Mary Ann Scully has borne and built Howard Bank. She also created a new culture with giving back at its core.
“I wanted a culture of proactive community focus,” the Howard Bank president said. “I did not want the bank to be waiting for things to happen, but rather trying to make things happen for our customers ? for a new business or a nonprofit.”
Scully?s visions for Howard Bank ? based on 30 years of banking experience with AllFirst, now part of M&T Bank ? materialized in 2003.
“What appealed to me about a community bank was feeling like what you are doing in your work life didn?t just have a positive impact on your customers or your colleagues, but it could impact a whole community,” Scully said. “That would mean that the place I lived would possibly be better because of something I had done.”
Scully doesn?t leave her energy for community improvement at the office. In fact, she is the vice chair of the Columbia Foundation?s board, and is active in its Grassroots Crisis Center for the homeless and the Howard County Women?s Giving Circle.
“There are some special people in this world that seem to be gifted with both brains and energy,” Columbia Foundation Executive Director Barbara Lawson said. “[Scully] also has that unique ability to be compassionate, and she inspires you to have confidence in her leadership.”
Michele Healy, manager at the bank?s Snowden River branch, has more than 25 years of experience in banking.
“I was thinking of making a career change, but after my interview with Mary Ann [in 2003], I wanted to jump into Howard Bank and watch them grow and watch what she would do,” Healy said.
In the past four years, Howard Bank expanded to 39 full-time employees with three branches in Howard County.
“If someone had said, ?You will still be in banking 30 years from [when I started],? I would have said no way,” Scully said, reflecting on her career. “But banking is for certain people a very seductive profession because it inherently provides a lot of variety.”
Scully describes herself as an intrapreneur. “They are the people [inside the company] that are asking, ?If it?s not broken, couldn?t we fix it anyways?? ”
With this inherent drive to make things better and a high standard for her young bank, Scully hopes to improve her community, one transaction at a time.
