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Celebrating Women’s History Month: A Discussion of Women in Banking

March is Women’s History Month, a national observance that recognizes and celebrates women throughout history. This year’s theme is “Women Who Advocate for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” which highlights the need to eliminate bias and discrimination in every aspect of our lives, both professionally and personally. This month, we celebrate women in banking.

At First Keystone Community Bank (FKCB), we are proud that 79% of our workforce is female, many of whom hold upper management positions, including our President/CEO and our Chief Financial Officer. As we celebrate 160 years of service this year, we recognize that women have made significant strides in the financial sector. And they’re not done yet!

We asked our top 20 female executives at FKCB for their input on where the financial services sector currently stands in relation to women and where it’s going in the future based on their own experiences. Their discussion provides some valuable, interesting and sometimes surprising feedback on the topic of women in banking.

Participants were: Elaine Woodland, President/CEO; Diane Rosler, Senior Vice President/Chief Financial Officer; Rebecca Hooper, Senior Vice President/Senior Trust Officer; June George, Senior Vice President/Branch Administrator; Stacia Arnaud, Vice President/Commercial Services Officer III; Brenda Grasley, Vice President/Consumer Loan Manager; Amanda Jarski, Vice President/Compliance Officer; Kathleen Jarski, Vice President/Regional Branch Administrator; Laurie Nudo, Vice President/Regional Branch Administrator; Natalie Stackhouse, Vice President/Controller; and Leighton Walsh, Vice President/Mortgage Services Manager.

WHAT INSPIRES YOU ABOUT THE FIELD OF BANKING?

Elaine: “My heart is in community banking because it provides opportunities to make an impactful difference in someone’s life. Working for community banks opened opportunities for me that I never dreamed possible.”

Stacia: “It’s rewarding to educate people on how finances can assist in achieving their goals.”

Amanda: “Because of my love for numbers, I began my career in banking. So now I can combine something I love with helping both local businesses and individual customers thrive, grow and succeed.”

Kathleen: “Whether it’s customers or associates, I enjoy helping people achieve their goals. It’s about the smile on a customer’s face when you helped them with home ownership or helped solve a problem with their account. It means everything.”

Leighton: “Within my position, I get to assist with helping people achieve the ultimate American dream—owning a home. It’s so rewarding to work with folks purchasing their first home, building their forever home, or downsizing to a home for retirement.”

HOW WOULD YOU EXPLAIN THE SUCCESS OF WOMEN IN BANKING?

Brenda: “I think it comes down to the fact that we all just determined that we could do the same job as men, if not better.”

Stacia: “During the past 50 years, women have gained more access to credit, investing, higher education and higher-level career opportunities.”

Diane: “In recent history, as our world’s view of equality has continued to improve, banking has embraced the power and intelligence of women as essential banking building blocks, decision makers and community contributors.”

Leighton: “Here at First Keystone Community Bank, I feel it speaks volumes that we have a female CEO as well as three women on the Board of Directors, let alone various other leadership roles within the bank. For any new female employee, it should give them motivation to see that the sky really is the limit, especially at First Keystone Community Bank.”

Amanda: “I also think success comes from having a mentor relationship with someone who supports women; from having women in a higher leadership role to bring up others with them; from having men as allies; and from having the support of men as well as women in all aspects of banking.”

DO YOU THINK THE STEPS TO SUCCESS ARE DIFFERENT FOR WOMEN?

Stacia: “I think women have more hurdles but the general steps are the same.”

Brenda: “When I first started in banking, I would say yes. But I feel over the past 15 years, things have changed for the better.”

Rebecca: “I agree, due to letting go of stigmas and stereotypes.”

Amanda: “I do believe it’s harder for women than men.”

Diane: “Everyone must navigate differences in life and many times we need to be creative and give a little or sometimes a lot to reach our goals and dreams. It’s no different for women in banking than for men.”

Kathleen: “I agree. We all need to be better communicators in what our careers look like. Sometimes women are looked at as having a job, not a career.”

DO YOU THINK THERE ARE ADVANTAGES/BENEFITS FOR WOMEN IN THE BANKING WORLD?

Diane: “Historically, women have played very important roles in banking, supporting managers at all levels.  Now women are proving how they can succeed in any role, including all levels of financial institution management.”

Leighton: “I feel that sometimes women take a little more time to build and create relationships versus transactions with customers. This is by no means always the case, but I feel generally speaking, women tend to be more empathetic and learn more about customers and their needs, wants, family situations, etc.“

A STUDY FROM A FEW YEARS AGO SHOWED THAT BANKS WITH GREATER GENDER DIVERSITY PERFORM BETTER. DO YOU AGREE? WHY OR WHY NOT?

Kathleen: “I agree. Diversity is a win in any organization. Having people with gender diversity and cultural diversity is better for any company because we make ourselves more appealing to more people. We will build a good relationship with our communities when they see we are diversified and can help everyone.” 

Diane: “Yes, diversity of all types is an important part of ensuring that banking reflects the markets we serve to facilitate understanding the challenges in our marketplace and making the best decisions.”

Brenda: “Different people have a unique perspective or understanding of what people/customers might need in our community.”

DID YOU ASPIRE TO REACH A HIGHER POSITION WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED IN BANKING? IF NOT, WHAT CHANGED FOR YOU?

Natalie: “Absolutely, I have always strived to be the best employee possible, and advancement has always been a goal of mine.  I always wanted to sit in a leadership role and set an example for other employees and support them in their careers.”

Kathleen: “Yes, I always wanted to be a role model. To help coworkers believe in themselves and to coach them to their full potential. Even if an associate was happy in their current role and does not want to do anything else, there is still coaching that can be done to help them be the best at what they do.”  

June: “Support from my supervisors is what helped me move up along the way. I didn’t know this would be the career path I would take but with hard work, dedication, and a little help, I was able to move from teller to upper management.”

Elaine: “I was also hired as a teller at the First National Bank of Berwick, now known as First Keystone Community Bank, as what I thought would be a temporary stop gap between college and permanent employment. I never imagined that the “summer job” I enjoyed would grow into a nearly 43-year career, resulting in me becoming president and CEO of the bank that hired me as a kid fresh out of college.”

Leighton: “Absolutely. What started as a “job” for me quickly became a “career” after working at First Keystone Community Bank. The relationships with customers and my co-workers as well as the success of the bank is what drives me to want to provide excellent customer service daily and assist any way I can with the success of the bank.”

WHAT WERE SOME FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO YOUR GROWTH/SUCCESS?

Elaine: “I have been blessed with several strong mentors along the way who believed in me, took the time to educate and guide me, and helped me progress to reach my goals.”

Amanda: “I cannot express enough gratitude to those who have helped me along the way; my mentor, my lender relationships, my coworkers, and the person who hired me.  It’s because of them that I have learned and gained the knowledge that I have so far.”

Rebecca: “A great mentor means everything. My mentor took the time to train me in every aspect of Trust and sent me to schools to develop my skills further.”

Natalie: “My supervisors believed in me and supported me by providing opportunities for me to learn and grow as a banker.”

June: “My attitude has always been “Let me try”, and my supervisors encouraged that. I tried to open my mind to new opportunities to learn all aspects of banking through the different positions I’ve held.”

WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE FUTURE OF WOMEN IN BANKING?

Elaine: “Overall, studies have shown that over the last several years, there have been significant gains by women in senior leadership throughout corporate America. This is evident at First Keystone Community Bank (FKCB), as currently 50% of our officers with a title of Senior Vice President or higher are women holding 135 combined years of banking experience. I see a bright future for women in banking, not only at the entry level but also in the C-Suite as well. Employees at FKCB are supported in their education and career growth with training opportunities offered regularly both in-house through our Learning Management System (LMS) and externally through webinars, seminars, conferences, and schools such as those offered by PA Bankers Association, American Bankers Association (ABA), Stonier Graduate School of Banking, and Pennsylvania Association of Community Bankers (PACB).”

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU OFFER TO YOUNG WOMEN JUST STARTING A CAREER IN BANKING?

Stacia: “Find a mentor, even if it’s not a woman.”

Brenda: “Be accepting and open to any changes that can happen at any time in your career in banking.  Don’t be afraid to ask questions but at the same time know when to ‘let it go’.”

Leighton: “Reach for the stars. There are many opportunities, but you need to want to learn, work for them and put your time in. They do not happen overnight.”

Rebecca: “Work hard and make sure you are noticed for the work and effort that you put into your job.”

Amanda: “Find someone who is willing to explain each of your “why,” “how,” and “what” questions.  They will become invaluable to you.  Ultimately, they will help you grow and succeed.”

Diane: “Explore all areas of banking regardless of where you are in your career. You never know where it might lead.”

Kathleen: “Always remember what is most important—our people.”

Laurie: “Never give up; do your best; always work side-by-side with your team.”

Natalie: “Be willing to work hard and make things happen by thinking outside the box and sharing your diverse ideas and opinions.”

Elaine: “Believe in yourself and be brave. Don’t be afraid to take a leap out of your comfort zone to make the next step. And always remember, when you reach your next goal, you probably didn’t get there on your own. Remember to be grateful for those who mentored and supported you along the way, both personally and professionally.”

Written by Rosemarie Stump

Rosemarie is the Sales and Marketing Coordinator for First Keystone Community Bank.

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March 5, 2024

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