Her Story
About Mercedez
Mercedez Browne is a dedicated banking professional with 13 years of experience in financial services, currently serving as a Treasury Management Officer at CBI Bank & Trust. She began her banking career at age 18 when a local branch opened near her, starting as a teller and discovering an immediate passion for the work. Throughout her career, she has progressed through various banking roles including teller, customer service representative, and loan assistant, demonstrating consistent commitment to growth and client service excellence. Her promotion to officer status after more than a decade represents the fulfillment of a long-held professional dream. In her current role, Mercedez works directly with business clients in her local community, helping them manage their money efficiently through treasury management solutions including online banking, ACH services, and remote deposit. She focuses on streamlining day-to-day tasks to make banking as seamless as possible for her clients. Before entering banking, Mercedez earned a degree in policing and criminal justice, initially planning a different career path. However, she found her true calling in banking through relationship-building and problem-solving. She plans to pursue her Certified Treasury Professional (CTP) certification and considering returning to school for finance or school of banking to continue expanding her expertise. Beyond her professional accomplishments, Mercedez is passionate about mentorship and supporting other women in banking. She regularly visits her branches to ensure associates feel comfortable asking questions and views her colleagues as both coworkers and friends. She believes strongly that women need to lift each other up and support one another's success in the industry. Her leadership philosophy is rooted in the foundation built by her early mentors, particularly the women at her first branch who taught her professionalism, confidence, and the importance of creating a welcoming environment where people feel comfortable learning and growing.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Mercedez
01What do you attribute your success to?
A big part of my success in the banking field would be the team of ladies from the very first branch I started at as a teller. They not only taught me how to be the best professional version of myself but also being the best person I can be outside of work. They helped build my foundation to having a successful career in banking. We were truly a tiny family, I still keep in contact with them to this day. I am grateful for everyone who shared their knowledge and truly believed in me.
I still take those morals and values with me today. Because of how well it worked for me, they made me feel welcome, they made me feel like I was able to ask any questions, so I love taking that and leading it with me for the rest of my career.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Surround yourself with people who lift you up, challenge you, and inspire you to grow. When you’re supported by the right people, you’re more confident, gain more knowledge, and more successful at achieving your goals. Do everything you can to gain as much knowledge as possible, just soak it all in as much as you can.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Knowledge is power- ask questions and speak up. Just as I did, surround yourself with mentors and peers who support you. Banking is always changing, your voice matters in shaping this industry. You need be open to new processes, technologies, and way of thinking. Also, something I tell my associates, celebrate the small wins. Recognizing small victories for yourself and your team keeps everyone motivated and confident.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Technology is always changing in my role working with business clients in online banking. In banking, technology is always changing. New digital tools, cybersecurity, and online banking innovations can be demanding but essential for staying competitive. Businesses expect fast, seamless, and secure banking solutions while still ensuring clients feel personally supported. This pushes me to continually improve our products, services, and procedures.
I don't want my clients to ever think they're just a number to me. They truly mean something to me, so this pushes me to continually improve our products, services, procedures. So, it's just always an ongoing challenge in my field to make sure we're always up to date, we're always where we need to be to stay competitive with other local financial institutions.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Continuous growth- at work it means learning new skills, improving processes, and seeking opportunities to tackle challenges. Personally, it’s about new experiences, learning from mistakes and always striving to become a better version of myself. Growth fuels progress and hopefully encourages those around me to aim higher as well. Another big one that I learned throughout my 20s is learning from your mistakes and being a better version of yourself. Learn from those mistakes, gain that knowledge, and just truly be the best version that you can be. When you're the best version of yourself, I feel like it helps encourage everyone around me to kind of do the same.
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