Blog

Madison, WI (June 1, 2021)—Independent Banker magazine, the award-winning monthly publication of the Independent Community Bankers of America® (ICBA), recently unveiled its third annual 40 Under 40: Emerging Community Bank Leaders competition winners. The award highlights young community bankers who stepped up to help their banks navigate a chaotic year. Suzanne Johnson, Vice President of Branch Banking at Park Bank has been named to the list.

The feature story, which is included in the newly-released ICBA June issue, highlights how the 40 Under 40 honorees have overcome major challenges, kept their communities close while they had to be distanced, and found opportunities to lead when their team and customers needed them most. Chosen from hundreds of entries, candidates were judged on the following criteria: character, leadership, community involvement, and innovation. 

When asked about her approach to leadership or mentoring, Suzanne replied: "I think it’s super important just to have a pulse on people. I don’t think any two individuals are the same. Sit down with them and identify their wants and goals. Hear their feedback and find out what they love, what they need to be doing. It’s important to have individual development plans that cater to those needs."

Suzanne leads by example, whether it is her dedication to internal culture as co-founder and co-chair of Park Bank's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, or serving to give back to the community as co-chair of United Way's Women and Wealth Committee. She knows first-hand the importance of community involvement for bank leadership. "I’m a product of our community programming. The Urban League pre-employment programs helped me learn interviewing skills. I know the impact these programs had on me. The individuals I was involved with were not involved just to check a box, but to really support the participants. I want to be that for someone else."

CLICK HERE for the full list of this year's winners