Hawthorn Bank Advisory Board Member

November 20, 2014 ~ Today was the first meeting of my newest position! I have been accepted to the advisory board of Hawthorn Bank here in Columbia, MO. I haven't taken many board positions as I wanted to make sure anything I committed to would be a good fit for me but this is something that I have wanted to do for several years and when the opportunity knocked I just couldn't pass it up! I wasn't sure what to expect but I knew I would do whatever I could to be a good role model for a bank that I know and love.

Hawthorn Bank is a small community bank in the sense that they make you feel welcome, part of the team and their staff knows you by name. To them you aren't just a number you are a part of their family and for me that is important. When given this opportunity to serve on the advisory board I couldn't help but wonder "Why Me?" and "What in the world could I offer to the bank?" I am excited for this new opportunity and hope I can bring as much to the table as the knowledge I will walk away with.

I am one of eleven advisory board members and the youngest of this group. I am looking forward to learning so much from the other seasoned members while expanding my knowledge on the banking world. As we all know banking, as we know it, has changed a lot since I first started going to the bank with my grandparents as a little girl. We also know it will change a lot over the next 35+ years as we move into the future and I hope I can be a part of offering suggestions that will be beneficial to the bank and the customers we serve.

Something that I am really excited about is Hawthorn Bank recently started was the Young Business Leaders Advisory Council consisting of 10 members from across the local small-business community. I can't wait to see what this awesome group of people do over the coming months and years! Congratulations to everyone on this rock star team!