Dee Patel is the new manager at McHenry and Lake in the Hills.

New McHenry and Lake in the Hills area branch manager Dipmala Patel was born in India and moved to Illinois with her family when she was 9. She brings 10 years of banking experience and 15 years as a business owner to her new position.

“I owned three sandwich shops for nine years, and I am a co-owner, with my husband, of an automotive repair shop,” Dee says. “Both businesses are completely different, but management and operations skills carry over from business to business and in banking — i.e., listening, communication, understanding internal and external clients’ needs, and providing appropriate solutions.” As a manager, she says, it’s important to her to be a strong trainer and coach, so that her team can take ownership of their work with her guidance.

When she’s not working, she loves spending time with her family, cooking (“My favorite thing to cook is chimichangas”), and traveling to tropical destinations. “I like the seasonal changes the Midwest has to offer, but I hate driving in the snow,” Dee says. But, she adds, “I can’t imagine living anywhere other than Illinois.”