (SoDA) area will be lighted at a ceremony at 2 p.m. Thursday.

Lighting will illuminate the 3D storybook image of a dragon by artist Kurt Wenner. It is located behind the Abilene Cultural Affairs Council offices shared with the Abilene Convention and Visitors Bureau at the T&P Depot.

The tunnels are the property of Union Pacific Railroad. However, security cameras mounted in them will be monitored by the city of Abilene.

Funding for the project was by private donation and a cultural district grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts.

The Thursday event culminates a three-year project that included the city, Abilene Chamber of Commerce and SoDA district developer Tim Smith.

Former Abilenian leads prize-winning research team

A student engineering team at the University of St. Thomas led by former Abilenian Matthew Zelisko recently won the top prize in the NASA MUREP Innovation and Technology Transfer Idea Competition.

St. Thomas, which has an enrollment of just over 3,000 students, beat the likes of Boston College and Tufts for the top honor.

Held each semester, the competition challenges students to create a marketable idea or product using intellectual property or patents developed by NASA for its space missions.

St. Thomas' nine-student team entered "Piezo Pace," a plan to use NASA's piezoelectric generator to better sustain the life of a pacemaker battery. A typical pacemaker lasts about 10 years, requiring additional surgery on the person to replace it. The St. Thomas battery would use excess mechanical body energy to keep the battery running much longer.

Zelisko was the faculty leader on the project. He is a 2006 Abilene High graduate and 2010 graduate of Texas A&M, getting his doctorate from the University of Houston in 2016. He has taught at St. Thomas for the past two years.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Business notebook: First Financial names new CFO