2017 Most Influential Women: Andrea Brady

SBJ photo by Wes Hamilton

Influential Information

Family: I met my husband Michael on a blind date, and we’ve been married 16 years. I have a grown daughter Cassie, who lives in Florida, and two goldendoodles.
Advice for other women: Learn who you are, and remain true to yourself. Strive to be independent, and be able to fend for yourself.
The biggest career obstacle you have overcome: Making a career change to banking after 17 years in retail. I worried it would be so different. However, it wasn’t.
Three things you’d want if stranded on a deserted island: Pizza, wine and, of course, my husband to share it with.

The impetus behind Andrea Brady’s commitment to colleagues and community is simple: She loves Springfield and wants to make it even better.

“I love being a part of it,” says Brady, retail regional manager for Great Southern Bank. “If I’m going to be involved in something, I want to be involved. It’s just not in me to do part way. I see leadership as setting the example, doing what you say you will do.”

Brady worked in retail and human resources for 17 years before moving to Great Southern in 2004. She oversees operations of 19 banking centers in the metro area, and supervises more than 170 employees.

“It is so rewarding to watch people develop in their positions and know in some way I am part of that,” Brady says. “As a company, we are driven to succeed and, as associates, we work together to achieve our goals and that success. I love watching associates grow and move into new roles.”

Brady says the individuals she’s worked for and with have inspired the leadership methods of her own career.

“I’ve had the opportunity to work for some really exceptional leaders who taught me so much about who I wanted to be and how I wanted to have a role in developing people,” Brady says. “I’ve also had the opportunity to work alongside many outstanding individuals throughout my career. Our peers can be our greatest teachers and help mold us into successful leaders.”

A member of the Rotary Club of Springfield Metro since 2010, Brady sits on the board and served as its president in 2015-16. During her tenure, the club provided comfort kits, which included clothing, toiletries and snacks for violent crime victims at The Victim Center, where she is currently a board member and volunteer advocate.

 “We don’t always realize what a victim has been through,” Brady says of her work at The Victim Center. “They are quite possibly at the lowest point of their lives that they have ever been and ever will be. When clothing is taken as evidence and they are left with nothing, the kindness of a gift, something as small as a comfort kit, can help start them on their road to recovery.”

Marrying her work with Rotary with her commitment to The Victim Center was especially rewarding.

“It’s these moments that drive me to be involved and to do more,” she says.

Brady sometimes jokes she is involved with multiple organizations because she can’t say “no,” but the truth is that it’s so easy for her to say “yes.”

“They all have a special place in my heart, and I really can’t imagine my life without them as part of it,” she says.

Brady also volunteers with multiple local organizations including Help Give Hope, Leadership Springfield and the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce.

Great Southern took notice. Brady is a recipient of the bank’s Bill and Ann Turner Distinguished Community Service Award.

“I can’t express what this meant to me,” Brady says. “We have so many wonderful associates in our company who give so much to their communities. To be recognized with this group of people is truly one of my proudest moments.”