VP, Branch Manager/Business Development Officer
Roseburg Branch

Anita Cox loves her career in banking, yet she can still recall some of the difficulties she faced when she got her start more than 40 years ago.

“For me, when I first started going out to meet businesses, if you do not know people and they don’t know you, it can be hard,” she says.

As a Vice President and Branch Manager of Oregon Pacific Bank’s Roseburg branch, she wants to help others overcome some of those early obstacles. Back in 2007, she founded Ladies in Leadership (LIL), a group that meets once a month to help women forge bonds with others throughout the community.

Participants in LIL come from a variety of professions. They discuss business, health and various interests with the goal of helping participants feel welcome, no matter their background.

“It’s really interesting to hear everybody’s story,” Anita says.

At the bank, she strives to make customers feel welcome, as well. Her branch offers one-stop business banking solutions and is particularly beneficial for business clients who want to conduct all of their transactions with a single person.

“When a client comes in, they know they’ll be taken care of,” she says. “There’s always someone to assist them right on the spot.”

Anita has lived in Roseburg for more than four decades and values the community. She works to support the schools as a board member on the Douglas Education Service District. The organization provides a wide array of services to administrators, teachers, staff and students in local school districts. Those services include professional development, grant administration, IT and network support, student therapy, and many others.

Anita also sits on the board for Douglas C.A.R.E.S., a child abuse intervention center that serves Douglas County. She says the work is difficult but important, knowing children and teens need a safe space and someone to talk to who will listen and provide support.

“There are a lot of kids right now that need that,” Anita says.

Through her work in the community and at OPB, Anita believes in bringing people together and building a better place for everyone.

Looking back on her life and career, she laughs and says, the challenge she initially faced meeting new people eventually shifted to not always knowing how to wrap up impromptu conversations with the many people she’s come to know.

“My kids never liked going to the grocery store with me because I’d go in for milk and never come out,” she jokes. “I tell you what, it’s a whole different thing when you get to know people in the community.”

Anita says she’s glad she’s had the opportunity to work at OPB and looks forward to many more years serving her community. “I’ve had a long career, but it’s been a fun one.”

To find out how we can help you and your nonprofit or business succeed, give us a call at 541-677-9454.