Kentucky Banker Magazine - Sept / Oct 2023

Women in Banking Award of Excellence Recipient: Lanie Gardner

Photography and Interview by Matt Simpson, Managing Editor

When Lanie first accepted a position at First National Bank, now First Southern National Bank, she had no idea it would lead to a flourishing career. But with over 23 years of service, Lanie now sees her love of the industry as a God given calling. Lanie’s dedication to serving the community and lifting up other women in banking showcases the very heart of our mission. As such, the KBA has named Lanie as the first recipient of our quinquennial Women in Banking Award of Excellence - a testament to honor the legacy of the late Debra K. Stamper.

Kentucky Banker: What’s it like living here in Muhlenburg County?

Lanie Gardener: Music is a big part of the town’s history, and I’m talking specifically about thumb picking country...Think about guys like the Everly Brothers - this is their home. We have festivals in their name. We have John Prine, and newer artists like Joe Hudson who is world renowned and still lives here. So culturally, it’s very rich.

And for me, it’s just been a place where I’ve been blessed to be in a career where I really get to meet our community and be invested in it and take pride in it.

KB: Were you always a banker here?

LG: No, actually. My first love was healthcare! I worked at our hospital for 15 years in administration and HR.

Really, it was just a phone call from the president here, Tommy Eades, that launched my career in banking. I didn’t know anything about banking, but Tommy knew I cared deeply about culture, and about leadership, and bringing enthusiasm to the table. It was unexpected but I know it was a God thing, and I trusted that calling. That was 23 years ago and we were called First National Bank.

KB: What has kept you inspired to keep growing in our industry?

LG: I learned early on that banks play a key role in community leadership, and nurturing that role has been something that’s kept me passionate about what we do. I love seeing our bankers involved in things that impact the community - things like the Chamber of Commerce, civic programs like Lions or Rotary Clubs, or 401(C)(3) organizations like Happy Feet or Relay for Life. If we have a banker that wants to serve, I love being able to help facilitate those passions.

KB: Is that a big part of your job as Community President?

LG: For me, everything is just interwoven. Yes, I’m involved in marketing, but I’m also on the deposit side. You have to understand the loan side, and the people portfolio. You have to know all the pieces so you can deeply understand your people inside the bank in order to find those opportunities.

And that’s advice I would give to anyone in the industry - just be prepared to evolve. We’ve had leadership changes over the years, everyone will. And people will depend on you to bridge the gap. If you aren’t prepared to pour into people and bring them up, then you lose, and the bank loses. My goal is that someday, people will say, Lanie taught me that. Lanie pushed me to succeed. I hope they say I gave freely of everything that has been given to me.

KB: You’re being awarded the Women in Banking Award of Excellence. What can you tell me about being a women in a predominately male career path?

LG: I would have to say first that men in this career have taught me a lot. People like Mr. Bob Lawton, our president at First National, and Jess Corli, our current president here at First Southern, both have been hugely influential on my growth. Both love nothing more than meeting new people and living that life of service. But that doesn’t come easy for everyone. People think that it must be super easy for me, but I can be a wall flower like everyone else. I remember going to my first KBA meeting, and it was just a sea of men. And yeah, I was uncomfortable! I didn’t know anyone there. And there are still women in this career who have to enter those spaces and look around and feel very alone.

But I would just encourage them to keep sitting at the table. Keep being excited. We are in a period of positive change for women like us, and you can look around Kentucky and see strong women presidents now. You can see so many women in leadership roles and women who are making a difference in the industry. It’s amazing to see. I think it really became clear to me at this years Women in Banking conference. It was just electric and that’s going to continue to be a pipeline for women in our state who have fallen in love with banking.

KB: You were the MC at the Women in Banking Conference and I think you really came across as a leader for the women there. And when I look around the room, I see you are a lover of books, and all of them seem to be about leadership in one way or another. Talk to me about what you think makes a good leader.

LG: A leader has to be so many things. They should be someone you can trust. They should be a sounding board, someone who you can bounce different ideas off of, someone who is passionate and inspires passion.

But more simply, I think the biggest thing is a leader should have a genuine heart. They should want to do the right thing, the right way. I believe that if we make the right decision for the right reason, everything else will fall into place. And if you make a mistake, own it - you’ve done your best.

KB: You talk about mistakes...What about challenges that are out of your control? How do you deal with set backs that seem to challenge our best laid plans.

LG: Every time we do something, or make a decision, we’re giving a part of ourselves. I ask myself, how much am giving away and how much am I leaving for the things that God is

leading me to? If I keep that in mind, then when things come crashing down, I have a reserve left.

It happened four years ago to me. My career was going great. My relationships were wonderful. And then I took the shingles vaccine and everything changed. Almost overnight my brain grew out of its spot as a result of encephalitis and I crashed hard.

The doctors were lost. They kept saying migraine. I had considered it could be diabetes. Two days after the vaccine I started passing out and we were just getting no answers. Finally, in Louisville, I coded for the first time. It’s personal, but I experienced several things during this that some people wouldn’t believe. I had really lost my way. I didn’t recognize my husband. I was asking for my deceased father. And I felt like I was falling into something, right up until I felt my husband’s hands pulling mine, saying, “I love you,” as if he was pulling me out of the darkness.

I came through, but not unscathed. From then on, I was experiencing massive headaches. I was on more steroids than a football team could take. I was on medicine for seizures. And now, still, I deal with what’s happened. I can be having a good day, like now, and suddenly just get smacked in the head by those familiar headaches and fear.

If we make the right decision for the right reason, everything else will fall into place.

KB: How does a life altering situation like this change your perspective?

LG: I think things like this and recently with Debra

Stamper’s passing makes everyone stop and realize how you can’t take life for granted. And as easy as that is to say, we still do everyday. It’s a struggle.

But it makes you better. I’ve always been a passionate person, but now my empathy is stronger than ever. I want to consider the full person, always. That line, “leave your problems at the door,” - no, thank you. You are who you are and all of these things make up the totality of you as a person. I want people to know that we expect life to have its ups and downs and that we support your journey.

I’m just one person, of course, but I hope the people I come in contact with can say when they leave that at least one person has your back. That Lanie thinks you have a lot to offer.

The Women in Banking Award of Excellence. This custom, limited edition piece has been crafted by Society Awards of New York. Society Awards also work with the Emmy’s, MTV, CMT, and other society presentations.