Catherine Rodgers: Banking, Family, Community
Catherine Rodgers, or Cat, as her friends call her, lives by the motto “work, life, balance,” a phrase frequently used around the branches at the Bank of Stockton. As the vice president regional manager, Cat oversees ten banking branches in the San Joaquin Valley, while also making time to volunteer in the community and her son’s school. Yet, even with her full plate, Cat believes maintaining that balance of family, work and community is important to keeping a positive atmosphere.
anative of Stockton, Cat grew up in the Country Club neighborhood, attended Madison Elementary and was a graduate of Amos Alonzo Stagg High School in 2001. After graduation she worked for Blockbuster Video, which surprisingly would set her on her career in banking. In 2002, and the start of her 20s, Cat recognized she needed stability in a career that would provide benefits. A customer recommended she apply to the Bank of Stockton. For her first “grownup” job, she was hired as a bank teller. She soon learned that with hard work and perseverance she would be able to learn new skills that would improve her knowledge and ability.
Bank of Stockton became a great opportunity as she continued to grow with the company. “You feel like you’re part of a family,” she said. With a positive work environment and hard work, she took on new positions, including the responsibility for new accounts and branch secretary. By 2013, she became the manager for the Tracy branch. Because of her natural leadership abilities, she was recommended and promoted in July 2022 to the Northern Regional manager.
She has loved her longevity with the bank. “What I love the most is you are working for a family,” referring to the bank’s owners, the Eberhardt family, who encourage strong family values and community ties. She admires that their growth as a bank is about lifting up the employees and supporting them in and outside of the work environment. “There is support in every area of the bank. I appreciate that,” she continued. Today, with over 20 years working for Bank of Stockton, Cat values her time in her job as well as how it has supported her time with her family and community.
Community, Family and Giving Back
Being a part of Bank of Stockton has allowed her the flexibility to stay active in the lives of her family. Her husband, Nick, son, Daryll, and her son’s best friend, who they jokingly refer to as their “adopted bonus son,” Brandon Mills, spend their free time hiking around Lodi Lake or Rio Vista, or taking out their fifth wheels for some recreation time. “My family is my tribe,” she affirmed. She and her husband will celebrate 18 years of marriage this fall, and her son wants to maintain local roots, with the hope of attending San Joaquin Delta College, then the University of the Pacific for pharmacy school.
Just as Bank of Stockton has been a great supporter of its community, Cat also recognizes the importance of giving back. She currently sits on the board of directors as treasurer for The Haven of Peace, a women’s shelter that helps rehabilitate young women trying to regain their place in society. Since 2009, Cat has been involved helping increase fundraising efforts for the shelter. Some of their major fundraisers include their annual crab feed and the annual pancake breakfast. She also takes an active role serving on the Parent Teacher School Association and Band Boosters for Lincoln High School, from which Daryll will graduate in 2024. She admits that once he graduates, she will want to get involved in another type of community project.
Yet her community work is more than keeping busy; it’s about giving back to the community she knows and loves. “What I love about Stockton is we are a tight-knit community,” Cat affirmed. “It’s what I know. We are such a diverse community, and I appreciate that.”
