After 26 years in the role of internal auditor for North Shore Bank, Vice President-General Auditor Ron Drabowicz is ready to focus on life after banking. In fact, including his pre-North Shore employment, he says, “I’ve been doing the same thing for 38 years, and it’s time to change my focus.”
Although Ron estimates that he has written over 1,000 reports in his professional life, and although he also admits, “My team and I have not always been a welcome sight at branches and departments,” he confirms that his years in auditing have been rewarding. “I’ve met and worked with so many great people at every level of the organization,” he says.
Perhaps his biggest challenge was to convince staff that he was not there to find mistakes, but “to help them become more efficient and effective.” “I’ll miss all of the wonderful people,” he says, “but I won’t miss waking up to an alarm clock.”
Executive Vice President and COO Jay McKenna says, “’Drabo’ is an auditor’s auditor; he has been one his entire career. As North Shore has grown, Ron has expanded his own capabilities and those of his department to meet the challenges of a fast-changing environment. He has been a trusted business adviser, providing sound analysis, and counsel to help improve performance throughout our system. Ron can be very proud of the contributions he has made to where we are today.”
Ron doesn’t expect to slow down, but rather to change gears. He has been an avid tennis player for years; he wants to play more golf; he and his wife, Bonnie, want to see more of the United States as well as Europe (they’re counting on at least three major trips a year); and they want to spend more time with their family — especially granddaughter Madyson — and to extend their annual Florida winter getaway.
Plus he has a long to-do list of projects to complete in his and Bonnie’s historic Tudor-style home.
There’s something else on Ron’s agenda that he hasn’t had time for during his work life: He wants to volunteer and to “get his hands dirty” where there are disasters. “My heart goes out to the people in Japan,” he says, and he can see himself helping in scenarios such as the destructive earthquake and tsunami — or the Gulf of Mexico oil spill or Hurricane Katrina. “I don’t want retirement to be just about me,” he says. He may join the Red Cross for volunteer services.
As Ron moves on, he shares this advice: “Banking offers a lot of opportunity in a variety of areas. If you stay with it, there will be chances for advancement, and compensation grows as skills and responsibility levels grow.”