Interview by Debra Gelbart
1. How did you choose banking as a career path?
Originally, I planned to be an engineer and I got an internship with NASA in the 1990s. But Idiscovered I’m more of a people person and figured out engineering wasn’t for me.
In 1995, I took a teller position at a major bank in Northern California. After three months, I became an assistant manager of a branch. From there, I moved up the ladder working in various capacities, including as a branch manager, which helped me earn the role as a consumer market executive responsible for 500 employees. I then transitioned to commercial banking, leading teams to success in growing commercial and business relationships.
I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to balance my experience in retail banking and commercial banking, which helped me earn the role as a region manager for Northern California. I’ve been at CB&T now for two years, having the great pleasure of overseeing the core banking team, consisting of the branch
and business banking teams, supporting the needs of our personal and business clients.
2. What do you enjoy most about your current role?
I really enjoy seeing my team of 18 direct reports and their teams of about 100 people be successful. I enjoy celebrating both small and large wins for my team. I also love taking tours of business owners’ operations and learning what they do and how they do it. We help a variety of businesses, including those that support the technology and semiconductor industries, which, of course, are a huge focus in the Bay Area.
3. What career advice can you share?
Demonstrate a growth mindset and take every opportunity to learn. No matter how many years of experience someone has, there’s always room to grow. Take the initiative and learn through formal training or reading books, but also keep in mind there’s a huge opportunity to learn from others—every person has something unique to offer. And ask for feedback from managers and peers. We all have blind spots and asking for feedback may help identify them.
4. What has been the greatest challenge in your current role?
After two regional banks based in the Bay Area failed in the early part of this year, we had to convince our customers and prospective customers that they didn’t have to be afraid of our balance sheet and financials. We made sure to share with the community why we’re different from other banks and how our financial position is strong, emphasizing that we’re well-capitalized.
Helping people understand banking financials was certainly challenging because we had customers who were really worried. But I think our calm demeanor and the level of professionalism we demonstrated allowed us to reassure the community and retain our customer base.
5. Share with us your commitment to helping children get adopted.
My father was adopted, so I’ve always had a heart for adoption. One day at a networking event, I sat next to the CEO of Lilliput Children’s Services, who, it turns out, was looking for new board members. It was fate that we connected.
I became the board chair of the organization a few years later. At the time, we were looking to partner with a larger organization to expand our reach beyond Northern California. We merged with Wayfinder Family Services and now we provide adoption services for the entire state of California under the Wayfinder name. I’m now the finance chair of the merged organization.
This content was originally published in our award-winning magazine In Your Corner. See Issue 15 here: In Your Corner Magazine | Fall 2023