How does the youngest of five girls growing up in a small town
in Wisconsin become one of the most influential women in the
Silicon Valley?
By Laura Wrede
How does the youngest of five girls growing up in a small town in Wisconsin become one of the most influential women in the Silicon Valley?
Susan Black, president and chief executive officer of Pinnacle Bank and recently honored as one of the 100 Most Influential Women of Silicon Valley, has an answer.
She described herself as a young girl who was “adventurous and eager to leave Wisconsin.” That enterprising spirit took her away her home state, and on the road to a warmer climate to attend the University of Hawaii.
She started out pursuing a degree in nutrition, swapped that for sociology then took a one-year sabbatical to work as a flight attendant for Trans World Airlines. “That kind of spirit of adventure” drew her to take to the skies before landing once more to finish her degree. Her work in sociology eventually led to a groundbreaking career with the Department of Defense.
Black’s career track started in the public sector as the first woman in an intelligence program in the Pacific with the DOD. It was during the years when Korea’s nuclear weapons were a tightly held secret. Her piercing blue eyes and calm demeanor were her secret weapon as Black used her skills to gather intelligence.
“At the time part of my role was security and penetration tests in an attempt to breach security. And the other part was working with the black market because there was a huge black market in Korea,” Black said.
After several years working with the government, she decided it wasn’t the life for her.
She went back to school to earn a master’s degree in business at Rochester Business School in New York – a decision that set the stage for what would become Black’s lifelong passion: working in the finance industry.
From a position in sales and marketing, to CEO of multiple banks, Black followed her passion and vision, leading her to where she is today – a founder and CEO of Pinnacle Bank with branches in Gilroy, Morgan Hill and Salinas.
“I have always loved building the start-up,” Black said. “The growing, the founding, the putting the team together.”
She feels her position as leader of a hometown bank allows her the opportunity to influence the growth and health of the local community. Her role at Pinnacle Bank began in early 2005 after a collection of local entrepreneurs looked at the changing banking landscape and realized that a community bank was needed. There were 60 original organizers and by late 2005 Black came on board. Pinnacle Bank’s doors opened in July of 2006.
“It was one year ahead of schedule when everything went sideways,” Black said. By 2007, things were really starting to go south in the real estate world.”
Black acknowledged the rough times throughout the real estate meltdown, but said things are going well now, due to a winning combination – her strong vision and leadership abilities, sound banking practices, and the professional team that surrounds her.
The skills earned throughout her education and banking career proved invaluable in keeping a clear head during challenging times. Even her Department of Defense training influenced her.
“The greatest training in banking was my work intelligence. Interrogating, interviewing, training and (gaining) listening skills.” It’s skills like these that she believes helped in hiring the right team and staying focused on the future rather than worrying about setbacks.
In fact, she doesn’t believe in setbacks. She thinks all life’s experiences are “learning experiences. Find what I can learn from any situation and then move on, move forward.”
It’s this positive attitude she wants to instill in those she influences. Currently, along with being an active member of the Gilroy Rotary, member of the Advisory Council of Leadership Monterey Peninsula and board member and secretary/treasurer of the Gilroy Economic Development Corporation, Black also serves on the Board of the Hartnell College Foundation and is an adviser to the Women’s Education Leadership Initiative or “WELI”. WELI is a new venture for Black. It’s an organization that reaches out to young women in Salinas who are in some way disadvantaged.
The organization offers college scholarships, and training through a six-week program where they learn basic life skills such as dressing for a job interview and handling finances. She wants young girls to grasp the opportunities available – to become a success with their own lives.
Black believes that young women today don’t fully understand the advantages they have and how hard previous generations fought to gain rights for women – especially when it comes to finances.
“I’ve always been really concerned with women’s access to credit. When I first got into banking, if a woman was receiving alimony, she wouldn’t qualify for a loan. That has now changed,” Black said.
Helping young women succeed is not the only topic Black speaks about with strong emotion. She also can’t tolerate “injustice, or any kind of abuse towards the weaker members of society.” Whether it is the elderly, children or animals, she has a zeal for protecting those most vulnerable.
For all the energy and intense focus towards things she is passionate about, there is a lighter side to Black. She loves a good joke. She likes to laugh and claims “humor has been a great way to diffuse situations.”
She also enjoys gardening, growing orchids and roses, loves to walk on the beach, play with her granddaughter and her two cats, “Fritz”and “Bug”. But those joys are all wrapped up in her family – her husband, Aris Angelopoulos, and her two stepchildren whom she adores.
So, what makes a young girl from Wisconsin become one of the most influential women in the Silicon Valley? It’s a lifelong collection of service and dedication, not only to her family, and her community, but to everyone she encounters in life.
It’s also her life’s aphorism that gives a glimpse into the success story of Susan Black. Simply put, “It’s reasons or results.” This is something she expects from herself and from others.
“I get real gratification out of the building – seeing what we can do together.”
