50 Leading Women: Emily Zoog
In honor and celebration of our Women’s Division‘s 50th Anniversary, we will be spotlighting 50 Leading Women making an impact, raising their voice, and leading the next generation of women in the workforce and Plano community.
Introducing, Emily Zoog, VP, Business Development Officer for Veritex Community Bank. Emily currently serves at the Chair of the Plano Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. Previously she served as our as our Treasurer, Chair of the Finance Committee, and Advisor to the Audit Committee. She was the 2016 Chair of the Women’s Division Board and was awarded the Best of Plano Rising Star Award in 2017. Emily’s passion is lifting up other women in business by sharing her wealth of industry knowledge, her professional network, and being their biggest personal cheerleader. In alignment with her passion, Emily leads the Veritex Bank Women in Business Park Cities/North Dallas program. In her free time, you will likely find her with her husband and two, spunky children.
Introducing, Emily Zoog, VP, Business Development Officer for Veritex Community Bank. Emily currently serves at the Chair of the Plano Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. Previously she served as our as our Treasurer, Chair of the Finance Committee, and Advisor to the Audit Committee. She was the 2016 Chair of the Women’s Division Board and was awarded the Best of Plano Rising Star Award in 2017. Emily’s passion is lifting up other women in business by sharing her wealth of industry knowledge, her professional network, and being their biggest personal cheerleader. In alignment with her passion, Emily leads the Veritex Bank Women in Business Park Cities/North Dallas program. In her free time, you will find her spending her time and energy with her husband and two, spunky children.
1. Do you remember your first time attending one of our Women’s Division events?
The first time I attended a Women’s Division luncheon was in 2012. It was the very first networking event I had ever attended in my career. I was extremely nervous. The first person I met that day was Joan Calhoun. I was relieved to meet another banker, and to this day Joan is still a very dear friend but also a mentor and role model to me. Little did I know that day would change the trajectory of my career and my confidence level, along with my personal and professional growth.
Over the past 10 years, opportunities to serve with the Plano Chamber have brought so much joy to my life, including serving as the Women’s Division Directors in 2016, serving many years on the Chamber’s Finance Committee, and now currently serving as Chair of the Board of Directors for the Plano Chamber. The Chamber staff and members are some of the most precious people I know. I learn from each of them every day and feel blessed to have built many great friendships.
2. Describe your leadership style and how you lead others.
I believe in supporting my team while empowering each person to play their own part. Development is crucial to help anyone grow and further their skills. I try to be the best leader I can be, but most of all, I feel it is important to often stop and listen. There are so many amazing leaders around me. Sometimes it is important to take a back seat and watch others lead and listen so that I can continue to grow in my own leadership.
3. How can women develop their leadership skills in the workforce?
Leadership skills are developed over time. Some may come innate with skills where others must work a little harder. However, there are many elements that help mold a women’s individual leadership skills, such as mentorship. Finding a mentor who can encourage and motivate but also challenge you and hold you accountable is a gift that we each should take advantage of when we have the opportunity. We all have those we look up to, and we watch those people from afar. We can develop skills by watching them, but that will only take you so far. Having a mentor to talk you through something, give words of advice, help you to step out of your comfort zone – that is priceless.
4. What are the most important decisions you make as a leader?
Some of the smallest decisions can be some of the most important decisions as a leader. Simply treating others with respect, having integrity, doing what is right, showing empathy, and just being kind – making the decisions to follow these values goes a long way and is the guide to how we carry out our tasks and responsibilities on a daily basis.
5. What has been one of your biggest joys as a leader?
One of my biggest joys is learning about other people and their passion, where their passion came from, and the hurdles they have overcome to get to where they are. While I may be a leader, I am also still being led by so many people around me. I take what I learn through my own experiences, and I share that with my community so that I can hopefully make a difference in someone else’s life.
Currently, serving in the role as Chair of the Plano Chamber Board of Directors has been a blast. It is an honor to serve in this capacity, a role in which I used to believe I would never be “good enough” for. I serve alongside an amazing group of leaders on the Board of Directors. And I am fully supported by my company, Veritex Community Bank, who often shares in my joy of successes with me. And most importantly, I have made my family proud. That makes me feel like I am on top of the world.
6. What strategies could be used to promote inclusion in the workplace?
Strategies that could be used in the workplace to promote inclusion include open communication from all levels, empowering employees, creating a DEI program that includes interest groups and diversity training, and creating volunteer opportunities that encourage employees to get more involved in the community and to engage with the issues they have a personal connection to.
7. What advice would you give your 25-year-old self?
Oh, I feel like I would need to have a serious “sit down” session with my 25-year-old self. But what I would surely tell my younger self is “Love yourself. Believe in yourself. Do not get in your own way. Pave your path. Never allow someone to put you in a corner. Overcome the struggles and challenges no matter how hard. Find your purpose and make a difference.”
8. What advice can you give to the next generation of female leaders?
My advice to the next generation of female leaders would be the same advice I would have given my 25-year-old self. But I would also advise them to get out there and meet as many people as you can. Learn about different cultures, different industries, build relationships. And follow your passion as you will do your best when your heart is in it.
9. Who inspired you and why?
My late mother-in-law, Sue Zoog, was a huge inspiration to me. She battled a very rare cancer and was declined for treatment at the Mayo Clinic by her insurance. She fought insurance with fifteen long months of research and court dates all while receiving very little medical help and only getting weaker. But while her physical state was weak, she was one of the strongest women I have ever known. She prevailed in court against the insurance company, finally made it to the Mayo Clinic for treatment, to then find the cancer had spread. She lived her lift to the fullest for the next three months, even planning a huge party to celebrate her life while she was still on this earth.
Sue was on a mission to bring people to Christ her whole life, and she saved so many lives as she spread the Word. The morning after she passed, a doctor at the Mayo clinic emailed my father-in-law to stating that because of what Sue did to change the insurance coding for her very rare cancer, another life was saved that very morning of someone battling the same rare cancer. While she is no longer here, her legacy of saving people’s lives continues. She gave me a whole new outlook on life to focus only the positives and to never take our loved ones for granted.
10. What do you want to be remembered for?
I want to be remembered as someone full of joy; someone who lives every day to the fullest; as a wife and mother who loves her husband and children more than anything else in this world; someone who helps make a difference in the community; someone who encourages and helps other women overcome their own battles, whatever those battles might be. I want to be remembered as an overcomer who never gives up and always moves forward, no matter how hard it seems.
