Get to know some of United’s Military Veteran employees this Veterans Day

United recognizes that the diversity of its team supports the Company’s overall mission to provide excellence in service. Its commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion fosters respect and a shared purpose that aligns with the Bank’s core values and community leadership. Since the Bank’s founding in 1839, its leading principles have helped United grow from a single office to a premier regional banking company with a strong presence throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast. Today, the Company holds approximately $30 billion in assets and serves a consumer and commercial customer base that is diversified across lines of business as well as geography, with more than 225 offices located throughout North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Georgia, as well as Washington, D.C.

United’s employees are its greatest asset – when team members thrive, so do customers, and so does business. That’s why, this Veterans Day, United is spotlighting some of its Military Veteran employees, their accomplishments, and the work they are doing to support their communities, bolstering the Bank’s commitment to ensuring that employees from entry-level to management are empowered to reach their full potential and make a difference, contributing to a culture that is entrepreneurial, efficient, relationship-based, and service-oriented.

At United Bank, we appreciate the sacrifices made on behalf of our country and communities, and we thank all our Vets for their service!

Leigh Clark has always had her head in the clouds. An avid traveler as a child, she was lucky enough to have experienced the golden age of air travel, with TWA and Pan Am taking center stage. She was in awe of the glamourous flight attendants in their stylish uniforms, free to travel all over the world, and decided that she wanted to do the same.

Although she didn’t inevitably find a place with the major airlines, Clark did wind up in uniform. A high school senior – uncertain about which career path she wanted to take – Clark eventually made the decision to enlist in the U.S. Army, something she had never considered before. She would go on to serve two years as active duty in the Army, during which time she lived in Fort Campbell, an Army installation located on the Kentucky-Tennessee border, handling communications. After completing her Army duties, Clark decided to continue her service as a Radioman (now known as an Information Systems Technician) with the U.S. Navy Reserve, spending the next four years learning about radio-to-shore communications. Then, in 2006, she transitioned to civilian life full-time and decided to go back to school. She attended Fayetteville Technical Community College, studying general education before ultimately making her way to the world of banking.

Clark has held various positions in and outside of the banking industry. As many do, she entered the workforce in the service industry, working as a cashier at a fast-food restaurant in her teens. In the years following her military service, she’d try her hand at several different roles, including working as an administrative assistant, a long-term substitute teacher for children with special needs, and as a stay-at-home mom taking care of her two children. She eventually found her way to banking, starting as a teller and working her way up to head teller, customer service manager, and personal banker over the course of several different bank mergers – most recently joining United through the 2020 merger with CresCom Bank. Now, with 15 years in the industry, Clark has found a home at United Bank’s Shallotte location in North Carolina, serving as a senior sales and service representative.

Clark’s introduction to the banking industry was as a teller at RBC Centura Bank. A friend in the industry approached her and said she’d be a great fit for the job, so she decided to give it a shot. She found that she enjoyed the mechanics of banking, but more so being able to help customers who came to her for support. Her current role as a senior sales and service representative at United allows her to do much of the same – be there for customers when they have a problem and help them achieve their financial goals. Her responsibilities include assisting customers with opening accounts, consumer lending, and customer care.

Outside of work, Clark enjoys spending time with her family and traveling. A Hampstead native, she also enjoys coastal North Carolina activities, most recently partnering with her family on a boat restoration project. In partnership with United, Clark also dedicates time to volunteering with Christian Recovery, Inc., one of the Bank’s Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) partners in North Carolina, to conduct financial literacy classes.

How has your military background influenced your professional life?

It is hard to put into words for me what it means to be a Veteran. It is something that is deeply personal – and I feel great pride for the opportunity to serve my country – but it also brings forth a lot of memories and emotions. I originally enlisted because no one I knew other than my husband thought I could do it. I wanted to show everyone I could make it and prove that I was tougher than they thought I was. But the Army gave me a sense of identity and a purpose. I was no longer a fledgling college student, but a soldier, a defender of this great nation.

My military service has become, and will always be, a huge part of my life, and I’ve found great comfort in being around other Veterans. I think this has helped me work with our Bank customers who are also Veterans. I feel a special connection with those customers – we share some of the same experiences, a special lingo, and memories that only other Veterans can relate to. There is a sense of camaraderie and a confidence, I feel, in banking with another Vet. They know that I’ve got their back.

Are there any military leaders who inspired you in life?

Colonel William C. Maus was a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, a recipient of the Distinguished Services Cross for action during the Vietnam War, and my 12th grade math teacher. I was a terrible math student during high school, but Col. Maus was able to take a struggling student who had given up on herself and inspire her. We’d start each class with a rousing “Hello, troops! It is time to get to work!” He always had time for his students, and he made sure that the values of hard work and integrity were reinforced daily. But overall, he taught us that the best rewards in life are accomplished by working hard for them, a lesson I have carried with me throughout life. I’m proud to say that my hard work paid off, and my reward that semester was a B in his class!

What advice do you have for other Veterans transitioning to civilian life?

Take your time. There may be some things about transitioning into civilian life that may seem unfamiliar or unwelcoming, but you will find that sense of camaraderie and structure again. It may be presented a little differently, but you just need to be open to it.