Women's History Month spotlight: Celebrating a legacy of mentorship.
When Angie Currie, president, Commerce Bank – Iowa, thinks about the importance of Women’s History Month, one person immediately comes to mind: her mother.
“Women’s History Month for me is really a time to reflect on the women who have greatly impacted who I have become,” she explains.
“I’ve had an opportunity to have some pretty strong female mentors throughout my career, and that started with my mom.”
As Currie notes, her mother worked at the same bank for 44 years. “My mom worked every weekday, 8:00 to 5:00, throughout my childhood,” she says. “At the same time, she was at every basketball game, every track meet, every volleyball game. My mom was there to support me in everything. And I can tell you that her coworkers at the bank would say the same thing.”
That example — of a woman who excelled in her career while being fully present for her family — became a blueprint for Currie. “She had a great career and a great family life at home. She showed how you could be good at both,” she says.
Following in the family footsteps.
Growing up in small-town Iowa, Currie spent a lot of time at the bank where her mother worked, but that’s not why she went into banking herself. “I didn't even know what the industry was all about until I took a banking class at Iowa State,” she says.
That class proved to be a turning point. Her professor pulled her aside one evening and suggested she talk to a Commerce recruiter about the bank’s commercial lending business. In 2008, Currie joined the bank in Kansas City via a two-year training program that gave her the opportunity to rotate through different areas of Commerce’s commercial business.
One pivotal moment came when she was ready to accept a permanent position in an area she was on rotation in, but a mentor encouraged her to be patient and spend more time in each area of the bank.
“I really enjoyed the people I was working with and was anxious to take a full-time role, so I remember being frustrated at the time” Currie recalls. “In retrospect, it was the right thing to do. It allowed me to broaden my perspective, learn how different teams operated, and better understand how we manage relationships across the bank.”
Currie believes the experience she gained ultimately positioned her to be able to stay with Commerce when she and her husband wanted to move back to Iowa in 2014. She helped open Commerce’s commercial banking office in Des Moines and has been building the Iowa team ever since.
In her role, Currie applies Commerce’s sophisticated solutions and industry knowledge to solve real challenges for Iowa businesses across various industries. “I enjoy spending time with our customers and truly getting to know what their needs are,” she says. “Then we can come to them with a set of solutions that addresses their challenges. I’m a little biased, but I love Commerce and what we’re able to bring to this market.”
Looking back on her time at Commerce, Currie is grateful for the culture that’s allowed her to thrive. “I’ve always felt appreciated, supported and challenged here,” she says. “I’ve always felt like I am contributing and I’m part of a great team. And at the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about, right?”
Helping the next generation of women bankers.
Currie is grateful for the mentorship she has received over the years, and today she pays that forward through her work with DSM Financial Executive Women, a group that pairs experienced women in banking with younger professionals. What started as six mentor–mentee pairs has grown into a thriving network, and Currie served as the group’s president last year.
“It's been truly impactful to spend time with younger women who are just starting out in their careers and trying to build families and wondering if they can do it all,” Currie says. “It’s been a lot of fun, and it’s something I’m passionate about.”
For young women starting their careers in finance, Currie’s advice is simple: Ask.
“You’ve got a network of women out there who really want to see you thrive and grow,” she says. “Ask someone in your office to coffee or lunch. Ask about their career path. I think sometimes those informal mentorships can be the most impactful.”
As Women’s History Month reminds us to celebrate the achievements of women throughout history, Currie considers it equally important to invest in the women who will make history tomorrow. It’s a philosophy she learned from her mother all those years ago at that small-town Iowa bank, and one she’s committed to passing forward.
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