Get to Know: Whitney Alexander
Branch Manager, Pinnacle Bank
Words by Thomas Ingle | Images by Justin Hunter
Whitney Alexander is the third generation of women in her family in the banking industry. Her grandmother, Faye Plunkett, retired from The Bank of Carbon Hill; her aunt, Janet Hardy, works at Bank of Walker County; and Whitney works at Pinnacle Bank. Banking is in her blood.
Born in Birmingham, Whitney was raised in an old mining town resting in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains: Carbon Hill, Alabama. At CHHS, not only did she earn a high school diploma, but she also found her future husband, Corey Alexander. The two started dating in Whitney’s junior year; they married in April 2012, and now have two children, Levi (9) and Sawyer (5).
After high school, Whitney attended Bevill State Community College (BSCC). She initially wanted to go down the road toward elementary education but got curious about a business degree due to the versatility it offered. When it was time to declare a major, Whitney decided to take a break from school and figure out her next plan of action.
“I’ve worked. I’ve had jobs since I was 16. Unemployment rates were high in 2011, and I was looking for a full-time job,” Whitney remembers. “I was part-time, doing seasonal work at JCPenney. There was a position open (at Pinnacle Bank), and I came in, sat down, and filled out an application. I got an interview that day.”
Whitney joined Pinnacle Bank in November 2011 as a teller—“I had no banking experience whatsoever, but they took a chance on me,” she says.
After only a year in that role, Whitney was promoted to head teller, a position she held for three years. She served as assistant branch manager from 2016-19, and in December 2019, she was elevated to branch manager with an emphasis on the deposit side of the bank.
“I manage the operations on this floor. I open up checking, savings, CDs (certificate of deposit), IRAs (Individual Retirement Account), so everything but lending as far as accounts go,” Whitney says. “Background functionality also plays a role in my job, so I dabble in bookkeeping and operation sides of the bank.”
Whitney also attends banking school via the Alabama Bankers Association. She’s doing this to make herself more well-rounded as a bank employee by sampling what other areas of the bank do.
“This is my career, this isn’t just a job for me,” Whitney says. “I love being here. I’m home here.” 78