Florida Banking August 2021

FBA STAFF SPOTLIGHT

Name: Peter J. "Pete" Brokaw Title: Senior Vice President of Education At FBA since: February 1988 College: University of Central Florida, Orlando Hometown: Leesburg, Fla.

GET TO KNOW ME

Describe your role for the FBA. The pleasure and challenge of my role is to discover the pertinent and timely topics that bankers need to know about, then plan educational events to gather the bankers together in a productive manner and execute the events onsite successfully. Over the years I have seen many bankers begin their banking careers and move up the ladder to senior level positions, all the while attending the educational events FBA held for them. Watching their success has been one of the very satisfying aspects of my role here at the FBA. Favorite thing about the FBA? There are several tangible and intangible favorite things I enjoy about working at the FBA. Some of which are the work I have enjoyed over my 33 years in the Education Department: The professional environment I was searching for and found, to make it a career and not just a job; the opportunity to use my limited creative abilities for those “out of the box” sort of duties; the many people I have had the pleasure to work with over the years; and the travel to places and hotels I would never have had the opportunity to visit without the FBA sending me all over Florida and the United States. How did you get started in banking? After a long and arduous journey, I had finally worked my way through college and was working at the front desk of a Walt Disney World hotel. My sister, who was currently working at the Florida Banker

Insurance Trust, told me about the meeting planner position open at the FBA. She knew I was looking for a career to use my abilities and previous training, and thought the FBA and I would be a good fit. I applied, successfully convinced the Executive Director at that time, John Milstead, to ignore his policy to not hire family members, and thus began a wonderful, long and productive time in the FBA education department. Do you have pets? My wife’s and my first “child” soon after being married, was a Yellow Labrador Retriever, who had the unfortunate tendency at times to dismantle whole rooms of our first home. Fortunately, this didn’t dissuade us from having our current lovable 12-year-old Chocolate Lab, Riley. He has been my wife’s favorite “empty nest child,” companion and guardian while I have been away on my many trips for the FBA over the years. What do you listen to on your morning commute? In my current state of mind, there is nothing better than listening to a good book through Audible, whether on the commute to work/home, or on a long trip to an FBA educational event. I love to really sink my teeth into a long and involved story line with 900-1,000 pages weaving a tale over many generations, if not centuries. After being introduced to them over 40 years ago, I’m currently making my way through James Michener’s many lengthy novels once again.

Madison County Community Bank : It Takes A Team

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