|
Linda Smith, Kitsap Bank senior vice president/credit administrator, started her career in real estate as an escrow closer, and later received a real estate associates license and a limited practice officer license. She entered the banking field by being hired to handle builder banking relationships for First State Bank.
“The bank went through a series of acquisitions, and I found myself employed by a major bank — not the local community bank I had chosen,” she said. “I moved to First National Bank of Port Orchard, only to have the same consolidation happen again.”
Following employment at seven different banks in three locations, she joined Kitsap Bank six years ago, initially as commercial relationship manager.
“I found the stability I was looking for at Kitsap Bank,” she said.
Smith said she enjoys working for a locally owned and operated bank. “Community banks are focused on the businesses and the individuals they service and enhance on a daily basis,” she said. “Growing the bottom line and properly structuring loans is a key element for banks, which directly benefits our business customers. I enjoy being a part of that growth.”
She is also active in the community and is involved with the South Kitsap Education Foundation, Home Builders Association of Kitsap County, Soroptimists, and as board member with the Port Orchard Helpline.
Barbara Kaye, chief credit officer with American Marine Bank, has more than three decades of experience in mortgage lending. A graduate of the School of Mortgage Banking at Northwestern University, she most recently served as vice president and West Region manager of community development banking for KeyBank, managing real estate loan production and consumer retail activity along with development and implementation of mortgage sales programs.
Kaye said she started in banking “by accident” — she needed a job, and “was hooked on it.” “It was in my blood,” she said. Kaye worked for 32 years for her first company, as it merged and changed names. Her broad experience includes real estate, mortgage lending, commercial lending, business banking and bank management.
Kaye joined American Marine Bank in February 2005 as senior vice president and mortgage lending manager on Bainbridge Island, and in August 2006 was appointed Chief Credit Officer, with additional responsibility including developing and overseeing lending policies, product development and procedures.
“I’m proud of where I’ve gotten over the years, and the things I’ve learned,” she said. “It’s great to be part of an organization where my contribution matters… I can make a difference in the organization and in the community.”
Allisha McVay, branch manager and assistant vice president for Columbia Bank in Gig Harbor, has been in the industry for more than a decade. She started her career at age 20 as a teller at US Bank, where she worked for eight years.
McVay enjoys the customer service aspect of banking the most, as well as the feeling of community. “I work with a great group of people,” she said. “Columbia Bank hires the best of the best.”
McVay says banking is a changing industry and requires people who are adaptable to change. “There is always a new challenge — I feel I still have a lot to learn, even now,” she said. One of the current important issues is customer privacy, while providing a personal touch remains a priority for banks in the world of alternative options such as ATMs and online banking.
McVay said she likes working “in a great community,” and stays involved. She is on the executive board of Communities in Schools of Peninsula, Bates College Bookkeeping Advisory Committee, and is active in the Gig Harbor Chamber of Commerce and Mid-Day Rotary.
Patty Selvidge, KeyBank KeyCenter manager on Bainbridge Island, has more than two decades’ experience in the financial industry. “My first job in high school was at a bank,” she said. Through her school’s DECA program, she started her job as a junior in high school — filing checks.
Selvidge had since studied accounting and business, and worked for companies like Russell Mellon Analytical Services in Tacoma as well as in banking. “There are so many dimensions to the financial industry, and I’ve had a great opportunity to help people with their financial needs at individual level… and all the way up to helping Fortune 500 companies make good decisions,” she said.
Selvidge, who recently moved to Poulsbo, is new to Kitsap County, having lived and worked her entire career in Pierce County. She enjoys being back in a small town that’s committed to the community, and plans to continue her own community involvement. “It’s important to network within your community,” she said. “You find out what’s important, and you build partnerships.”
Jennifer Heath, Kitsap Bank vice president/commercial loan officer, has worked for Kitsap Bank in Gig Harbor for five years. Her banking career spans about a decade, starting as a management trainee with National Bank of Alaska in 1998.
“Working in rural areas of Alaska emphasized to me the importance of understanding the culture and dynamics of the community in which you work,” she said.
Heath became interested in banking while studying abroad in college, at a time when the European Union was discussing the creating of a single currency. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business. At age 24, she was selected to be manager of the National Bank of Alaska’s Seattle branch, becoming the youngest branch manager in the bank’s history.
At Kitsap Bank, she specializes in commercial real estate and development financing, builder banking, and small business financing. “Working with business owners to help grow their companies and achieve their goals has been very rewarding,” she said. “I am proud to work for an organization with such a strong heritage and commitment to providing superior service to the needs of businesses and consumers in Western Washington.”
Patti Lawson-Darling, Silverdale Home Loan Center manager and assistant vice president for People’s Bank, has worked in banking for almost 30 years. After working for a builder and later for a real estate company, she became interested in the landing aspect of banking.
Previously with Pacific Northwest Bank, she helped open the Silverdale branch of People’s Bank in 2004. Her background includes loan processing and closing, underwriting, loan origination, and mortgage department management.
“I like being able to help people achieve their goals in home ownership,” she said. “Every loan is unique.”
Lawson-Darling is active in the construction community, having served as the chairperson for Home Builders Association of Kitsap County’s Parade of Home, and was selected as the HBA’s associate of the year in 2004. She is also involved with the Kitsap Housing Coalition and the Realtors Association. | 
