Kristy Schaffer is 42 years old and was raised in Fenton. The Fenton graduate and one of the senior vice presidents of The State Bank blends her busy professional and family life.

Tell us about your family:

 I’ve been married to Steffan Schaffer since September of 2015. My son Andrew Premo, 15, is a sophomore at Fenton High School and my daughter, Katie Premo, 13, is a seventh-grader at AGS Middle School. My stepson, Cameron Schaffer, 14, is a freshman at Lake Fenton High School. We have a dog, a 12-year-old lab mix named Coco, and two cats named Ruger and Bailey. They are both 2 years old.

Where did you grow up and attend school?

 I was born in Mt. Pleasant, but my family moved to Fenton before I started school. I graduated from Fenton High School in 1992. I received my bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Michigan-Flint, and my MBA in Human Resources Management from Baker College.

What is your position with The State Bank?

 I am a senior vice president at The State Bank with responsibilities of directing our Human Resources and Marketing function. I work from our Main Office in downtown Fenton.

How long have you been with The State Bank?

 I started at The State Bank on June 20, 1994. When I started with the bank, I was a part-time teller at our Holly Branch on Grange Hall Road. Over the years, I have held the following positions: senior teller, community office supervisor, branch manager, retail banking officer, payroll/benefits administrator, retail banking department head, human resources generalist. I have been in my current role as a senior vice president and director of Human Resources/Marketing for the last 13 years.

What do you like best about your job?

I love working with people. Being in Human Resources allows for so many opportunities to interact with people from recruitment to employee development. It is so fulfilling to see someone grow and experience success in their career and know that you played a small part in supporting them. I also love working in the community that I live. The bank does so much with our local communities and it is awesome to be a part of that as part of my work responsibilities. It has allowed me to get involved with so many great organizations like Fenton Area Chamber of Commerce, Fenton Education Foundation, United Way of Genesee County and the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan.

What are some of the challenges?

 Certainly not all parts of Human Resources are glamorous. There are often difficult decisions that need to be made that directly impact your people. That is certainly the most challenging aspect of the job. I have tried to always balance the business needs of the bank with the well-being of our staff and make decisions accordingly.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

 I love to read and spend time with my family. We enjoy going on vacation and have spent a fair amount of time going on cruises. I enjoy going on wine tours and try to do that at least once a year in the Traverse City area. My sons both play baseball and my daughter is a volleyball player so I spend a good deal of free time at their sporting events as well.

What is something people don’t know about you?

 As a senior in high school, I wanted a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig, which is a small pig that can be a pet. They are the size of a small dog. I found one through an ad in the paper. My mom and I went to go pick it up and I had read the ad wrong. It was a pot-bellied pig — like a huge farm pig. In typical teenage rebellion — I said that I wanted the pig still and for some reason — my mom allowed it. The pig took up the entire back seat of our Chevette. Unfortunately, the pig died on the way home because it was very worked up about getting in the car and apparently had a heart attack. We lived in downtown Fenton at the time and I had no idea what we were going to do with this farm pig in downtown. My dad, who knew nothing about this plan, came home from work to a dead pig in the middle of our garage.