Ten years ago today — on June 30, 2015 — I walked out of Valley Bank for the last time. The legal close of the sale was the next day, July 1, but for many of us, that chapter ended the day before. Most of my colleagues had already found new roles. I hadn’t. I didn’t yet know what was next. What I did know was that I was heartbroken. As CFO, I’d had nearly 10 months to come to terms with the bank’s sale, and I had worked tirelessly to help make the transaction successful. But nothing prepared me for the personal loss that followed. I loved that job — deeply. I “drank the Kool-Aid” every single day. I believed wholeheartedly in the work we were doing. I loved our team. I loved our mission. I loved the impact we made by working side-by-side with small business owners and lending directly into the community to help it grow and thrive. That experience shaped me. And I wasn’t ready to completely say goodbye to it.