Behind the Banker: Volunteer Service Informs Careers

In this edition of Behind the Banker, OBA shares the stories of a few Oregon bankers who committed themselves to volunteer service before entering their professional careers. The volunteer service centers on two voluntary government programs – the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps.

The Peace Corps is an independent agency and volunteer program run by the U.S. government. Peace Corps’ mission is to promote world peace by 1) helping the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women; 2) helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served; and, 3) helping to promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans. While the Peace Corps has suspended operations due to COVID, they are still recruiting volunteers. Interested readers can visit www.peacecorps.gov for more information.

AmeriCorps, previously known as the VISTA (Volunteers In Service To America) program, is a voluntary civil society program supported by the U.S. government and other donors. AmeriCorps aims to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic engagement through service and volunteering. For more information, visit americorps.gov.

Jim Gilroy grew up in the Greater Boston Area, graduating from Boston College with a B.S. in General Business. He later obtained his Master's Degree in Guidance and Counseling with an Elementary Education Certification from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan.

With a strong desire to make a difference in the lives of people here in the United States, Gilroy joined VISTA as a volunteer in 1969. He served 18 months in rural Appalachia where his main focus was basic housing needs for people living in coal mining company towns. The company towns and the homes constructed dated as far back as the 19th century and were often rough wooden structures with no indoor plumbing.

Gilroy says his service in Appalachia was transformative. He learned life isn’t always about money. “Some of the happiest people I’ve known in my life had the very least in terms of resources or power.”

Gilroy’s professional career spanned a variety of genres, both public and private, over the 40 years following his VISTA service. Ten years ago he embarked on a new path in banking. He notes his CRA (Community Reinvestment Act) banking efforts have in large part been driven by his VISTA volunteer experiences.

Another thing that Gilroy gained from his volunteer service? Family. He met his future wife, a fellow VISTA volunteer, while they both served in the same Appalachia county. Today they have three children and seven grandchildren.

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 Jim Gilroy used his knowledge of the communities he served to co-author a study for the Rural Housing Alliance on the poor housing, water and sanitation in Indiana County, Pennsylvania. The report was used in congressional testimony to advocate for resources.

Jim (top left) with other VISTA volunteers pictured
in The Indiana Gazette newspaper. Jim’s future wife,
Mary, whom he barely knew at the time, is pictured
below him.

Grant Medley was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He left his hometown to attend Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota where he majored in Math.

Following college, he explored becoming a lawyer or actuary but felt unsatisfied with both of those options. Medley had a yearning for service, travel and adventure. “Peace Corps fit the bill,” says Medley. He joined the Peace Corps right after college and was sent to Namibia in southwest Africa to be a math teacher. For two years he lived in a small village in the African Savannah. “I felt very safe and welcome there,” recalls Medley.

Almost no one in the village had met an American before. Of all things, Medley recalls being often asked whether he knew Michael Jackson. Medley was happy to play a part in contributing to a positive impression of the American people.

When Medley returned to the U.S. he worked in finance, picking up his MBA at Temple University in Philadelphia along the way. Various reasons brought him out West, where he would eventually become a credit analyst at Evergreen Federal Bank in Grants Pass. “The bank is a blessing to the community,” says Medley, who loves working in commercial lending. “It’s all about the win-win-win. When we make a good commercial loan, the bank is able to pay its employees, the borrower can expand their business, and the community benefits from improved infrastructure and employment.”

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Grant Medley (front, center) in 1991 with fellow teachers from his school in Namibia.

Grant’s best buddy Ahmed Mohammed Bununu
pictured in front of a small agricultural school.

Adam Stein grew up in Plainfield, Illinois, about 45 minutes southwest of Chicago. He obtained his Finance and Economics
degree from North Central College, a small liberal arts school located in the Chicago suburbs.

Seeking an opportunity to immerse himself in a foreign country, Stein joined the Peace Corps following college. He served over two years in Mongolia, the most sparsely populated country in the world. “I felt very fortunate to have called Mongolia my home,” says Stein. “It’s a place that has some of the most hospitable people in the world.”

Stein’s Peace Corp host agency, Mercy Corps, had a program in Mongolia known as the Gobi Initiative. Stein’s work under
the program focused on assisting the most depressed area of Mongolia – the Gobi Desert. The program helped herder groups diversify their businesses and provided them with technical assistance, along with loans and equipment. The Gobi Initiative was a driving force in Stein’s decision to become a banker. “Becoming a banker was an intentional choice,” says Stein. “I got to see the benefits of banking services and how banks are the backbone to a thriving economy. I love the chance to support people’s businesses and livelihoods.”

For anyone seeking adventure, whether fresh out of college or in retirement, Stein thinks the Peace Corps is a great option. “I
believe the Peace Corps to be a great tool for diplomacy, and it is a fantastic jumping off point for someone interested in foreign service,” says Stein. “My experience was exactly what I was hoping it would be. It was a crash course in life. It accelerated my view of the world and pushed me to grow. It also helped to develop my project management skills. Being resourceful is a requirement, and flexibility is non-negotiable.”

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Adam Stein (left) pictured in the Gobi Desert with his friend Tony.

Adam pictured in a del, the traditional attire in Mongolia.

Adam (second from left) exchanging snuff bottles with
his Mongolian office mates during Tsagaan Sar (Mongolian Lunar New Year).