Karen Wimbish, president of Wachovia Securities’ Latin American Group, views life like a mathematical decision tree.  “Career opportunities come along and you either take them or you don’t.  Eventually, you will branch off and continue to go in a chosen direction,” said Wimbish.  “There will be a lot of twists and turns along the way, and you need to be flexible.  A lot of it is being in the right place at the right time.”

Wimbish, who was the keynote speaker at the Wachovia Securities Senior Dinner last May, elicited her greatest response from the audience when she told them that she would bet her bottom dollar that at least one man in the room would be a full-time, stay-at-home dad at some point in his life, just as some of the women in the room would be the sole breadwinners and heads of their households.

Other words of wisdom from this new young grandmother of one – bring your passion to work, get out of the office and into the community, be flexible, consider the alternatives, love what you do for a living because you will spend a lot of time at work, and be aware that the best friends you will make in your life will be friends you made at the University of Richmond.

Looking back, Wimbish, who became president of Wachovia’s Latin American group in 2005, could never have envisioned this role when she was in school.  Like many students, she went for the money when she took her first job in banking.  Today, she heads up ten branches in South America, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Miami and New York.

“I had traveled a lot personally, but mostly to familiar places.  When I took this job I had never been to Latin America.  The people are delightful, very well-educated and very globally minded.”

In her spare time, Wimbish stays in close contact with 12 of her best friends in life – friends she made at the University of Richmond. The group gets together once a year.  For their 50th birthdays, they went to Italy.

As for the next twist and turn in her life, Wachovia Securities and AG Edwards will merge later this year.  The combined retail brokerage organization will be headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri.  It was just announced that Wimbish will stay on as president of the Latin American Group.  Whether Wimbish and her group will stay in Richmond or relocate to St. Louis is one branch of the decision tree that is unknown.