Michelle Seaver, president of United Community Bank, worked her way up from a teller’s desk – and says she still has much to learn
“Stay true to your inner compass: what you know is right. I always felt like I made decisions based on what, in my core, I knew was the right thing to do.”
Michelle Seaver has called the Upstate home for more than 25 years, and after years in the banking business, she’s recently moved into the president’s seat at United Community Bank. She talks about how she worked her way through the ranks from a summer job as a teller to president of an expanding bank.
What was your journey from graduation to president?
I started as a summertime teller when Carolina First only had five branches. I worked there throughout college; Mack Whittle gave me a great opportunity. After college, I started in their management training program. I was a branch manager for the Cleveland Street office and then manager of Greenville main. I later worked in private banking/wealth management for Wachovia. Then I moved back to Carolina First because of those relationships that stayed strong. I started the Carolina First private banking group, at first an offshoot of the commercial team. I was most recently director of private banking for the North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia footprint. Post-merger with TD Bank, I was the regional wealth leader for the Carolinas.
What was one of your favorite jobs during training?
I enjoyed being a second-shift proof-operator; it was so much fun. You sat at a big machine, fed in a check and typed the dollar amount. It encoded the bottom of the check. This was when the checks actually traded hands about 20 years ago.
What do you have yet to learn about your business?
In banking, there is always something to learn, because regulatory issues are constantly changing and our customers’ needs are always changing.
What is something you really enjoy about your job?
I really enjoy private banking. I love helping people achieve their goals and plan through life – whether it’s paying for a college education or buying a house. I love to help them figure out a way to achieve their goals. They are all very big for each individual person.
What is difference between the future you saw for yourself 10 and 20 years ago and the life you are living/work you are doing today?
I was always so excited about the job I was working at the time that I never could really imagine the next step. Looking back, if someone had told me then that I would be a bank president someday, I wouldn’t have believed them. Now, I can’t imagine being anywhere else.
What was a game-changing moment in your career?
I remember the exact moment when I got a phone call from Mack Whittle asking me to lead the private banking business at The South Financial Group. I was so honored and knew I could do the job, but I just couldn’t believe it was actually happening.
Can you share a valuable piece of advice that you’ve picked up along the way?
Stay true to your inner compass: what you know is right. I always felt like I made decisions based on what, in my core, I knew was the right thing to do. If you stay true to that direction, you’re better off.
Who are your mentors?
There have been many along the way. Certainly my parents. My dad has taught me so much though his career at different times. I may not have wanted to hear the advice at that time, but it resonates. And Lynn Harton, our COO, is a great mentor.
You do a lot of volunteer work, in addition to helping with your children’s sports teams. What is work that some people may not know that you do?
I was in charge of ice cream sales at Beck Academy, and that sounds so simple, but it was great. We were part of the sixth-grade class, the “freshman class,” and it really helped us develop a relationship with the school.
What is a fulfilling aspect of your volunteer work?
I like to see the results of the hard work. I was on the board for the SC Children’s Theatre and it’s so much more than productions. And to see that in my child’s school was so rewarding. Artisphere is a year’s worth of hard work pulled off in one weekend. It’s so exciting to see what the end result is. I think that’s the deep roots of my accounting education.
