Karen Decker approaches life with a positive attitude and surrounds herself with a team that is adaptable and hard working.
“One of the most essential parts of my job is being an excellent listener and inquisitive with respect to providing feedback and solutions,” said the assistant vice-president and branch manager at The Honesdale National Bank.
“Being a part of a branch team has always meant to be able to do it all, to pitch in and do what it takes to meet the needs of our customers and the needs of employees,” she adds.
In her role at the bank, Decker provides supervision and leadership of a team to provide customers with full products and services of the bank while providing exceptional customer service. In addition, she collaborates with business partners to market the bank within the community and ensure the branch complies with bank policies, procedures, and audits.
Decker attended Luzerne County Community College and King’s College graduating with a degree in business administration with a minor in accounting.
While a student at King’s College, she worked at United Penn Bank in Wilkes-Barre and upon graduation completed the bank’s management trainee program and began working in the branch network. “Banking is an industry that I enjoy, and I have been a branch manager for the past 22 years, with my last nine years at The Honesdale National Bank in Kingston,” she notes.
The woman executive is a 2007 Leadership Northeast (formally Leadership Wilkes-Barre) graduate and collaborated with an awesome team to renovate the lobby of the Wilkes-Barre YMCA.
Her mentors are her parents, Francis and Dolores Bradigan, who have always provided guidance and advice along with great moral support to their 10 children.
“My dad instills kindness, patience, and professionalism and my mom has a strong work ethic and taught me to always be there through good times and bad,” she explains.
Decker deems it important in her life to be caring, trustworthy, sincere, and empathetic. “Customers are relying on my expertise to guide them with their financial needs and issues,” she said.
She and her husband, Aaron, are a team in managing their household and each other’s careers along with caring for their “princess” Shih Tzu, Zoey, and she is grateful for all the support he has provided throughout her career.
Firm in the belief that “life is better with laughter” she and her husband are an everyday example of how to laugh and to not take everything so seriously!
Decker is a member of the Kingston Lions Club and supports its fundraising events. She participates annually in the United Way of Wyoming Valley Day of Caring, and annually has a food and blanket drive for the Blue-Chip Animal Refuge or St. Vincent DePaul Soup Kitchen.