Shareema Williams recalls the “frenzy” that began when the CARES Act Paycheck Protection Program was announced. Community banks had to choose to participate, and Williams called Essex Bank CEO Rex Smith to make the case. “It was more so about advocating, for choosing the right thing to do, because the pandemic was no one’s fault.”
Instrumental in getting that program off the ground with her team, Williams conveyed to current and new business clients that the bank was going to be a partner for them through it all. And now, as she’s completing the PPP loan forgiveness process with these clients, Williams can’t wait to get back to “the core business of banking” — sitting down with customers and planning for the future.
Essex Bank recently announced a merger deal with United Bank, and Williams embraces what lies ahead. “I’m looking forward to competing in spaces and on a scale we haven’t been able to in the past.”
Williams helps new bank associates with planning for professional growth. She coaches, as her own bank mentor Bill O’Connor did, through transparency, honest feedback and an open-door policy. “How do we get better if no one’s being honest with you?” she says.
As member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, a River City Rotary Club board member and young professionals chair of Richmond’s Risk Management Association chapter, Williams thrives on giving back to her community, but with a pandemic caveat.
With a renewed focus on personal relationships, Williams reevaluated how she set priorities. “I realized that sometimes I can’t work, because I need to do something else, when in the past I put off personal and family obligations for the sake of work demands.”
