In the Spotlight: Meet Stephanie Silverthorn from Town & Country CU

by Shawn Marie Brummer, Communications & Media Specialist 

​“The fact that credit unions’ focus is centered on giving back to their members and communities they serve makes me proud to work in this industry,” says this AVP of Human Resources. 

Stephanie Silverthorn grew up in Minot, North Dakota, along with her two younger brothers. Her mother worked at Target, and her father was a mechanic for the Department of Transportation. She attended Bishop Ryan High School, a small private Catholic school, where she was active in volleyball and track, collected the stats for the varsity boys’ basketball team, and was a member of the homecoming court.

After graduating from high school, she attended Minot State University where she completed her Bachelor of Science Degree in Marketing, Management, and International Business in 2011. Fresh out of college, she worked for a small paving company in Minot as their payroll/HR administrator, and quickly discovered she wanted a career working closely with employees.

As a child, her first savings account had been opened at Town & Country Credit Union, and when she was older, she received her first credit card and car loan there as well. “I’ve never branched out to another financial institution; this just feels like home,” she said. So, it was no surprise when she joined Town & Country Credit Union (TCCU) in 2014 as their Executive Administrative Assistant in the HR department.

She continued her education, earning her SHRM-CP designation (Society of Human Resource Management Certified Professional) as she transitioned into a Human Resource Generalist role, before being promoted to HR Director in 2018. In 2020, she was named the Assistant Vice President of Human Resources, the title she holds today.

Stephanie says she was fortunate to find a career mentor at TCCU almost immediately. Mikki Kremer, HR Specialist and longtime employee, helped teach Stephanie about things you can’t learn from a procedure manual. “In addition to teaching me about the day-to-day job, she taught me about flexibility, staying current, and thinking about the bigger picture and the impact our decisions have on the company. She has always challenged me to do things even when I wasn’t sure of myself, gave me the tools I needed to succeed and had faith in me when others didn’t. I owe so much of my development to her and will always be grateful for her guidance,” she said.

In her current role, now with seven years of experience, Stephanie leads the credit union’s human resources practices and objectives that provide an employee-oriented positive culture, as well as the recruitment and ongoing development of their high-performing workforce. In addition, she is responsible for the development of processes and metrics that support the credit union’s business goals and assists and advises managers about HR issues.

She continues, “There is so much to be proud of working at TCCU, but two things that stand out to me are our high member and employee satisfaction rates. 97.8% of our members would refer friends and family to TCCU and 90% of employees would recommend TCCU to family and friends as a great place to work. There are a lot of things that I enjoy about the credit union industry, but the fact that credit unions’ focus is centered on giving back to their members and communities they serve makes me proud to work in this industry.”

Her enthusiasm has not gone unnoticed, and Stephanie has lived the “people helping people” philosophy by volunteering at the local soup kitchen, helping with the United Way’s Backpack Buddies program and Horn of Plenty, and volunteering for Minot’s Magic Day of Giving. In 2020, Stephanie received TCCU’s Impact Award, a special recognition for an employee that exemplifies the Town & Country mission, vision, and values in their daily work. She has served as a member of the Credit Unions United Chapter Board of Directors since 2019 and was elected Vice President in 2020. She is also a member of Minot’s Young Professionals Network.

In her personal life, Stephanie has been married to Casey, a Beulah, North Dakota native who works in Health Care IT, for four years. They have a two-year-old daughter, Lauren, whom they affectionately refer to as their “Sour Patch Kid.” Lauren will soon have a baby sister, as they are expecting their second child in April. Rounding out the family is a three-year-old Red Lab named Cooper – who apparently acts more like a house cat than the hunting dog that Casey intended him to be.
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When they are not working, Stephanie and Casey enjoy golfing in the summer, playing outside and visiting the zoo with Lauren, and fishing with Casey’s father. In the winter there are plenty of cards and games, and binge-watching their favorite TV shows and movies. Finally, Stephanie has often been told by friends and strangers alike that she strongly resembles the actress Reese Witherspoon. In fact, while in Jamaica on her honeymoon, a stranger was certain that she was indeed the famous one, even asking a bartender if it was “her.” However, Stephanie says she doesn’t see the resemblance. Hmmmm – she sure looks familiar to me! 

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