June 15, 2016 (Jackson, Miss.) - The Belhaven University Board of Trustees elected Sam Lane, Senior Vice President of First Commercial Bank, as a new board member.
“Sam has provided strong, effective, goal-oriented leadership, and I join the rest of the Board of Trustees in welcoming him,” said Calvin Wells, Chairman of the Board and Business Partner at Phelps Dunbar LLP. “We look forward to working with him as he provides expertise and guidance that will continue to move Belhaven forward."
Born in Jackson, Lane has lived in the Capitol City his entire life. He graduated from Jackson Prep in 1972 and earned his Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Mississippi in 1976.
Lane has over 40 years of banking experience with Jackson area banks that includes Deposit Guaranty National Bank and First Commercial Bank. His work in middle-market commercial and corporate lending has given him a firm standing in business and banking throughout the state of Mississippi. He was part of the team that started First Commercial Bank 15 years ago, and prior to that, he served as senior vice president at Deposit Guaranty National Bank for 17 years.
Belhaven President Dr. Roger Parrott observed, “He is one of the treasures of the Jackson community. Sam has worked for years on behalf of all kinds of great causes. I'm thankful for his deep interest to Christ-centered higher education, and with him sharing our story, we know our reach and understanding of the great work of this University will be even further expanded.”
Currently, Lane is the vice chairman of the Wilson Research Foundation, the fundraising arm of the Methodist Rehabilitation Center. In addition, he sits on the Junior League of Jackson's Keystone Fund board and has served on the Mississippi Kidney Foundation Board of Trustees since 1979.
Past board member appointments include Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, Jackson Prep, St. Andrew's Cathedral Vestry Member and Stewardship Chairman, Metropolitan YMCA and Neighborhood Christian Center. He was also the Fundraising Chairman for the Guyton Science Center, a $2 million state-of-the-art science laboratory at Jackson Prep. He is a member of St. Andrew's Episcopal Cathedral. Lane is married with three children and three grandchildren.