For Ryan Lee, serving others is a calling.

Lee, who was voted Man of the Year in The Vicksburg Post’s Reader’s Choice Awards, is a member of the Vicksburg Kiwanis Club, serves with United Way and is on the Merit Health River Region Board of Directors. He was recently named to the Vicksburg Warren Economic Development Foundation Board of Directors.

He was surprised to be named Man of the Year.

“There are obviously a lot of very talented people who are doing a lot of great things in this community and I’m humbled that someone thought of me for this,” he said. “I’m just playing a small part. I’m just happy to be a part of the community.

“I’m fortunate God has blessed my wife and our family and me; that he’s given us the opportunity to be more fortunate than other folks, and I feel like it’s our responsibility to do what we can to improve our community,” Lee said. “I feel like it’s my duty, that I’ve been called to make other lives better.

“My wife and I are from Vicksburg, both our families are here. We’re very much invested in the community and want it to succeed.”

The Vicksburg area president for Trustmark Bank, Lee’s first exposure to volunteer work came as a member of the Vicksburg Kiwanis Club, where he has served on the club’s board of directors and was president in 2012. He is also a past chairman of the United Way of West Central Mississippi.

He has served on the Red Cross Board of Directors and is the incoming treasurer for the YMCA Men’s Club. He also served as treasurer for the Vicksburg Soccer Organization.

“My primary goal is how can I improve the lives of children,” he said. “If we are going to improve our community, we need to help the generation that is coming.”

An advocate for United Way, Lee said he can’t think of a better way to aid the community “with its impact through its partner agencies and all the work they do.”

“I have visited each United Way facility,” he said. “When you see these agencies, that makes a difference. When you go out there and actually see what they’re doing, if that doesn’t make an impact on you, I don’t know what will.”

Besides his community activities, Lee is a member of First Baptist Church where he serves as a deacon.

He and his wife, Lacey, a nurse at Merit Health River Region Medical Center, have two children, Nick and Olivia.