Holley Kearns: Redefining herself
What’s a nice girl with a Criminal Justice degree doing in the banking world?
We sat down with Holley Kearns, manager of KNBT bank and talked about her transition from social work to retail to banking. Here is the interview…
Q: Tell us something about yourself.
A: I was born in Stroudsburg, graduated from Stroudsburg High School and Moravian College with a BA in Criminal Justice. I went into social work for 7 years and then I entered into the world of high end retail at Brooks Brothers and Ann Taylor stores. A managerial position opened at KNBT bank and I applied for it. That was more than 5 years ago.
Q: Why did you choose a career in banking over your other positions that you held up to that point and especially, the criminal justice degree?
A: It was an accident, actually. I was commuting to NJ with the retail position and I had an 18 month old son. It was too hectic and I decided I needed to find a job in Stroudsburg. I wanted to be with my child more and not on the road as much. My husband saw an ad in the paper that KNBT was searching for someone with retails sales management experience and he suggested that I apply. I couldn’t really understand why the wanted to hire me, as I had no prior experience in banking. But now I realize how many customer service skills I had gotten from my retail management positions and because of that, I have been able to help a lot of customers.
Q: Where would you like to be in your career in 3-5 years?
A: I would truly like to be doing what I am doing only bigger – I like where I’m at. I like being in downtown Stroudsburg and I like the people I work with and my customers.
Q: What qualities do you think a successful manager should have?
A: A manager should have the ability to work with a lot of different personalities that are interacting simultaneously at the speed of light.
Q: Would it bother you to work with someone younger than you?
A: Not at all. Mostly middle-aged women are managers today. My observations are that young men are not really visible in banking today. Only 3 are at KNBT in my division and management levels.
Q. If you could live your life over again, what would you change?
A: I would have liked to have had the right circumstances to have more children.
Q: What is your greatest success in life so far and how did you achieve it?
A: greatest success is my closeness to my family. My sisters are my best friends and our children are growing up together.
Q: What do you dislike doing?
A: Housecleaning. More specifically, doing the dishes and cleaning the toilets. One day, I hope to not do that anymore. And if I hit the lottery, this person will live with us in order to help me keep my house clean!
Q: Do you watch TV?
A: Yes. American Idol. I love Simon! When and if he leaves, I’ll be very upset. I really thought that Kris would lose and that Adam was going to win—and that it was fixed. I am very happy that Kris won.
Q: Do you have a hero? If so, who might it be?
A: My baby niece, Ruthie. She was born with Down’s syndrome and 2 heart congenital defects. Her coming into our family has changed all of us and has taught us that it’s awesome to be different She is the coolest kid and she is only 3 years old.
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