What has been your proudest career accomplishment to date?
I am most proud of my contributions to the growth of TBK Bank, where I currently serve as Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communication. I joined the bank as Marketing Manager in 2012. At that time, we had less than 100 team members and around $300 million in assets. Today, we have over 1,000 team members, $4.5 billion in assets, and are publicly traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol TBK. I was the first full-time marketing team member and my team now includes 8 members across 3 states. As a member of our senior leadership team, I have been able to impact the culture and communication at our organization.
What’s the best piece of advice you can give to future 40Under40 honorees?
The effect of technology on the field of marketing has grown exponentially over the last several years. The era of the “Mad Men” style of marketing, where decisions are made solely on instinct, are gone. Instead, an exceptional leader in today’s marketing world must have the same strong instincts, but they must also be able to back them up with technical and business acumen. I would advise anyone in marketing – whether they are still in school, just starting out, or a seasoned career professional – to participate in classes, seminars, conferences, and other educational opportunities in fields such as technology, sociology, psychology and business, as much as they do in marketing.
What do you hope to accomplish in the next 5 years?
I hope to continue growing in my professional career to be named Chief Marketing Officer.
What is one interesting fact about you that few people know?
My bucket list includes visiting all 7 continents, kayaking in all 5 oceans and eating a meal in all 50 states. To date, I have been to 5 continents (North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Antarctica), I’ve kayaked in 3 oceans (Atlantic, Pacific and Southern), and I’ve eaten a meal in 27 states.
