Jill Kalda, BankWest’s Newest QUEST Employee

BankWest welcomes Jill Kalda as the most recent recipient of the QUEST award. With her commitment to excellence and willingness to step up to new challenges, she continues to provide exceptional service to BankWest customers as well as to her co-workers.

As Retail Operations Manager, Jill is responsible for Deposit Operations and BankWest’s eBanking Center, which provides customer service support and internal operations support for the entire company.  The teams she supervises manage daily operational functions and transaction processing for the bank. Because they work with such a wide range of services, her team has exceptional knowledge of BankWest products, systems and processes, making them a go-to resource for both customers and co-workers.

Jill’s eBanking team has taken a lead role in keeping customers informed and serving their banking needs as COVID-19 continues to deter many from in-person banking.  A co-worker says, “This past year has been a challenge, and yet under Jill’s guidance, her department has stepped up to play an even more vital role in serving our customers.”

As an ambassador for the bank, Jill looks for ways to help her customers and co-workers succeed. According to her co-workers, Jill works with her team members to help them reach their full potential by identifying their strengths and offering opportunities to put them to use. Her commitment to her team and to BankWest customers is one of her greatest strengths. She truly embodies the idea of leading by example.

Jill is originally from Parkston, South Dakota. She is a graduate of Parkston High School and the Stewart School of Cosmetology. She is a member of the Lutheran Memorial Church and enjoys participating in community projects along with her fellow Team BankWest volunteers.  Jill and her husband John are active in supporting the local wrestling program and enjoy following their kids activities as well as traveling to Iowa Hawkeyes sporting events. They have two children, Chesney and Creighton.

Jill says: “I am blessed to be surrounded by excellent co-workers who feel like members of an extended family to me. I’ve had many outstanding mentors throughout my career at BankWest who have helped me get where I am today. I look to forward to continuing to assist our customers as our products and the ways in which we deliver services continues to evolve.”