Brenda Sanford, chief administrative officer at D.L. Evans Bank, was honored on Friday, April 29 as an Outstanding Alumna for the College of Business and Economics (COBE). COBE Outstanding Alumni are an elite few. Only when COBE feels an alumnus is particularly deserving is an award made. Alumni are nominated by COBE faculty and selected by the executive committee. Sanford was chosen for her admirable career at D.L. Evans and her extensive service to the community.
At the COBE Academic Excellence luncheon on Friday, Sanford spoke to the COBE Outstanding Graduate for spring 2016, also being honored. Her advise to graduates embarking on their careers or next stage of education is to never give up — keep trying until you succeed. She illustrated the point with the story of her career at D.L. Evans Bank.
Brenda graduated from Boise State University with her bachelor’s degree in business finance and began her banking career at Citizens National Bank in Boise, Idaho. In 1986, she moved to Burley, Idaho and further established her banking career with D.L. Evans Bank. Brenda has served as an executive officer for D.L. Evans Bank for 24 years, and during this time, she has seen the bank grow from $64 million in assets and three branches to $1.2 billion in assets and 28 branches throughout Southern Idaho.
Brenda is active in several community organizations. She serves as a board member for the Idaho Community Foundation (ICF) and chairs the Finance Committee. She is past president of the College of Southern Idaho Foundation Board of Directors and assisted the executive, scholarship and finance committees. She is a current board member for the Idaho Golf Association and has been an active member of the American Cancer Society, specifically for the Relay for Life and volunteers for the Idaho Golf Association and the Junior Golf Program at the Rupert Country Club.
Brenda was a recipient of the Tribute to Women and Industry (TWIN) award given by the Women’s and Children’s Alliance in 2009, and she received an award for 2013’s “Best Boss” through the Mini-Cassia Readers’ Choice by the Times-News.
Brenda is married to Terry Sanford and has a son, Zachary, who completed his service in the U.S. Army as an Intelligence Analyst in the 82nd Airborne and is currently attending Boise State University and graduating in May 2016.