Chatting With VCNB's New Head Of Retail Jodi Motta

Work-life balance, progress, relationships, proactive, and community. These are just a few of the words VCNB’s newly minted Head of Retail Jodi Motta uses when discussing her career at the bank and what’s to come.

In truth, Jodi doesn’t like to talk about herself and naturally turns the conversation to the people around her and to the bank that has helped her grow into this new role. “I’m most proud of the fact I have been a fulltime mom to three great kids and that I could still be as successful in my career as I am today. That has all been thanks to the bank and the sense of work-life balance that is encouraged here.”

It has also been because of Jodi’s own hard work. Jodi came to VCNB as a teller, working her way up through the ranks of the Retail Department and serving the last fifteen years as a Regional Manager. Her children were in elementary school when she took on that role which requires a great deal of time.

“As a working mom you always feel guilty when you’re away from your kids so it means a lot when your employer works with you to take off the time you need for your family. It also means a lot for your kids to see how hard you work so that you become their why.”

She went on to talk about her son’s interview for a Master’s Program. One of the questions they asked was why he wanted to join that program. “He said to them ‘my mom told me that I can do anything and I’ve seen that through her actions and her words. She’s the reason I want to do this so badly.’ I was his why. It makes me a little emotional just thinking about it,” she explained.

Here at work, Jodi has long been recognized as a hard worker and a problem solver who others can go to for help. For the last few years, she has focused on her listening skills. “My default mode is to immediately try to fix every problem. I have been working hard to really listen and to understand different perspectives. I want people to feel like they are heard and that they can bring me their ideas, visions and concerns. I want them to know that their words matter.”

While Jodi has offices in Lancaster and McArthur, she is working to get out to all sixteen of the bank’s branches to get to know the staff and markets better. She wants to learn more about the unique opportunities and challenges that her employees face in the different branches.

One of those challenges involves fighting the growing threat of fraud that banks across the nation face daily. “Every time we figure out how to deal with one type of fraud, another pops up that is completely different. It used to be we had to worry about bank robbery and now we have to think about so much more,” she said. “One thing we are good at is building relationships with our customers. This allows us to better understand how to spot activity outside their habits and even to help our customers understand how to protect themselves.”

She pointed out that when one person is a victim of fraud, everyone eventually suffers which is why the bank is ramping up its financial safety education. “We are working to build a larger knowledge base and more confidence in our staff so they are better equipped to spot something suspicious and know how to have better conversations with our customers.”

She is confident that her staff is up to this and many other challenges. “We have the best people. I couldn’t be in a role like this without having a wonderful staff and I have a tremendous amount of respect for everyone in Retail. When you’re working the front line, you’re responsible for so much and I never want to take our staff for granted.”

As for her role in the future of this bank, Jodi is optimistic. “The bank has been around for a long time and I want to continue building on what we have. I am very forward thinking so, while I do recognize what we do very well, I want to take us to the next level,” she explained. “I am feeling good, optimistic and confident about the bank.”

Jodi and her husband Chris have three children – a high school senior, a college undergraduate, and one pursuing a dual major in a master’s program.

“I love our bank. I love our past and our present. I love my department and the people. The future is exciting and I’m glad to be a part of it.”