H. Lee Thacker Jr., has been named Senior Executive Vice President of Caldwell Trust Company. Thacker has been with the Trust Company since 1996, when he moved to Venice from Georgia, learned about Caldwell in a magazine and became a client. Soon after, Kelly Caldwell invited him to join the company as a trust officer.
Thacker has served in the banking and financial services industries since 1959. He began his banking career at a statewide South Carolina bank where he progressed to a regional position managing the staff, operations, and assets of seven offices. He was then recruited by a large Florida thrift institution where he undertook the task of starting its first banking division in order to position it as a retail bank under deregulation. He later returned to commercial banking in Georgia, where he assumed responsibility for corporate and real estate lending, central operations, and trust services at an Atlanta bank with assets exceeding one billion dollars. Discouraged by an environment of constant mergers and acquisitions, he left banking to start his own financial services firm. It prospered and he eventually sold his share to his partner so that he could pursue his interest in financial planning and investing. Based on their happy memories of Florida during the time when Lee worked at the thrift institution, he and his wife Suzanne--who also has an extensive banking background--decided to return to the sunshine state in 1996. As a result, they discovered Venice and Caldwell Trust Company, where Suzanne is the compliance coordinator.
Thacker adds his new responsibilities to his existing duties as a director, corporate secretary and trust officer of Caldwell Trust Company. He also serves as a director of its parent, Trust Companies of America, Inc. He holds a degree in Economics from Duke University, a certificate from the LSU School of Banking of the South, and a Certified Financial Planner Designation from the National Endowment for Financial Education.
Known for his far-reaching dedication to the community, he continues his decades-long commitment to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America and was a board volunteer in Columbia, SC, Orlando, FL, and Atlanta, GA. Since his arrival in Venice, Lee has chaired the Florida Area Council, was honored with the BGCA Medallion award and Council Pacesetter of the Year awards, served as board president, chaired key committees and received the 2013 "Maytag Dependable Leader" Award. He is currently a director of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Sarasota County where he, along with others, was instrumental in bringing the Robert and Joan Lee Boys & Girls Club to Venice. He also serves on the board for the Venice Theatre as treasurer and past president.
