When Associated has a need to enhance the technology that supports our eBusiness functions, Lynne LaRosa is one of the first people on the job.
Lynne is Associated Bank's Business Solutions Manager. She's in charge of the organization's applications and technology products focusing on Payments and eBusiness. In a nutshell, that means prioritizing, evaluating, acquiring and implementing cost-efficient IT solutions to support Associated's strategic business objectives.
"Mobile banking is a typical application that I'd spearhead," she explained in a recent interview. "We recently launched this capability for our customers, so they can now access their accounts via cell phone. I also have a hand in a variety of less visible technical projects - for example, the recent installation of an upgrade to our wire-transfer system. This sort of project requires making sure not only that the system operates flawlessly, but also that it works seamlessly with all our other systems."
Not that she personally tests software or writes code. Her job is managing and mentoring the team that does this sort of work - a team that often includes third-party vendors, and always includes members of an outstanding group of internal IT experts.
Boundless enthusiasm
Lynne's enthusiasm for her work is readily apparent.
"I love finding technical solutions to business problems," she said. "And I love working with my colleagues at Associated - everyone from our treasury-management people and sales leaders to our customer care and product-development staff. They're my customers, and we share a common goal of providing the finest banking services available."
Then there's her five-star staff of 30 developers, business analysts and project managers. Because most are located in Green bay, while Lynne calls Milwaukee home, she's usually on the road several days a week. But she doesn't seem to mind a bit, especially in light of her last position as Senior Development Manager for a major national bank. There, as the woman in charge of business application technology for a number of divisions, she managed a staff of 200 across seven states.
"I've been with Associated since 2009, and I'm loving every minute of it," she said. "It's exciting to be a part of a growing organization. I work with wonderful people who want to accomplish great things for our company and for our customers. And we're able to do it, because we're not too big to be agile - and because we're backed by a very supportive management team that provides us with whatever we need to get the job done."
Business is in her blood
Business and lifelong learning both come naturally to Lynne. She comes from a long line of college graduates, including a great-grandmother who graduated from the University of Oregon in the 19th century. Both her parents hold advanced degrees in business - an education they have applied to operating their own furniture store in her hometown of Marinette, Wisconsin.
And she personally graduated from Marquette University in 1982 with a BS in Business Administration and a specialization in Information Management and Technology.
But as much as she enjoys her work, her family will always be first in her heart. She and her husband have two daughters, age 18 and 20; the youngest just started college.
Lynne has plenty of other interests, too. She enjoys reading and perennial gardening, being especially fond of irises and lilies. She and her husband also love to travel, particularly in the U.S. and the Caribbean. South America is high on her list of future destinations.
The LaRosas share a rather unusual interest as well: Her husband likes to run marathons and she likes traveling to different locations to watch them. He recently competed in the Green Bay and Boston marathons, achieving his personal best in the former. November's New York marathon is next on their list.