Jesse (Jess) T. Correll is founder and chairman of the board for First Southern Bancorp, Inc. First Southern is based in Stanford, Kentucky and is the parent company of First Southern National Bank. Correll, 62, is an entrepreneur at heart and a creative, visionary leader. He has a passion for giving, which led to the establishment of The River Foundation, a private foundation that gives to Christ-centered organizations, both locally and throughout the world. Jess serves as President and Chairman of the Board for this Foundation.

Jess is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of UTG, an insurance company headquartered in Stanford, Kentucky. He is on the boards of Friends of the Good Samaritans, National Christian Foundation and the Centre College Board of Trustees. Jess is also a deacon at Grace Presbyterian Church.

Jess is a seventh generation Kentuckian and lives on a farm in Central Kentucky where he practices sustainable farming in partnership with his son. He is co-owner of the Bluebird, a farm-to-table restaurant in Stanford and along with his wife, has won several awards for historic preservation efforts in the historic town of Stanford.

A native of Somerset, Ky., Jess attended Asbury College. He is married to Angela Crouch Correll and they have three children and five grandchildren.