Tell us about your background: where you grew up, where you went to school, industry experience, your family, and volunteer work.
I was born in Watertown, SD. When I was in third grade, I moved to Milbank with my mom, three brothers, and one sister. I graduated from Milbank Senior High and moved to Minneapolis, where I took classes at North Central University. After two and a half years in the Cities, I ventured to Brookings and then to Aberdeen, where I took classes in Sociology and Spanish at Northern State University and worked as a teller.
From Aberdeen, I moved to Watertown and experienced the best moment of my entire life: when I had my daughter, Terren. We moved to Willmar, MN, when she was six months old; after two and a half years there, we moved to Sioux Falls. As of April 2021, I have been here for 20 years. I was hired at FNB in September of 2019.
The second-best thing to happen in my life was marrying my husband, Scott, in 2004. I also gained three lovely bonus daughters: Hope, Kersey, and Shelby. In addition to my husband and four daughters, my family now consists of three wonderful sons-in-law, five grandchildren, 16 nieces and nephews, and four great nieces and nephews.
Throughout my daughter’s schooling, I volunteered in many ways, including as an officer with the PTO, planning and coordinating events for the school and families. I have also volunteered at The Banquet and was on the board of the Siouxland Association for the Education of Young Children. More recently, I have participated in Rake the Town, Feeding South Dakota, and Junior Achievement.
What is your role at FNB? What does your day-to-day work look like?
I am a Universal Banker at the Arrowhead, Dow Rummel, and Touchmark branches. I process transactions, answer phones, open and close accounts, establish relationships with our customers, and continue learning something new each day.
What is your favorite thing about FNB?
I enjoy meeting customers and establishing relationships with them as well as assisting customers with solving issues with their accounts.
I think it is wonderful that we can be a presence in seven retirement communities. I am fortunate to work in two of them and I love the opportunity to meet the customers and visit with them each week. I have great respect for my teammates and the wealth of knowledge they have to share.
I enjoy working with our team at Arrowhead and I love the teamwork atmosphere that the bank models and encourages. I also love seeing our customers’ dogs when they come through the drive-through! Those pups are smart and know there will be treats at the Bank.
What’s your personal motto?
I choose to be kind to all, to appreciate each day, and to be thankful for all that God has blessed me with throughout my life. I strive to never quit no matter what obstacles are in front of me, knowing that with God all things are possible.
What’s a problem you wish you could solve?
There are so many problems I wish I could solve, but since I started working in the banking sector, I have become aware of the damage that scammers can do to people. It is so prevalent these days, and I would like it to disappear.
If you had $500 to spend at any local business, where or what would you spend it on?
There are so many amazing local businesses in Sioux Falls, so it would be hard to narrow it down, but I would spread out the $500 to go to as many places as possible:
- Flowers from Thistle and Dot to surprise my mom and mother-in-law.
- A cooking class with my husband at Plum’s Cooking Company, followed by ice cream at Parlour Ice Cream House.
- Yummy food from Uncle Ed’s for a family gathering.
- Complete a project at AR Workshop.
- Dinner at Phillips Avenue Diner followed by a movie at the State Theatre.
- Lunch for my Arrowhead teammates at The Keg.
