Meet Kelly Hillman, first vice president – head of retail at Union Bank & Trust (UBT, www.ubt.com).

Tell us a little about your business. – UBT is a family-owned bank with roots in the community dating back over a century. We are a full-service bank that is dedicated to helping individuals, families, and businesses thrive in whatever they’d like to accomplish. As the head of the retail division, I have the opportunity to provide strategic leadership and oversight to customer service for Lincoln and Greater Nebraska, mortgage loans, and the customer support team. I am proud to work for an institution that truly lives our core values of caring about our customers, employees, and communities that we serve.

How did you get started in the business? – I graduated from the University of Nebraska with a business administration degree, and after seven years of working in the student loan servicing industry with UNIPAC, I moved into banking. I was a mortgage loan officer for about 10 years and then managed the mortgage division at another institution for six years before joining UBT in 2014.

What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced professionally? – Managing the mortgage team through the pandemic. I am very proud of how our entire team on both the sales and operations sides worked together to continue to deliver for our clients.

What has been your most important achievement professionally? – I love being on the management side of things, but the most rewarding thing I’ve done was helping people achieve their dream of home ownership when I was a mortgage loan officer. I loved seeing a firsttime buyer purchase a home or be able to afford building a new home.

Tell us a little about your family. – I have been married for 30 years to my wife Karree, a teacher with LPS. We have two daughters, Kelsey (27) and Natalie (23). I had to have a boy in the house, so I also have a dog, Charlie (6).

What is your favorite thing to do on a day off? – Golf. Who inspires you? – My dad. He worked a minimum of two jobs the entire time I was growing up to provide for us. Because he worked so hard, he missed a lot of things I did growing up. He has made it a point to never miss anything my daughters were involved in.

What is your favorite quote or the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? – Treat others as you would want to be treated.

If you could choose only one descriptive word to be remembered as, what would it be? – Loyal.

If you could choose any other profession to be successful in, what would it be? – I would have loved to be an entertainer, but if you can’t sing, that is probably a problem.

What local nonprofit organization(s) are you passionate about or involved with, and are there any special reasons why? – I currently sit on the board of directors for Make-A-Wish Nebraska. My wife and I know several children who were granted wishes and saw the hope that it gave them while fighting through illness.

What is your favorite movie? – Probably one that nobody has ever heard of called Tin Men with Richard Dreyfuss and Danny DeVito. They play aluminum siding salesmen in the 1960’s. Anyone ever involved in sales would love it.

What is your favorite local restaurant? – Venue Restaurant & Lounge.

If you could have dinner with one famous person from the past or present, who would it be? – Elvis. It would be so interesting to hear what it was like to be him.

If our readers would like to contact you, how should they do so?(402) 323-1290; kelly.hillman@ubt.com; www.ubt.com.