Jenna Swearingen
Jenna Swearingen is a Senior Trust Administrator at CBI Bank & Trust in Galesburg, Illinois, where she brings a disciplined, mission-driven approach shaped by her military background. Beginning her banking career as a teller, she quickly advanced into trust administration within six months and steadily progressed through multiple levels to reach her current leadership role. With a foundation in military service as an Army Reservist electrician, Jenna’s career reflects resilience, precision, and a strong sense of accountability.
In her current position, Jenna oversees and mentors trust administrators across multiple locations, supporting teams in Muscatine, Bettendorf, and Galesburg. She serves as a key partner to trust officers, managing new account preparation, complex documentation, and coordination with clients’ attorneys and financial advisors. Known for her hands-on leadership style, she focuses on training, workflow management, and developing confidence and capability in the next generation of trust professionals.
Beyond her technical expertise, Jenna is deeply committed to employee well-being and community engagement, serving as co-chair of her bank’s wellness committee and participating in employee experience initiatives. She is also active in advocacy for mental health and veteran support, reflecting her belief in service beyond the workplace. As she prepares for Trust School and continued advancement toward a trust officer role, Jenna remains focused on combining leadership, technical mastery, and purpose-driven service in every aspect of her career.
• Trust Administration
• Spoon River College- Associate's
• Women Lead Change (attendee)
• Wellness Committee Co-Chair at CBI
• Employee Experience Team at CBI
• Hope Abbey Cemetery Board
• Hope Abbey Cemetery Board (maintenance and upkeep)
• Mental health advocacy
• Wellness Committee Co-Chair
• Employee Experience Team
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my military background and the mental and physical strength I gained from pushing through challenges I never thought I could handle. Serving 6 years in the reserves as an electrician taught me to work outside my comfort zone and handle stressors that not a lot of people can say they've experienced. That foundation gave me the resilience to keep pushing forward in my career. I'm also incredibly grateful for my current boss, Tom McIntyre, who has 10 years under his belt as a practicing attorney. He's given me every opportunity to try to be more than just the standard and has gifted me with knowledge that you can't really get anywhere else. Being a single mom of three little girls has also driven me to want more, not just for myself but for them, and that motivation keeps me working to be something better.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would definitely say that you need to voice when you're right, and you know you're right, and stand your ground. This is a very male-dominated world, an older male-dominated world at that, and it's just changing. You have to have a voice, and you have to stand by it, even if it's hard. The biggest challenge is the bias that women need to stay in the admin staff roles and that the men will stay in the officer roles. I am not okay with it, and I will challenge it every day until I get what I think I deserve. I've been called assistant and secretary with my current role, and that's just not it at all. I'm not okay with that word, and I want it changed. I think I've proven myself a handful already, so I really don't want to keep doing that, but I will, just to prove them wrong. I get some kind of pride out of that sometimes, even though it can be exhausting.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
A major challenge in my field is the persistent bias that women are suited for administrative roles while leadership and officer positions are more readily given to men, which often means having to continually prove capability and competence. At the same time, there is a strong opportunity through structured development paths like Trust School and professional certifications, which provide clear pathways for women to advance into officer-level roles and leadership positions.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me center around advocating for others and making a real difference in people's lives. I'm very passionate about mental health and support anything related to that cause. I also care deeply about how employees feel, even though I'm not in HR. I want better for them, which is why I volunteered to co-chair the wellness committee at my bank, focusing on health-related issues like mental health, physical health, and financial health. I was hand-selected to be on the employee experience team, one of only 12 people out of 300, based on how I present myself and the issues I care about. Beyond work, I'm committed to serving my community through the Hope Abbey Cemetery Board, helping with maintenance, upkeep, raising money for improvements like scatter gardens, and making sure these spaces are cared for. As a single mom of three little girls, everything I do is driven by wanting to be something more and something better, not just for myself but for them.