Colony Bank announced on May 20, 2019, that Terry L. Hester (age 64), Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of Colony Bankcorp, Inc. ("Colony" or the "Company"), had informed the Company that he intends to retire on December 31, 2019.

Commenting on the announcement, Heath Fountain, President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "We are grateful for Terry's 42 years of service to Colony. Terry played a significant development role in executing our strategic plan, and we look forward to his continued involvement as a member of the Board of Directors. His vision and leadership in overseeing our financial and regulatory matters were instrumental to the growth of our company. He has a tremendous amount of pride in being part of the management team for one of the few publicly traded companies in Fitzgerald. We all wish him well on his retirement."

Further commenting on the announcement, Mark H. Massee, Chairman of the Board of Directors, said, "I have known Terry since we played Little League baseball together. We later played together on baseball and basketball teams at Fitzgerald High, so I knew he was smart and a hard worker. I was pleased when my father, an organizer of the original bank, told me 42 years ago that Terry was being hired to play a key role with The Bank of Fitzgerald (now Colony Bank). On behalf of the Board of Directors and everyone at Colony, I would like to thank Terry for the significant contributions he made to the Company. Terry has played a pivotal role in our growth and success, positioning us amongst the strongest and highest performing community banks. He joined Colony when it was a company with $1.5 million in capital and worked tirelessly helping us achieve $1.5 billion in assets. We wish Terry nothing but the best in his retirement, and I look forward to his continued contributions on our Board."

Terry is a native of Fitzgerald, graduated from Fitzgerald High School and received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Valdosta State College in 1976. His banking career began in 1977 at The Bank of Fitzgerald where he likes to say "…I did whatever was necessary from emptying trash cans to running errands." He worked as a cashier, branch manager, loan officer and learned banking "…from the bottom up." Terry went on to graduate from the Georgia Bankers Association Bank Operations School in 1980. He has served as Treasurer of the Company since 1982. In 1984, Terry was named Young Banker of the Year. In 1990, Terry was appointed to the Georgia Bankers Association Bank Operations Committee and the Board of Directors of Colony Bankcorp, Inc. Terry served as Acting President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company from 1993 to 1994, was named Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in 1994, and Secretary of the Company in 2003. He further has served as a member of Colony Bank's Community Boards in Wilcox and Quitman offices since 2008.

Terry has been equally as busy in his community involvement as he has been in his professional responsibilities. He has served as Director of the Year from 1994-1995 for the Fitzgerald Country Club and as Past President of Division 3 of the Young Bankers Section of the Community Bankers Association of Georgia. He has been a volunteer coach in the Fitzgerald-Ben Hill County Department of Leisure Services Youth Recreational Programs for many years and has supported youth sports, including baseball, basketball and soccer. He has coached the 15-16 year old Fitzgerald Pioneers baseball teams and has been the Manager for the American Legion Post 99 baseball team. He has been the "Voice of the Canes" and recently celebrated his 21st year providing play-by-play action of Fitzgerald High baseball games for 96.9 WRDO radio.

Terry has been married to Kathy for 43 years, and they have three sons, Jason, Jeffrey and Jonathan, and one 'awesome' grandson, Eli. He and Kathy are active members of Arbor Baptist Church, where Terry is a Deacon and teaches the Men's Fellowship Sunday School class.

Commenting on his retirement, Terry said, "It has been a privilege to work with everyone at Colony and serve this community. I am proud to have helped build Colony Bank to what it is today. I will miss everyone at Colony and look forward to continuing my work with the Board to ensure the Company's continued success, while also enjoying fishing, gardening and spending much time with family and friends. To my friends at Colony, thank you for an incredibly enjoyable professional experience."