After about 30 years in the banking industry, controller Nancy Lepic will retire at the end of this month — with no regrets. “I’ll miss the people I work with,” she says. “But I’m very excited, honestly, to try some new things.”
President and COO Jay McKenna, who hired Nancy, says: “Nancy has been a great asset to the bank. She has been a rock — always calm, steady, and reliable. We have been through multiple significant events since she came on board, including acquisitions, the Great Recession, accounting and regulation changes, and systems conversions. These put tremendous stress on her and her department. But she and her team have never failed to get us through. Nancy is a problem solver extraordinaire, and a great partner to her fellow department managers. And all the while, she has managed to smartly utilize technology to keep her team lean and efficient in spite of the increasing demands.”
When did you start your banking career?
I started my banking career in 1986, when I joined First Wisconsin as a management trainee. I worked there for many years in various accounting and management positions.
Jay McKenna found me through a recruiter and offered me the controller position at North Shore Bank in 2003, which I’ve held since then. I wasn’t really looking for a job at the time. But I liked Jay and I liked the people I talked to here. Also, compared to many local banks, I thought there was some job security.
Are there specific mentors or colleagues who have been especially important to your career?
I’ve appreciated working with Drew Wallach, Jay, and Jim McKenna — three of the smartest people I’ve ever met.
What’s your favorite of all the changes that have taken place in your work since you started?
Too many to count! Instead, I’d like to comment on the fine people I’ve worked with in the Accounting Department, and the good friends that I’ve made here. It’s been a great place to work. I don’t really have any anecdotes — we are the Accounting Department, after all! [Laughs.] People think we’re kind of boring. But I have a ton of respect for the people here. They do great work.
If you had not gone into banking, what other career path might you have taken?
In my early college days, I pursued a career as an academic. I’ve been an accountant now for a really long time, but back in the ’70s, I was studying the culture and religion of India. In my late twenties, though, I decided I was better at working than thinking about it.
What are your retirement plans?
My husband, Steve, and I hope to travel and spend time with family. This year we’re planning on doing some U.S. travel — trying to pick a place where we might winter. Mostly, we’re just doing some road trips in the United States.
And I’ve started writing a novel.
Will you tell us what it’s about?
[Laughs.] No.