MURRAY – Sally Hopkins of Murray, a 45-year veteran of the banking industry, will retire at the end of the year after serving as president and CEO of FNB Bank for the past five years.
Hopkins began working for FNB in 2007 as chief operating officer and executive vice president.
“When I took the role as president and CEO five years ago, I told FNB I would stay for five years and then decide what came next,” Hopkins said. “I decided at the beginning of this year that this would be my last year.”
Hopkins became chairman of FNB’s board of directors on Oct. 1 and will continue to serve in that role.
“I am passionate about the company and will still be involved to some extent,” she said.
She also serves on the Community Depository Institutions Advisory Council with the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Hopkins has been on the council for three years and has extended her term for at least one more year.
“It’s a very interesting group and will keep me somewhat involved in the banking industry,” she said. “It only requires traveling to St. Louis a couple of times a year for meetings.”
Following retirement, Hopkins plans to focus on home projects and continue her involvement with nonprofits and her church.
She and her husband, Warren, enjoy traveling and have made an effort to travel more in recent years, with hopes of doing even more in the future. The couple has two sons — one living in Denver and the other in Boston — so travel is often part of spending time with family.
Hopkins began her banking career shortly after graduating from the University of Kentucky and noted how dramatically the industry has changed over the years.
“It’s hard to believe we manually calculated everything,” she said. “I remember getting our first computer, which mostly did financial calculations, and I thought it was the greatest thing.”
When Hopkins entered the banking profession, there were few women in the industry and even fewer in leadership roles.
“I was told many years ago by a bank president that they didn’t hire women officers,” she said. “Most women in banking, back then, were tellers or worked in the bookkeeping department.”
Hopkins said she faced numerous challenges early in her career.
“I worked hard and proved that I could do the job and that I belonged,” she said. “I knew what I could do, and I proved myself over time. I have never been one to let things I can’t control affect me.”
A retirement reception honoring Hopkins will be held Thursday, Dec. 11, from 2 to 5 p.m. at FNB Bank’s Mayfield Main Office, located at 101 East Broadway.
Read More: Hopkins to retire after 45 years in banking | News
