The Alderwood team is a small but close-knit group, with great longevity. Of the seven people assigned to the branch, five have been working together for more than 4 years. We read books together, we celebrate births and anniversaries together, and we even sometimes dance in the branch (we have some interesting music sometimes thanks to the satellite radio station).

But as the northern-most Verity branch, many members never have a reason to come to Lynnwood to see us, so I thought I’d share a bit about each member of the AW team.

Jason, regional operations manager (he’s the branch manager, as well as working part-time at headquarters)

• He’s been working for Verity for seven years, all of it based out of the Alderwood branch.
• All of his working experience is in the banking field, although he did consider working in the import/export industry, as well as insurance.
• His “baby” is Sunny, a one-year-old Maltese (who sometimes makes appearances at the branch on Saturdays).
• He was born in Vietnam (he’s the youngest of 7) and immigrated to the United States with his family when he was in third-grade.
• He loves to travel to sunny locations, including Las Vegas, Florida, California and Mexico; his dream destination is Australia.
• When he’s not at the branch or headquarters, you can generally find him on a golf course. If he could do anything, he’d own a golf course and teach others how to play.

Mindy, assistant branch manager and security officer

• She’s been with Verity for nearly 11 years, having started at the Smokey Point branch (she grew up nearby). She moved to the Alderwood branch nine years ago when it was opened and the Smokey Point branch was closed.
• She’s named after Mindy from the TV show “Mork and Mindy.”
• When she’s not working, she likes hanging out with her husband and three sons (ages 9, 3 and 10 months), although much of her “free time” in the spring and summer is spent watching baseball and t-ball.
• She likes to draw, read and play volleyball.
• If she had the time and money was no object, she’d love to travel around the world and visit beaches, her “happy place.”
• She loves pink lemonade Jolly Ranchers (although she can never find them), and hates mayonnaise.

Katie, relationship consultant (new accounts, loan origination, public relations, etc.)

• She’s worked for Verity for 8 years, ever since she was a teenager. She’s always worked at the Alderwood branch, except for about six months early in her career when she worked at the Beacon Hill branch.
• She’s currently pregnant with daughter #2, due in July.
• She grew up in the Pacific Northwest, and her mom worked for Verity when she was born. (In fact, her car seat was a gift from CEO Bill Hayes and COO Sherry Steckly).
• During her free time, she’s a “home body,” hanging out with her daughter and husband between running errands, dance classes and other activities.
• Her list of favorite foods is too long to write, but it includes pretty much all things sweet, especially cookies.
• She’s afraid of heights and flying, and doesn’t go into water if she can’t see the bottom.

Flo, member services representative

• She’s been working for Verity for 8 years, all at the Alderwood branch, and she is the only full-time teller. She started working in the financial world in 1975.
• She was born in the Philippines and immigrated to the United States in 1983.
• In her free time, she watches her grandkids, two of whom live nearby. Her third grandchild lives in the Philippines with one of her two grown daughters.
• She can speak several languages, including Chinese, English, a smattering of Spanish, and Tagalog (also known as Filipino).
• She loves to eat Chinese food (and sometimes she treats us to homemade egg rolls).
• If she could do anything, she’d open a business in her home, possibly for childcare or cooking.

Debbie, member services representative

• She’s been with Verity for 4 ½ years, all of it at the Alderwood branch, but she has 9 years of banking experience.
• She moved to the Pacific Northwest from Texas in 1992 with her husband and two daughters.
• She is an accomplished cook, having “mastered” essentially all types of cuisine, except Chinese.
• In addition to her two grown daughters, she has three four-legged kids: Nicky (a lab), Pebbles (a Chihuahua) and Maddie (a shi tzu)
• Her favorite foods to eat are from the Mediterranean region… plus Cheetos.
• She is a former ballet dancer and doesn’t like to swim, even though she’s from Texas where everyone has a pool.

Teresa, member services representative

• She’s only been with Verity since October 2011, but she’s been in the banking industry for nearly 30 years, having worked for both credit unions and banks.
• She and her husband are avid sailors, belonging to three yacht clubs and regularly racing their 40-foot sailboat, “Shoot the Moon.”
• When she’s not sailing or working, she’s spending time with her four-year-old Golden Retriever, Ryder.
• She has five kids (a son and daughter, plus three step-kids), a son-in-law, a soon-to-be daughter-in-law, and two grandkids (who she is looking forward to babysitting this summer).
• She loves cooking, regularly challenging herself to try recipes she stumbles across in magazines. But, her favorite food to make, and eat for that matter, is Thai.
• If money was no object, she’d spend her life sailing around the world, meeting people from different walks of life and working when she needed money.

Kira (that’s me!), member services representative

• She’s been with Verity since February 2012, having come from the journalism world.
• She has two step kids plus four four-legged children – Denali, a six-year-old lab/pit mix; Yoda, a six-year-old Himalayan Siamese; and Pepper and Wicket, three-year-old calico sisters.
• She is a Girl Scout Gold Award recipient (the highest honor for Girl Scouts) and a lifetime member.
• She sells accessories (namely jewelry) for humans and pets through the Etsy store KMC Crafts.
• When she’s not working or crafting, she’s hanging out with her husband grilling or working in the vegetable garden.
• She hates strawberries and bananas

So come venture to the northern-most Verity branch and say hi! We’re always here with smiles on our faces. (And if you’re lucky, you’ll catch us dancing).