Jena Curry

I am the AVP/Branch Manager of the Cornwall Office of Skagit State Bank. Although I work and reside in Whatcom County, my head office remains in Burlington as do some of my ties in the Skagit Valley Community.

I chose banking as a career at a young age. My grandfather was co-founder of a savings and loan in Chehalis, WA in the late 20's. My fondest memories are visiting his office back in the day when it was not uncommon to be serving martini's at lunch time. Those were the days "bankers hours" existed. My Mother and Uncle also followed suit until the demise of the Savings and Loan Industry.

I came to Bellingham from Chehalis to pursue a degree in financial education at WWU in 1985. My son was 5 years old at the time starting kindergarten at Lowell Elementary. Looking back it didn't seem so hard, but today, I cannot imagine having 3 jobs, going to school and raising a son. I was not able to finish my degree, but feel strongly about mentoring single moms to follow their dreams starting with an education.

I did not think I could ever obtain a job in the banking industry having not received my diploma, but I was wrong. I was hired as a teller in 1989 at Seafirst Bank in downtown Bellingham. Within a few months I was promoted to Vault Teller. Within that same year I was taking an AIB class instructed by longtime Skagitonian, Denise Rhone. She encouraged me to apply for a job at Bellingham National Bank across the street. I was hired on as a teller with Denise serving as my mentor. I quickly promoted to a New Account Representative to a Specialist and finally an Assistant Manager. I am forever grateful to my mentor for getting me started in the career I had always hoped for, so love to pay it forward whenever possible.

As a representative of the Skagit Woman's and Alliance Network I am proud to network and volunteer within both Whatcom and Skagit Counties. It is amazing how many times I have crossed paths with former employees and/or customers from my 22 years in banking. Serving on the SWAN board is just one more opportunity to meet women in Skagit County.