July 5, 2018

Meet Kris Anest of Charles Schwab

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kris Anest.

Kris, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My story has three parts: career, community involvement, and dancing, which intertwine, throughout my family and my story.

Throughout high school, I taught in the dance studio where I had studied and developed a deep passion for dance from an early age. I hoped to grow as a member in a professional dance company and/or open my own studio. In the mid 1980’s, I knew I needed to find a different career path as I realized I was not built like a ballerina and I didn’t have the resources to open a dance studio. In 1986, I decided to pursue a career in finance. I moved from Arizona to Utah and took on a banking role and put dance on hold. I had the opportunity to work for Fidelity Investments in SLC, Utah by February of 1987, and that is when I developed a true affinity for finance. I grew in my role and was offered a position at their headquarters in Boston, MA with 9 other talented people. This was after the firm suffered attrition following the market crash on October 19, 1987 aka ‘Black Monday’. I learned very quickly that snow does not like me, and I don’t like it! I moved back to Arizona, and in 1995 I began working for Charles Schwab & Co. Inc. I was laid off in 2001, shortly after the tech bubble burst. I was industry licensed with my Series, 63, 7, and 8 and held a Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor (CMFC ®) designation. I used the tuition reimbursement program at Schwab to complete my undergraduate degree in Secondary Education with a minor in History and Economics. I obtained AZ teacher certification and a profession to fall back on.

I was hired by the Paradise Valley Unified School District to teach at North Canyon HS. I taught Advanced Placement Macro-Economics, Economics and World History. It was during this time I affiliated myself with the non-profit Arizona Council on Economic Education (ACEE) professional development opportunities. The entire time I was teaching, I had to work a second job. The first part of my tenure as a teacher, I independently consulted in the evenings, and in 2007, I was rehired by Schwab to work on the 401k desk. The following year I was promoted to people management and made the difficult decision to resign from teaching. I have maintained my teaching certification and spend vacation days throughout the year substitute teaching in my community.

I was moving along in my career nicely when I met the man who would become my husband in 2010 and began to explore a master’s program. It was almost like The Fates knew I would need time and resources because within 6 months of my marriage, my twin sister suffered a massive stroke. I became her POA and health advocate putting the master’s program on hold. It took about a year to coordinate for her needs, after which, I was able to move up in my career. In April of 2013, I accepted a role as Senior Manager over a group of trading operations specialists and that is where I am today. In 2014, I resumed my master’s program and completed it by the summer of 2016.

I volunteered in my community as a Candy Striper and Mesa Police Explorer through 4 years of high school. While I did not go into either field, I developed a tremendous sense for service in my community, which continues today. As a young adult I was a Phoenix Jaycee. In 2014, I became the Co-Chair for the Schwab Community Ambassador team which I continue to serve today. In addition, I serve on 2 non-profit boards. I am fortunate to belong to a company with leadership whose Corporate Responsibility efforts align closely with my own personal values.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I suppose a smooth road is relative. I would say I had a variety of paths along the way and early on I learned some tough lessons. My first professional life lesson came after reflection (post layoff) when I was on my sabbatical in Greece in 2001. I chose (subconsciously) to let the leadership changes at the firm level, prior to the layoff, change me.

When I was first hired in 1995, I was dependable and said yes to opportunities that improved and shaped my competencies in the industry. When leadership changed, I felt the values of company were changing and no longer aligned with my personal values. I blinded myself to any opportunities. Instead of finding ways to influence positive change I became a ‘victim’. I blamed the company initially, but soon realized that I too was responsible because of the choices I made. Throughout that period of reflection, I knew I loved finance, young people, and sharing my knowledge broadly.

Teaching was the path I chose and when I returned from Greece, I pursued a teaching career. I loved it, but the entire time I was a teacher, I had to keep a second job. I was in my classroom each morning at 6:30 AM, and when school was out, I consulted and/or talked to participants until 9 PM. I returned to dance in 2005 and once a week, I spent time in the studio learning how to ballroom dance. Needless to say, I worked every day between dance and both professions; it took its toll on me by the fifth year. I had to choose which job I would keep. I was faced with another difficult decision, do I stay in a profession and where I would have to give up dancing? I chose to stay with Schwab and it was the right choice. This is because I can use a couple of vacation days a year to substitute teach, dance an average of four days per week, have meaningful impact in service to non-profit work, and continue to grow in my career.

Please tell us about Charles Schwab.
Charles Schwab is a very large financial firm with many different centers of excellence or lines of business. The center of excellence I report up to is Corporate Operations. I specialize in an operations group that ensures settlement for securities bought at other broker/dealers but custodied with customers of Schwab.

I am most proud of the firm’s integrity in the industry. In 2008, after the crash of the capital markets, many plan administrating firms were losing their plans. They were coming to Schwab and I saw the 401k desk grow while other in the industry were shrinking and even going bankrupt. In addition, non-profit philanthropy and Schwab’s Corporate Responsibility across the U.S. and beyond is not only something I am very proud of, but also very close to my heart.

There are many ways employees are recognized at Schwab. In 2016, I earned 3 top awards: Outstanding Community Service Award, Excellence in Leadership Award, and Platinum Chairman’s Club. I would say what sets me apart from others, is my commitment to follow through and do the right thing, no matter what, while remaining positive. I have a lot of stamina and creativity in finding solutions, which have become a cornerstone in my personal brand.

In the summer of 2015 at an all leadership offsite, I was having a conversation around ways to engage people leaders in meaningful and creative ways. When I returned home from the offsite, I developed an idea to present to higher levels of leadership. I had conversations with professional ballroom dancers, Dignity Health foundation and the ‘Charles Schwab Dancing for a Cause’ project became a reality. I was able to bring all of my passions together in a singular project that inspired Schwab leaders to try something new, promoted stroke awareness, and fostered new relationships. The premise was similar to the popular show, Dancing with the Stars and included a philanthropic twist. I have a very close family member that suffered a massive stroke, which fostered my relationship with Dignity Health Foundation. My ballroom coach and the practice studio played a large role in the project. A few weeks were spent socializing the idea throughout Schwab’s leadership. In 2016, ten leaders, raised $28,000 for the stroke programs made available through Dignity Health Foundation. In 2017, we raised $50,000 and ten more leaders learned how to ballroom dance. I am most proud of taking a conversation that would inspire Schwab leaders to take a chance and do something different, while raising money for a worthy cause. What I learned from that experience is that many of the participants had stories of loved ones similar to mine. It revealed that we have more in common than we could ever imagine and a couple of the participants have found a new passion in dance.

Some things are out of our control, like recessions, natural disasters, etc. I have made my share of mistakes from which I have learned deep and important lessons. I am not sure if I subscribe to luck (good or bad) every day we have choices, and I choose to be happy and to make choices that do no harm. I believe this sets me apart from others.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite childhood memory centers on dance. I was a really sick kid. I was born with asthma and allergic to so much. Instead of playing outside, I was seeing doctors, instead of running, I was using a nebulizer. My mom had me in yoga to learn how to control my breathing. As I improved, my mom had me in dance, tap, jazz, ballet, and acrobatics. Dancing saved my life, it still does…

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