Age 39 | Vice president, Bankers Trust Co.

Melissa Stover has the perspective of someone who was raised in Greater Des Moines and moved away, but then chose to return.

“I knew this was such a good place for raising a family, to invest our human capital back here,” she said.

Stover went to work for Bankers Trust Co. immediately after graduating from Drake Law School, rapidly advancing to corporate trust officer. She moved to Colorado to a similar position at a bank there, but returned after a couple of years to Bankers Trust.

A certified corporate trust specialist, Stover said she enjoys working with municipalities and school districts as a partner in financing community improvements. The bank has expanded its corporate trust services to an 11-state region, “so developing the business in those states is something I’m involved in,” she said. “Not a lot of entities are doing this, so we have a whole lot of opportunities for growth.”

As a single mother raising three boys, many of her volunteer commitments involve their activities. “I’m looking for ways they can learn to become involved and instill that in them,” she said. She is active at St. Francis of Assisi Church and School, where she serves in the parent-teacher organization and has taken a lead role in many fund-raising projects. She also volunteers as a homeroom parent, a Sunday school teacher and a Cub Scout den leader.

“Melissa is a sincere person with the utmost character and has a strong commitment to work, family and community,” wrote Cristina Kuhn, a partner at Dorsey & Whitney LLP who has worked with Stover. “She truly is one of those people that lights up a room with her energy and spirit.”

When facing new situations, Stover said she keeps in mind a saying she learned from her grandmother: “Nothing is ever as good or as bad as it seems at first.”

Five reasons she’s a 40:

• Key business leader in charge of a team of five trust officers.

• Instrumental in expanding trust operations of Bankers Trust to a multistate region.

• Displays integrity, responsibility and enthusiasm in her profession and volunteer activities.

• Active with numerous nonprofit organizations.

• Volunteers for St. Francis Assisi Church and School in several roles.

Fun Fact:

An ideal day is spending time together fishing and boating at the family’s lake house.