MEET MORE OF OUR 2026 WOMEN OF DISTINCTION
While an undergrad at UW-Milwaukee, Jennifer Graceffa worked as a bank teller on the weekends. With plans for law school, she didn’t realize the part-time gig would eventually become a successful career. Today, 30 years after she decided to go full-time into banking and earn an MBA from Marquette, her pivot has paid off. She’s now the chief financial officer for community banking at Old National Bank, where she helps lead a team of dedicated financial professionals.
“I’ve been fortunate to work with talented leaders as I’ve developed over the years,” she says. “They gave me opportunities to learn and to excel.”
“If someone presents you with an opportunity that makes you a little nervous, you should chase it.”
Q&A
What is your favorite thing about your job?
What I like best is working alongside my team as well as my business partners inside the organization. I feel like part of my success has been that I’ve been fortunate to work with a lot of really talented leaders over the years who have educated me about the business, but also coached me up as I developed over the years. They gave me opportunities to get involved in, projects and work that really helped me to learn more things, but also excel at the work I was already doing.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome?
I would say the greatest challenges have been sort of self-imposed, especially earlier in my career. I felt, I think, some self-doubt about whether or not I was the right person in the right position, and felt like I had to prove myself and that I deserve to have a seat at the table.
