Rachel Chisholm describes herself as a “people person,” and it is apparent that she thrives on her community involvement, dedication to advancing her employees and assisting her customers.
Chisholm initially entered the banking industry at Hyde Park Savings Bank as a part-time bank teller. She later went full-time, progressing from a customer service representative to a teller manager. She then moved onto assistant branch manager, then to branch manager and now to vice president and area manager of what now is known as Blue Hills Bank. Hyde Park Savings Bank rebranded to Blue Hills Bank in 2011 to expand its reach into the community.
“But it’s not Rachel’s progression up the banking corporate ladder that is most remarkable; it’s the passion and drive she brings to her role, her community and by example, to her team,” Bill Parent, president of Blue Hills Bank, wrote in his nomination of Chisholm for this year’s Community Bank Hero awards.
Chisholm oversees two additional branches as well her own.
“[I have really enjoyed] being promoted to branch manager and having the opportunity and the encouragement to actually be involved in the community,” she said. “That’s where I get a lot of my business, as a result from the relationships that I’ve built.”
Her love of “sales and service permeate her every move in the community,” Parent wrote. “Whether she is connecting businesses, rallying attendance to local fundraisers or collecting auction items for the Menino YMCA, Rachel’s boots are on the ground and her heart is leading the way.”
Chisholm was named “Volunteer of the Year” by Hyde Park Main Street and involved in the organization’s economic restructuring committee, along with its executive committee. She is an active participant in the organization’s events, including an annual fundraiser, trolley tour, holiday tree lighting and holiday carol crawl. She also sits on the board for both Hyde Park Main Street and the Hyde Park Board of Trade as treasurer for both.
She is also involved in an emerging leaders program through UMass Boston. The nine-month program helps build networks and provide participants with a pathway to leadership.
Her favorite aspect of her job, she said, is the people; she particularly enjoys working with her staff, but also engaging with the customers.
“I love mentoring, developing, coaching people. Between that and the customers, I think that’s my favorite – really interacting. I’m a people person, so having that interaction with people is really the highlight,” she said. “And I also have an amazing boss, which helps.”
“What I enjoy most is probably the relationships that I’ve built and the friendships that have evolved from those relationships,” she said.
