How did you continue to propel your career forward while working at Citizens Bank?
I think it’s been about hard work and good fortune, both of which have benefited me throughout my career. I’ve also been so blessed to have a truly supportive family. One thing I’m grateful for is the tuition assistance program the bank offers. This enabled me to get my MBA by going to graduate school part-time at night; the bank also provided the means through which I was certified as a CFE. Obtaining both involved personal and professional sacrifices but were game changers for me career-wise. Getting these opportunities was tremendous — from there it was a matter of having goals, working hard and being willing to make sacrifices along the way.
What unique challenges do you think the banking sector faces when dealing with fraud?
Banking is extremely competitive these days and that type of environment means having to make difficult choices when it comes to investments. Maximizing value on any preventative investment, whether it’s technology or process-related, is absolutely crucial. Along with this, you have to have the ability to influence decisions at all levels of the organization in order to advance any security-related objectives and obtain needed funding.
What is a memorable case or project that you have worked on?
Since the majority of my work is on the preventative side, I don’t deal directly with case investigations so most of my success has come on the project side. One of the most tangible successes I’ve had was developing and implementing a process to simplify customer emergency debit card replacement orders (which happened mainly as a result of fraud) when I was working in operations. We collected and analyzed card re-order data, surveyed our own customers, collected competitive data on peer processes, and put in a streamlined process that made things much clearer, simpler and faster for our customers. This enabled the operation to capture revenue that offset costs for production and expedited shipment of the cards. It was a win-win all around.
What activities or hobbies do you like to do outside of work?
I’m a huge outdoors and sports fan. I play golf, hike, run, bike, camp and ski — whatever the environment and weather allows for at any given time! I also think giving back to the community is not just good to do; it’s a responsibility for those with means. I take pride in volunteering with nonprofit organizations and serving on their boards of directors in my community.
ACFE membership is open to individuals of all job functions, industries and levels of experience who are interested in the prevention, detection and deterrence of fraud. If you want to level up your anti-fraud career, we can help.
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