EMERGING LEADERS

Q. HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN BANKING?

A. I have always loved small businesses, how they work, and how your community benefits from them. I knew I wanted to do something with small businesses and fell in love with banking while working at the bank in college. Without your community bank, you have no one supporting your community and small businesses.

Q. WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR YOUNG BANKERS STARTING THEIR CAREERS?

A. Never be afraid to learn something. Dig in and learn all you can about a topic. I wouldn’t be where I was today if I hadn’t dug in and tried to learn at an early age. When I first started, the bank was going through key management changes, a core conversion, and making some other major software changes, and I was able to be there on the ground floor learning the new products. Because I was able to learn a lot about how they all worked together, it served me in my various roles throughout my career more than I could ever imagine.

Whether it be a trick on our banking system, or where to find some information, looking at a new report for trends, or just learning what something means, everyone enjoys knowing more information about what they work with daily. I have been fortunate to have some great teachers during my career and hope to pass on the knowledge. Knowledge is power, and when you are able to do your job better then we can serve our customers better with the more we all know.

Q. WHAT IS THE MOST INTERESTING THING ABOUT WORKING AT A SMALL BANK?

A. I love working at a small community bank. I love that over the years the bank has grown and I have grown with it. Every single day is different and I didn’t get pigeonholed working on the same thing each day. I was able to grow in my knowledge. Every day presents itself with new challenges, and there isn’t a lot of red tape on making change happen when things aren’t working. Don’t be afraid to change or look at how things are being done, and how they can be better. Things are always evolving, and sometimes there could be better ways to do it.

Q. HOW HAS YOUR LIFE EXPERIENCE MADE YOU THE LEADER YOU ARE TODAY?

A. Parenting children has helped my leadership. We have a set of twin girls, Ava and Emma (age 8), and Barrett (age 3). By having the girls and raising them in the exact same environment, it has helped me realize not everyone learns the same under the same conditions. They are as different as day and night. It also has helped me focus. I know that my time is valuable. I only get so many waking hours with my family and at work. When I get home at night, and we are doing dinner as a family, baths, and homework, I try my best to be focused on them. After we get them to bed, and we get the house reset for another day, then I will focus on my work. My kids know I love my job, but I always want them to know they come first.

Q. WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO TRAVEL?

A. Italy is definitely on my bucket list. I hope in the next couple of years, my husband and I can go over there and stay for a couple of weeks wandering the countryside. I really would like to avoid touristy places and spend time on the off-beat path discovering all the gems!