Forty Under 40: Katie Robinson

Katie Robinson is paying it forward.

In her eight years working in banking, from an assistant branch manager position to her current role, Robinson knows well how important fiscal responsibility is.

That’s why she has helped lead the charge for the Dollars and Sense program, a partnership between Arvest Bank and fifth-graders in the Fayetteville School District.

The program teaches the students fiscal topics such as saving money, what an interest rate is, and walks the students through opening up an actual savings account with the bank.

“It’s a lot of fun because these kids don’t always hear at home about the importance of saving, the value of a dollar,” Robinson said. “We teach them where money comes from and how to be responsible with it.”

Robinson, a Fort Smith native who is also a member of the Fayetteville Education Committee and a recent graduate of the Leadership Fayetteville Class, didn’t originally plan on being a banker.

She received a degree in biochemistry from Oklahoma State University in 1999 and for five years was a manager at Powerhouse Seafood Bar and Grill in Fayetteville before appying for a job at Arvest.

After being an assistant branch manager for a year she became a bank vice-president and branch manager, a position she held for seven years.