This week’s feature highlights the Women RISE (Relate, Inspire, Support, Empower) business resource group leaders Laura Lea Witt and Tricia Wilson as they share insights, challenges and how they are helping to create a culture of support for all women.
- Share your story and how your career led you to Simmons Bank?
LL: Simmons has been a big part of my life and it has long been a goal to work here! But when I first started my career in Texas, that goal did not seem achievable. Until a few years ago, my career was focused on personal financial services and the securities industry. Before joining Simmons, I worked for a broker/dealer based in Dallas in a service role that provided exposure to all operational departments of the broker/dealer as well as the partner clearing firm, NFS. Simultaneously, Simmons acquired Delta Trust and came to own a broker/dealer through that merger, Simmons First Investment Group (SFIG) By the time Simmons expanded into Texas through the Bank SNB and Southwest Bank acquisitions, leadership was exploring changes to the way SFIG operated. My experience in the securities industry and broker/dealer space, along with a deep love for Simmons, created the perfect opportunity for me to join the team.
TW: I am not a lifelong banker. I spent the first part of my career in Information Technology. I was a software developer for over 10 years and then moved on to other roles in Governance, Project Management, Engineering and Organizational Change. When I was presented with the opportunity to join Simmons Bank, an organization just starting a massive transformation such as Next Generation Banking, I knew this would be an excellent fit. I had a strong foundation in many elements needed for something like NGB. Those skills combined with my love for people, processes and technology and being able to join an organization as they were starting to invest heavily in these areas was inspiring. Since joining, I’ve had an opportunity to work with many of our lines of business, and I am proud of the difference we are making in the lives of our customers.
- Tell us more about the “why” behind the Women Rise Business Resource Group (BRG)?
LL: Any company worth working for is always examining opportunities to invest in its people. Simmons has done this over the years in a variety of ways, but the most recent endeavor is through the various business resource groups. Women in the workplace is far from a new idea, but it is becoming more and more common for women to be the breadwinners, or sole earner, in their households. This creates an unique experience, with unique challenges, for our female employees. Women RISE seeks to create a safe space for the normalization of these important conversations, to provide a forum connecting with others in a similar situation who may be in a different part of the bank – departmental or geographical.
TW: We often hear others in the organization ask what is the best way to find other women leaders, mentors, or friends in the bank, and the answer is simple: community. Women RISE is a community of females from across our footprint with diverse backgrounds. Some have been in banking for years, and some are just getting started. Some women have kids, and some do not. Some have creative side hustles like acting or gardening, while others enjoy reading and running. Like any community, we need to share our lessons learned and experiences with each other to thrive and grow personally and professionally.
- What aspects motivated you to lead the BRG?
LL: As a female in the financial industry, most places where I have worked have historically been male dominated that made it hard to fit in or progress. Being a part of differentiating Simmons from that type of culture is a big motivating factor for me. My family tree is full of strong females and I was raised to lead by example. This became even more real when I had a baby girl who I hope will know that she can achieve her dreams.
TW: When joining the bank in 2017, I immediately found myself leading meetings where most of the people in the room were more senior than me and primarily men. One of the things that kept me going was knowing that I was genuinely passionate about the purpose of Simmons Bank and I am good at pulling a plan and team together to get things done. So I channeled that passion again when the idea of championing a Women’s Resource Group arose. I knew Laura Lea and I could lead this fabulous group of strong women and help them feel empowered and heard. Being involved with this group has been an incredible opportunity for me to meet others in our organization, and I’m very excited about all of the discussions going on within the group.
- How much has the group grown this year (approx.) and how are the events for the group curated?
TW: When the Women Business Resource Group first launched in 2022, over 100 women signed up to join. We struggled to find the best way to engage throughout the footprint.So in December, we decided to regroup and solicit feedback from our membership on the type of programming they would like to see and how they would like to see it. Once we received their feedback, we took several actions going into 2023 that significantly increased our effectiveness. Some of these actions include: expanding our leadership team to have “ambassadors” throughout the footprint to help reach associates, soliciting the help of our internal Marketing Department to develop branding materials (logos, etc.) as well as creating a more informative and collaborative place on our Intranet with monthly “spotlight” articles featuring Women throughout the bank. Additionally, we took the feedback from the group. We had a planning session with our Women RISE leadership team to develop programming for the year, covering some of the topics we heard from our membership.
We found that several topics could be covered internally, such as planning for retirement.For others (like Mental Health), we decided to solicit help from external resources such as SWEAP Connections.
As of May 1st, we are over 506 members.Over 200 associates across the footprint have attended each of our last two Women RISE gatherings.
- The BRG covers timely topics like mental health and knowing your worth – How are topics chosen for the year? Are there any topics you are most excited about?
We are very excited about many of the programming planned for the year, so it’s hard to pick just one.
- Can you highlight an example of how a female mentor supported you and how did they provide support?
LL:There have been several females over the course of my career who I have admired. Seeing their examples of “what could be” has motivated me to continue learning and working hard so that I can hopefully be someone to admire for future generations of female employees.
TW:I have a great personal “board of directors” these are female friends and colleagues who, throughout my life, have been there for me to encourage, support, and offer feedback and advice. Leaning on people I trust and have mutual respect for has opened my mind and heart to work through many of life’s challenges.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of Laura Lea Witt and Tricia Wilson and are not endorsed by, and do not necessarily reflect the views of, Simmons Bank. Simmons Bank does not provide tax, accounting or legal advice.