Joan Capurro
2010
Public Affairs
Born in Iowa, the third oldest of ten sisters and brothers, Joan Capurro says she comes from a typical Midwestern family: spiritually wealthy and financially poor, but she is anything but “typical.”
Her banking career began as a page at Wells Fargo’s head office in San Francisco at age nineteen. She moved to Marin County in 1962 with her new husband, Bob. She then went to work for Crocker Anglo Bank in 1963 as a bookkeeper and worked her way up to Area Market Manager in San Rafael. After working at a Savings & Loan in San Anselmo for two years, she was hired as one of the managers at the new Bank of Marin in 1990. She wholeheartedly believes her current job as Bank of Marin Community Relations Director is the ideal job; as the bank’s philosophy, values, and mission match her own beliefs.
Joan experienced many challenges in her career, which gave her the resiliency to keep working hard to prove her worth. Russell A. Colombo, President and CEO of Bank of Marin promoted her to Senior Vice President in 2007, giving her validation. When the news was announced at the monthly Bank of Marin staff meeting, Joan got a standing ovation. She believes that too often, these valuable signs of recognition are missed in the business world.
Joan feels her most valuable contribution to the Marin community and Bank of Marin employees is her mentoring and networking skills. Her work hours are long since she turns no one away. She has never turned down a request to meet with people who want to discuss a possible project, their career, fundraising, or what they might need to start a business or non-profit organization. She thrives on helping people who want to learn, to advance in the workplace, and make things better for the community.
Because Joan has been a banker in Marin for over forty years, she knows most everyone and has worked on more committees than she can remember. Though often mistaken for Jan Wahl, since they both wear colorful hats, neither one mind the mistake for they are both strong women fully involved in the local community and making a difference.
Joan hopes to write a book one day about her experiences in banking; her many rewarding relationships with customers and employees but also her own experiences with discrimination. She has a special empathy for women trying to advance in their careers, since she herself was told by a manager early in her career that she couldn’t be a bank officer because it was a “man’s job.”
Her current community involvement includes:
Center for Volunteer and Nonprofit Leadership-Nominating Chair
Community Action Marin-Prosperity Partners
Dominican University-Women, Leadership and Philanthropy Council-Chair Sponsorship and Membership Committee
San Rafael Chamber of Commerce-Governmental Affairs Committee, co-chair Leadership Institute
Rotary Club of Ross Valley-co-president (and 2nd woman in club)
United Way-Community Investment Committee
Workforce Investment Board–Nominating Chair
Prior service in Marin organizations includes:
American Banker’s Association-chair-women’s committee
American heart Association – celebrity waiter fundraiser
American Cancer Society – committee member
American Red Cross – board chair
Marin County School Volunteer’s-past chair
Marin Forum – past president – joined in 1987
Matrix – fundraising committee member
Novato Youth Center fundraising & emcee
Salvation Army-1st women board chair in Marin
San Anselmo Chamber of Commerce – board chair twice
San Rafael Chamber of Commerce – Past Board member and Auctioneer
Sunnyhills Children’s Center – fundraising committee 14 years
