Ozarks Profile: Nadia Cavner

What is your job?

Senior vice president and senior financial consultant for Firstar Investment Services Inc. in Springfield.

Tell us about your organization.

Firstar Investment Services is a full-service brokerage firm that offers mutual funds, stocks, bonds, tax-advantaged money market funds, annuities, unit investment trusts and insurance. Firstar, based in Milwaukee, is the 11th largest banking institution in the United States and acquired Mercantile Bank in May 1999.

What is your educational background?

Cavner has a bachelor of science degree in business administration from Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth, Texas. She attended graduate school at Texas Christian University.

What jobs led you to your current one?

"I started in the banking business in 1987 with Savings of America in Springfield. In 1991, I became a financial consultant with Savings of America and have now gone through six mergers in Springfield." Cavner said she manages a customer base with assets of more than $400 million at Firstar, and she has been ranked the No. 1 banking broker in sales in the United States with Putnam Investments since 1997.

What is the best part of your job?

"The best part of the job is getting the chance to help people seeing what a difference and comfort that you can bring your clients as they look to the future is gratifying."

Give us some personal information.

Cavner is 38 and is married to Howard Cavner, director of United Ministries in Higher Education. They have one daughter, Maral, who is 9 and will be in the fourth grade at Greenwood. Cavner enjoys playing golf and exercises regularly with a personal trainer.

What book are you currently reading?

Cavner just finished reading "Ten Things I Wish I'd Known Before I Went Out into the Real World," by Maria Shriver. She is now reading "The Road to Happiness," by the Dalai Lama.

What type of community involvement do you participate in?

Cavner serves on The Kitchen's board of directors, is a board member of the Missouri Health & Educational Facilities Authority and the Putnam Investments and Franklin Templeton Funds advisory councils. She actively supports Habitat for Humanity.

Compiled by Melissa Wilson