Banker finds color and life behind money management

The world of banking can seem sterile at first glance dark clothing, orderly desks, simple furnishings, serious business.

But the office of Leanne Fenton, where inspirational quotations, whimsical artwork and family photos share the space with books and ledgers, tells of a woman who is warm and generous.

Fenton is senior vice president of wealth management for City National Bank, a job she's held for two years. She's been in the banking industry for about 20 years, starting her career at Valley Bank when she moved to Reno with her family when husband Sydney became corporate controller at Saint Mary's.

"People have a perception of wealth that it's obscene yachts, houses, and such. But it's all personal; it's different for everyone," she says. "It's where you are in YOUR life. We all manage our money differently. City National offers retail banking, securities with our brokerage and asset management. So when I work with clients, I work across all the business lines. And it's always as part of a team of experts so we can help our clients in any way."

Fenton got into banking as a fluke, but she found that helping people with their wealth management offered something she hadn't expected.

"It touched a piece of me I didn't know I had. It's the people part that's great. When you talk to someone about their personal numbers, you get to know them. Plus, I like puzzles, and people are giant puzzles. I'm never bored. I have clients from 20 years ago. You go through a life experience with your clients. I've been to weddings, births, funerals," Fenton says.

Being a part of that personal picture is important to Fenton. She once thought she'd be an English teacher because she wanted to "teach, to participate, to help someone grow." That's what she does now as she assists people with their finances.

That desire to serve influences Fenton all the way down to her epitaph, which she came up with during a conversation with friends: I made a difference.

"Could be good or bad, but I did SOMETHING," she explains.

Doing something isn't something that's a problem for Fenton. Aside from her job, she is a voracious reader, generally preferring mysteries, to "let someone else figure out the puzzle," she says.

And another side of her personality is distant from the world of banking.

"I love color and texture. I used to make paper. I have a very active right brain. Eventually I'm going to need to let that out again," she says with a smile. "I'd like to own some sort of boutique with papers, pens, the smell of leather and lots of color in it."

The two sides, banker and artist, are evident in the way Fenton speaks; her language is full of color and lyricism, yet the words are straightforward and intelligent.

The seemingly contrary aspects began to blend together as Fenton was raised by her father, who was a preacher, and her mother, a nurse.

"I would help my mother with her projects, then watch my father practice his sermons. I got both sides of life, the science and the spirit," she says. "I don't want to look in a crystal ball to see what the future will bring. But I know it will involve paper, texture, color and words."

For now, her life is full with spending time her two Scottish terriers, her grand-children who live nearby, and of course her husband. Sydney has faced severe health issues recently, and in typical Fenton style, she's discovered there's more than just one side of this challenge.

'It's made me more compassionate AND more edgy. I don't have time for the small stuff anymore, and it really is all small stuff," she says. And while things can get tough, Fenton refuses to let it get the best of her.

"I passionately try not to use the challenges we've gone through to not do something," she explains. It's all in keeping with a woman whose energy and spirit are seen in the lines of a quote sent to her by a friend: "If all life goes inevitably towards its end, we must, during ours, color it with hope and love."