Photo: McBoat Photography
Cole: What inspired you to pursue a career in the banking field, and how did you get started? Evans: From an early age, my parents instilled in me the importance of education, so I never considered not pursuing a college degree. In my junior year in high school, I began to explore career options. I knew I wanted to pursue a career in business but was uncertain as to what area of focus. This was a time before Google of course, so I went to the public library and checked out a copy of the “Job Outlook Handbook” published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Now I think it’s referred to as the “Occupational Outlook Handbook”. This periodical provides a description of the occupation, future outlook for the occupation and salary range. I focused on the Business and Financial section, ultimately landing on commercial banking. My major was Finance and Commercial Banking with a minor in Economics.
Cole: What do you believe to be the most important piece of advice for a leader to follow? Evans: I believe it’s important to lead by example. To me that means not simply instructing someone on what to do, but rather being willing to work along side them to accomplish said goal. Cole: How can you inspire others while also maintaining that you continue to be inspired by Wintrust Bank’s overall mission? Evans: I continue to garner inspiration from the sacrifices made by my parents in support of my educational pursuit, the encouragement provided by my high school math teacher Mr. Washington, who saw and fostered my financial acumen early, and the overall need to provide financial advice and services to many underserved communities who otherwise would be subject to increase risk of predatory lending practices.
25 The Acumen
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