As women in banking, it is important that we lift each other up and celebrate each other's accomplishments. The entire purpose of the Girl Banker blog is to do just that! The Girl Banker of the Week series serves as a way to highlight Girl Bankers everywhere by telling their stories and motivating and encouraging other women in banking. It also is a great way for women in banking to connect! Read below about this week's Girl Banker of the Week! Autumn Hudgins | AVP, Loan Officer | Cornerstone Bank INTRO | This week, the Girl Banker of the Week has a unique story. Not only is she a hard working mom, but she is also an entrepreneur and a philanthropist with a personal vested interest in giving back to single parents. I became connected with Autumn as a result of our being on the Single Parent Scholarship Fund of NWA Board of Directors and I'm proud to highlight her and her story this week on the Girl Banker! GIRL BANKER STORY | Autumn is nearing her 15th anniversary in banking, all of which has been with Cornerstone Bank, headquartered in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. She got her start as a teller and then was promoted through the ranks, serving as Account Opening Deposit Representative, Loan Assistant, Marketing Director, Board Secretary, and Executive Assistant to the President and CEO. She now is an AVP, Loan Officer, specializing in mortgage lending. Through her rise in the ranks of Cornerstone Bank, she has witnessed her small community bank grow from two branches to 6, serving 3 counties in North Central Arkansas. She earned a Bachelor's of Science in  Mass Communication with a concentration in Advertising and Public Relations from East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma. She is a graduate of the American Bankers Association Bank Marketing and Finance School at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.

HER INSPIRATION | Autumn is a single mother of two children, Anna-Claire,12 and Jackson, 9. She is incredibly involved in her community of Huntsville, Arkansas and thrives on being exposed to new experiences, meeting new people, and challenges. Her number one goal in life is to raise her children to be caring and appreciative adults that want to give back. While her children are involved in numerous activities themselves, Autumn has always included them in her own volunteer work in order to serve as an example. She currently sits on the Single Parent Scholarship Fund of NWA Board of Directors as Secretary and is a past member of the Eureka Springs Rotary Club, Eureka Springs Main Street Board, Carrol County Relay for Life committee and was a graduate of Leadership Arkansas: Carroll County. Being an independent, confident woman comes naturally to Autumn. She learned these traits from her mother, who took on raising Autumn and her brothers alone after losing their dad at the age of 13.  Autumn watched her mom persevere, making ends meet as an entrepreneur but always making sure her children had a happy childhood with a positive future. Her mother is now retired from owning her own business but her determination and zeal still serve as an inspiration to Autumn and is the number one reason why she is an avid supporter of the mission of the Single Parent Scholarship Fund of NWA.

"I don't serve because I am a single mother, but instead, because of the example set by my mother. She always told me I could be anything I wanted and gave my siblings and I unconditional love and support each and every day, regardless of the trials she was facing."

A single mother herself, Autumn vows to give back to single parent's pursuing their dreams through furthering their education by providing advice, support and love. She feels that the recipients of the SPSF NWA are living proof that regardless of your situation, you can achieve your dreams and create a better, brighter future for your children. When Autumn became a single mother in 2012, she was more determined than ever to find a way to provide more for her children in addition to her banking career. In 2013, she became an entrepreneur herself, purchasing the Crooked River Cabins Resort in Battiest, Oklahoma near her childhood home. The resort includes luxury cabin rentals that overlook the Glover River and attract guests from all over the US. Buying the resort not only gave Autumn a safe haven near her family but also proved to be a way for her to invest in her childhood community. MOTIVATION | "First and foremost, my two children are always my motivation, hands down! They give me the strength to get up and put one foot in front of the other every day. Secondly, I want to do more and be more in life; to give back and not be an idle citizen of society. My favorite quote is: 'Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.'" Join me as we celebrate this week's Girl Banker of the Week, Autumn Hudgins! Know someone who should be the next Girl Banker of the Week? Send nominations to thegirlbanker@gmail.com!