Zions Bank’s annual Service Awards banquet celebrates extraordinary employees by honoring them with an Excellence… It Starts With Me Award and also recognizes one employee’s commitment to community service with the Roy W. Simmons Community Service Award.
This year’s ceremony on Aug. 22 honored 13 total employees. The award winners were nominated by their peers and selected by executive management. They exemplify professionalism and dedication through their work style, and they accomplish Zions’ goal to create value through their everyday acts and responsibilities.
In addition, 168 employees were honored for years of service milestones.
2024 Roy W. Simmons Community Service Award
Daniel Hills received the 2024 Roy W. Simmons Community Service Award, given to one employee annually who demonstrates an outstanding commitment to serving their community. Hills is a Zions Bancorporation senior credit examiner and serves as a Major in the Utah Army National Guard.
He has been deployed to active duty twice over the last four years, including as part of Operation Freedom. Since returning from deployment, he has served as the co-chair of Zions Bank’s Military/Veterans Employee Forum.
2024 Excellence… It Starts With Me Award Winners
Amanda Bunn, Zions Bank’s Ammon branch manager, was recognized for her outstanding customer service, attention to detail and leadership abilities. The 23-year Zions Bank employee is valued by her colleagues for her willingness to listen, ability to offer resolutions, and capacity to maintain perspective.
Brodee Burt, Banking Transformation manager for Zions Bancorporation, played a key role in the bank’s recent core systems conversion project. His experience leading operations teams combined with demonstrated ability to assess and create solutions to difficult problems were key contributors to the overall success of this project.
Ryan Butterfield, Zions Bank Private Banking regional manager, is an exceptional leader, coach and mentor to his team of bankers. He has a wealth of knowledge and shares his expertise with his team, focusing on helping them improve their performance and achieve their own goals. He started at Zions Bank 29 years ago and worked his way up from a part-time teller to his current role. He is currently attending the prestigious Pacific Coast Banking School.
Amy Chaston, Banking Transformation manager for Zions Bancorporation, held multiple key roles with the bank’s recent core banking conversion project, consistently delivering high quality and timely results. She never shies away from complex or challenging assignments and exemplifies servant leadership.
Jacob Despain, Real Estate Commercial Loan officer for Zions Bank, has established himself as an accomplished banking professional among peers and other industry leaders across the Salt Lake market. He provides superior service to his clients and manages some of the most complex relationships in the bank. He has served on the board of directors for the NAIOP Utah Chapter for eight years, most recently as president.
Jennifer Erickson, Operational Risk director for Zions Bancorporation, has consistently demonstrated exceptional dedication and outstanding performance in her role, skillfully managing risk and helping to ensure compliance. She is a recent graduate of the American Bankers Associations’ Stonier Graduate School of Banking.
McKay Hardy, Zions Bancorporation Cybersecurity engineer, was recognized for his ability to anticipate and neutralize threats before they become problems. He can spot patterns and connections that others might miss, allowing him to help to protect the bank from bad actors.
Malcolm Hong, Zions Bank Public Relations officer, has excelled at promoting the bank’s U.S. Small Business Administration lending leadership, generating media coverage about SBA clients and developing and executing a comprehensive PR strategy for Boise Entrepreneur Week. He currently serves as president of PRSA-Idaho.
Ashlii Madsen, Fee Income revenue enablement coordinator for Zions Bancorporation, is a critical player on the Fee Income team and played a key role in the recent core systems conversion project. She’s currently working to create a standardized client relationship review that will help streamline efforts and create a better client experience.
Kevin O’Brien, Digital Channels group manager for Zions Bancorporation, has successfully led the launch of digital application capabilities for deposit accounts, credit cards and personal loans. Through his work, more than 10 million pages have been signed electronically and saved from physical print. Under his leadership, the team established a digital signature process for SBA Paycheck Protection Program loans within a matter of days.
Jessica Sorensen, Strategic Initiatives analyst for Zions Bank, recently led the retail banking core deposit conversion project, creating an implementation plan and shepherding Zions Bankers through training and readiness. Her planning and preparation positioned the bank for the highest potential of success with its conversion.
James Woods, Commercial Banking portfolio manager for Zions Bank, works diligently to ensure his clients’ needs are met, and they rely on him as a trusted advocate for their business and their relationship with the bank. He is often the first to volunteer to help, including with the bank’s annual Paint-a-Thon service project.
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