As an uber-accomplished woman in her industry, paving the way and serving as an inspiration for others, Katie Maria Chikonde, MBA, is a vice president and director of capital markets with Dart Bank in Colorado. Throughout her career, she has applied her vast leadership talents to help people thrive in their careers, offering mentorship and guidance to younger professionals.
At Dart Bank, Ms. Chikonde leads the secondary marketing committee, runs analyses, oversees the funding departments, and co-manages disclosures. She believes her success is the culmination of her persistent drive and dedication to improvement. By prioritizing balance and setting boundaries, she emphasizes effective time management to achieve her goals. Fueled by passion and determination, she relentlessly pursues new objectives and pushes her limits. In this light, she was recognized in 2024 as a Dart Difference nominee by Dart Bank.
Ms. Chikonde gives back because she is grateful for the mentorship she has received from multiple exceptional individuals throughout her career journey. Although her path to graduate school was not planned, she studied with Kenneth Kong, who served as her finance professor and as the Finance Association adviser. Under his kind guidance, Ms. Chikonde was inspired to seek a career in finance and was later appointed as the president of the Finance Association. She graduated from Idaho State University with a Master of Business Administration in 2015, before which she completed a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management in 2014 at the same institution. Once she began working, she recalls being lucky to find Randy Eaton, who remains her biggest mentor and whose invaluable support and advice helped equip her to excel in her current position. Mr. Eaton, she says, allowed her to showcase her leadership skills, giving her the responsibility to manage larger accounts.
In addition, Ms. Chikonde credits Debbie Beier, the chief operating officer at GO Mortgage, as an inspirational female and overall leader in the industry. Ms. Chikonde is proud to call the “exceptional woman” her friend. From 2021 to 2022, Ms. Chikonde was the director of capital markets at GO Mortgage. Since 2021, she has shared her knowledge as a business mentor at the Idaho State University College of Business, and since 2023, she has volunteered for Girls Inc.
Beginning her professional journey in 2007 as an interviewer, supervisor, trainer, shift lead, lead supervisor, and shift manager for the Bernett Information Group, Ms. Chikonde later rose to the role of human resource coordinator and facility manager in 2009. From 2011 to 2014, she was an assistant operations manager with the Bernett Information Group, after which she became an operations specialist. Ms. Chikonde left the organization in 2015 to accept the position of trade operations administrator with Optimal Blue LLC, where she later became an analyst in 2017. In 2019, she took on the role of senior analyst, serving in this capacity for two years. Impressively, alongside her primary pursuits, she contributed her expertise in capital markets, data analytics, and pipeline risk management to a textbook for McGraw-Hill in 2023. Exhibiting excellence throughout her academic and professional trajectories, Ms. Chikonde’s leadership of the Finance Association at Idaho State University earned the group a Student Organization of the Year award in 2015. The same year, she also was named an Outstanding Student by the university’s Office of Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action, and Diversity.
Away from work, Ms. Chikonde cherishes time with her family and friends and enjoys hiking, reading, practicing yoga, and caring for her plants and flowers. Looking to the future, she hopes to continue growing and learning in her field. Ultimately, Ms. Chikonde hopes to create positive changes and contribute to world peace by helping those around her tap into their intuition and spread positive energy, she says.
