A fourth-generation oilpatch kid, Christina Kitchens is senior vice president and manager of F&M Bank & Trust Co.'s new Texas energy lending group, launched in May. Her family's deep roots in the industry inspired her to work in the oil and gas sector, a goal she attained during a six-year tenure with Citibank. As a commercial business officer, she assisted in the energy portfolio's integration and growth after its acquisition of First American Bank in Texas. She then joined Dallas-based Sovereign Bank for three years before moving to F&M.

But Citi wasn't this self-professed oil and gas nerd's first outing in the Patch. Working full-time through college and graduate school, Kitchens wrote tool-and-supply catalogues and did hot-shot jobs, as well as amassing financial and management know-how at Xerox and AIG.

In one "don't try this at home" hot-shot moment, at 2 a.m. she picked up a load of two, eight-foot elevator bells and a block assembly in Louisiana that were destined for Colorado.

"The haul hadn't been represented correctly, so I didn't have heavy-enough chains for the bed or a trailer," she recalls. "The man who helped me load actually prayed for me before I left the yard, with the haul half teetering out from the truck." She stopped overnight to procure the necessary chains, but decided that was her last hot-shot job.

While at Citibank, Kitchens excelled in every leadership and management program in which she participated and was at the top of her class in its commercial credit and banking college. In mid-2009, she co-launched the Women's Energy Network of North Texas to share the professional development and networking opportunities she's found so valuable.

Kitchens was born in Odessa, Texas. She holds an undergraduate degree in performance management and an MBA from the University of North Texas. Her numerous industry affiliations include the Dallas Petroleum Club and the Society of Petroleum Engineers, among others.

In an interview, she described F&M's strategy and vision.

Investor: You believe in "fit."

Kitchens: I believe there's a best-fit client for a bank and vice versa, and clients should be sensitive to this. I am not only speaking about scale but also about the fit of business objectives and bank models, a strategic best fit. Time and time again, this proves to be key. F&M's best fit is E&P or midstream firms seeking $1- to $75 million in a revolver or term facility. We are a growing bank focused on deposits, treasury management and loans.

Investor: Why this space now?

Kitchens: Market trends favor our entrance. Portfolio shifts are under way. Large money-center banks are further shifting up to a capital-markets brand, which is their strategic fit. Firms that are not public and don't have a large capacity for their ancillary products, or that don't prove to be high-growth geared, tend to not be a good fit. Some banks are in a have-and-maintain mode for varying reasons—that's not for us. We are largely focused on independents underserved through these trends.

Also, we see improved transaction volume, M&A picking up, more equity investment, and industry participants really coming to bat via joint ventures to get deals done. We aim to participate in the improving market.

Investor: You have an experienced team.

Kitchens: Energy is a large component of our go-forward strategy. Jeff Pickryl was previously with Bank of Texas, Patrick Leznicki joined from Comerica in the Dallas market. Chris Cardoni came from MidFirst Bank as senior vice president and manager and Terry Blain joined from Bank of Oklahoma as senior vice president, both based in Tulsa. The team has tenure and commitment to the energy space.

Investor: Being a recent entrant has some advantages.

Kitchens: It does. We don't already have a portfolio where some transactions may be weighing things down. We have capacity, an appropriate credit posture and a competitive lending model.

Investor: What's on your plate?

Kitchens: We're working with more independents than I could have anticipated—reviewing numerous deals. Most are E&P transactions for acquisitions or refinancing. We're also doing some refinancing on the natural gas side. Many banks have not wanted to do much in this space due to depressed prices, some warranted and some not.

To sum up, I'm busy, pleased with our market receptiveness and eagerly working with our advocates to broaden the delivery of our message that we are here and lending.

Investor: And the midstream?

Kitchens: We're focused more on niches there—gathering, compression, and so forth. The midstream is consolidating and the MLPs are getting more aggressive. Much like the majors in the gas space, it makes sense.

Investor: What's your advice for those coming up in the industry?

Kitchens: Define your own success. You can't be good at everything, but you can be excellent at something. Be sure to respect and know many people, take joy in this. Be open-minded, honest, work hard and love what you do—or do something else.