Janice Tishberg, who will retire on July 31, has probably had a greater influence on the bank and her colleagues than she realizes.

“Jan is the reason I am working at North Shore Bank,” says Bayshore Branch Manager Gloria Rosenberg. “She came into my Mequon retail store during my 2008 closing sale. If you know Jan, you won’t be surprised that we started chatting, and she asked what I planned to do next. I admitted I didn’t know. ‘Why don’t you come to the bank?’ she urged.

“That fall I did,” Gloria reports, “and guess who was my trainer! Jan was great, but best of all it gave me an opportunity to get to know her, which was a true pleasure.”

Fox Point Branch Manager Carol Bergen arrived at North Shore 12 years ago, and Jan already was a fixture in that office. “Jan welcomed me with open arms,” Carol says. “She has always been an enthusiastic promoter of NSB at the branch and literally all around town.

“She has been a top referrer and achieved CSR of the Year several times. She was always genuinely surprised at that honor. It was not something she sought; it was the natural result of her sales skills and truly caring for our customers.”

Life transitions open door to banking
Jan moved to Fox Point at a transitional time in her life. She was ready to take a break from her promotion and marketing role with a number of Midwest arts organizations, both of her parents had just died, her two children were at college in Illinois, and her husband was busy with his law practice.

“We had just downsized and moved to Fox Point, and I was ready for a change,” Jan says. “I had noticed a small neighborhood bank, and my husband and daughter told me about the wonderful banker, Aaron Dixon, who had helped them.

“I called Aaron to inquire about bank products, and Aaron told me the personal banker was out but would return my call soon. ‘No personal banker? Maybe I’ll come in and work,’ I quipped.

“Aaron invited me to apply, but I thought the conversation was in jest. I never in my wildest imagination thought I could work at a bank that requires technical and math skills, fields I have shied away from.”

A former substitute teacher with an emphasis in English, Jan thought, “Knowing Chaucer and Shakespeare does not prepare one for the banking world.” She considered her age another deterrent.

But Aaron didn’t give up. “I was taken aback when Aaron later called and asked where I was. He was serious! So I decided to go for it. My daughter came along to help me with the online application, and I got hired. I was so excited to be getting an education in banking — and getting paid for it!”

Success comes despite being ‘balanced challenged’
“The first years were challenging,” Jan admits. She likens some of her experiences to the episode of I Love Lucy in which Lucy and her friend Ethel try to keep up with packaging chocolates passing on a conveyor belt, stuffing the confections into their mouths as the belt goes faster and faster.

“I called myself ‘balanced challenged,’ Jan says in her usual good humor. Even though Carol offered Jan opportunities to advance, she declined. “I was content and happy to be a teller.” She considered her ability to market NSB products her “saving grace,” referring to herself as a “teller-marketer.”

Jan credits Carol, Aaron, and Lyneen Fischer for the length of her career. “They were always willing to help me navigate through the difficulties,” she says. “Carol had the patience of a saint, many times staying late to help me.”

Jan leaves ’em laughing as she makes next transition
Mequon Branch Manager Michele Padovano remembers: “Jan was one of the first people I met when I came to North Shore Bank almost 12 years ago. We hit it off from the beginning, and I enjoyed her cheerful and caring heart.

“She got to know my two kids. My 13-year-old daughter still talks about the teddy bear she got from Jan. She took it everywhere. When she lost it one day and cried, Jan got her another one just like it. That’s just the type of person Jan is: super caring!”

Michele will miss Jan’s stories of her life experiences: “She would make me laugh so hard, I’d cry!”

Jan will enjoy having a more flexible schedule to spend time with her family: husband Mark; son Ben, an attorney, and daughter Julie, a teacher, both in Highland Park; and grandchildren Bradley, 7, and Lucy, 8.

She’ll also continue to use her promotion and marketing skills in community service. Jan is a member of the Steering Committee of the Fox Point-Bayside Lx Senior Center; she is a board member of Milwaukee’s Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum; and she’ll be raising funds for a foundation at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, that conducts cancer research.

“I offered to help my husband in his law practice,” Jan says. “He replied, ‘Oh, no! Please don’t retire from North Shore Bank!’

“This job has taught me not only computer and banking skills, it has also taught me to be a better customer and person,” Jan reflects. “I have learned humility, diplomacy, compromise, and teamwork. I have enjoyed every minute at NSB and the wonderful people I have met. Thank you for 14 great years.”

Coworkers and friends wish Jan the best as she makes yet another transition in her life.