2017 40 Under 40 Yearbook: Barby Pohl, 49

Then: Vice president, Great Southern Bank
Now: Executive director, The Venues Church

Barby Pohl always had an interest in nonprofit work. But a successful career in banking left no incentive.

A single book was the trigger.

“It changed my life,” Pohl says of Bob Buford’s “Half Time.” “I always had a desire to work for a nonprofit, but never knew how to make the change from banking.”

She says a series of fortunate and unfortunate personal events moved her to work at The Venues Church.

As the group’s executive director, she’s not slowed down.

“I assumed church employees worked Sundays and maybe a few days throughout the week,” she says. “But working in a church is a 24/7 job, and most of us work seven days a week.

“The transition has been the most rewarding experience of my life.”