Creating an outstanding banking experience begins with a strong team, and we at SouthEast Bank pride ourselves on making every experience with us personal.
That’s why we care about introducing you to the special team members who you’ll see in our branches every day. Like Debbie Lee, a seasoned professional with over 35 years of banking experience. Debbie has been leading our Bearden branch since it was built seven years ago, and she continues to greet every customer with a smile and a suggestion to support their financial goals.
If you’d asked Debbie in high school what she wanted to study, she’d have answered Accounting without hesitation. However, her experience as a part-time bank teller through a high school occupation program opened her eyes to the possibility of combining her love for financials and people-focused customer service through a career in banking. “Getting to interact with people more, that was the difference,” Debbie says. “I wanted more than a cubicle or office, but the chance to be part of a community.”
Debbie and her family moved from Illinois to Eastern Tennessee 25 years ago, enticed by the opportunity to have a small farm of their own. Now, it’s home. “The best thing about living here is the community. Everyone is here to help each other,” says Debbie.
When Debbie was offered the opportunity to work with SouthEast Bank and began to get to know the team, it felt like a “right place, right time” moment. Since then, she has been able to continue building relationships with a wide array of families and businesses that make up the Bearden community and support special causes like Frontline Gardens.
Though she’s won many accolades in her time, Debbie is the last person to brag about them. “I have two boys I’m proud of. I have a job where I enjoy what I do and work with people I love working with, in an organization that supports me—those are the big things,” she says. “Awards don’t mean as much as the heart.”
When you next visit SouthEast Bank’s Bearden branch, be sure to introduce yourself. If you like watching HGTV, vacationing in Florida, or being “adopted” by stray cats, then you and Debbie might just have something in common!
