The early 20th-century business adage, “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know,” has served Violeta Timm well during her career in banking and finance. And it all started around the time of the Great Recession.

Southwestern University encourages all students to study abroad and to pursue internships to develop global knowledge. Violeta studied in Costa Rica to fulfill her Spanish major, and then sought internships that would align with her other major, economics. Dr. Emily Northrop of the economics department connected her with the local chamber.

Georgetown Chamber of Commerce employed her to sell map ads, so she learned “warm calling” and developed relationships with local business owners and managers. Chase Bank’s local branch manager employed her as a part-time teller in 2007, and upon graduation the following year, she was offered a place in the licensed banker program.

After focusing on mortgage referrals for a couple of years, Violeta was referred by a friend to a small commercial bank based in Dallas with local offices in the Georgetown area. She spent seven years at Sovereign Bank, focusing on treasury services for corporate clients. She earned her Accredited ACH Professional certification. When that bank was sold, Violeta followed one of her mentors to MapleMark Bank. During eight years, she performed “treasury services operations across onboarding, implementations, servicing, payment risk management, product management, and vendor management. She gained valuable insights from Greg Lewis, “one of the best in the industry,” regarding industry wisdom and becoming the ideal team player.

“I have recently transitioned into the next chapter of my career, specializing in U.S. Payments Product Management at Goldman Sachs,” she explains.

None of this occurred in a vacuum, and it all began with following an Alamo Heights High School teacher’s recommendation to attend Southwestern and with counselors’ work to obtain scholarships.

While on campus, Violeta could be seen riding a Pirate bike around. She especially enjoyed a banking course taught by economics professor Dr. Dirk Early, a linguistics course taught by Dr. Abby Dings, and her capstone class with Dr. Katy Ross, both from the Spanish department.

Looking back, she wishes she had taken more psychology and sociology courses. She feels those would have given her “a deeper understanding of why people make the decisions they do. It can help guide challenging conversations toward more meaningful and productive outcomes.”

At the end of the day, Violeta would advise incoming Southwestern students this way: “Stay open-minded, learn how to build meaningful relationships, and be intentional about nurturing them throughout your life. Listen to your mentors and learn from the experiences and mistakes of others. Once you enter the workforce, remain committed to lifelong learning, continue broadening your horizons, look for opportunities to make a meaningful impact, and strive to become the ideal team player.”

Networking with alumni like Violeta Timm and utilizing the faculty and career development resources can surely augment the Southwestern experience for current and incoming students.

-Written by Iris Bullard Foster ’75