Michelle Britt, CRCM
Vice President, Compliance/CRA Officer, SAFE Act Officer
SunMark Community Bank, Perry, GA
Member, GBA Compliance Committee
Published Sept. 21, 2023
Q: What led you to a career in banking?
A: My mom was in banking all of her life, so I grew up around it. She served in a lot of roles, including branch manager and commercial lender. I had a summer job at First Liberty Bank when they were starting to transfer over from paper to digital files, so technically my first job in banking was transferring those files during high school. Compliance wasn’t originally on my radar. I started my career in banking after high school as a teller and later as a teller supervisor. I later got my bachelor’s degree in accounting in 2018. After that, I thought I would do underwriting, possibly become a controller, but our CEO Brad Collins had other ideas for me. He believed my strengths were in compliance and convinced me to take on this role. I completely changed my mindset about compliance and decided to learn and do as much as I can in this role. Now I’m very passionate about it, so clearly he saw something that I didn’t see.
Q: Tell us about one experience you’ve had that exemplifies being a banker or your role at the bank.
A: I try to make compliance fun for employees here so I started a monthly newsletter called Compliance Corner where each month I summarize a different regulation and include a game I call the “Coffee Break” that references the material, like a crossword puzzle or word scramble. Anyone who sends the completed game back to me gets a chance to win a Chick-Fil-A gift card. I also put a funny cartoon in there to make it more interesting. I was trying to find something to make compliance more fun and give retail employees a different way to learn about the regulations. The managers have started using it in their monthly branch manager meetings as well.
Q: What would someone be surprised to learn about you?
A: My dad was in the Air Force, so I grew up as a military brat moving around a lot. We lived in Germany for about three years, including the time when the Berlin Wall fell. My parents actually still have a piece of the wall.
Q: What do you like to do when you’re not on the job?
A: In my free time, I like to hike, go to concerts and music festivals. I also love to grill out and crafting all sorts of things. I have a Cricut, I taught myself how to crochet, and I also cross stich. I’ve made t-shirts and tumblers. I do woodworking, too, so I made some really cool cornhole boards for my sister and I also made an abstract piece for my living room wall. I also made a pretty wood collage of pictures for my sister’s wedding in April.
Q: Podcast you recommend?
A: I don’t listen to many podcasts but am slightly addicted to “Crime Junkies.”
Q: Pet peeve?
A: Bad grammar. Improper usage of your vs. you’re or their/there/they’re drive me batty.
Q: Most used app?
A: Life360 to keep an eye on my two teenage daughters.
Q: TV show or series you love?
A: I’m a huge Below Deck fan but I also like the Hallmark-y series like “Virgin River” on Netflix. I like true crime documentaries where I learn what not to do and what red flags to look for. I also like competition cooking shows like Next Level Chef and Crime Scene Kitchen.