Honoring Our Heroes: Ester Sisson

In honor of Military Appreciation Month, we’re excited to share the remarkable stories of our veteran and military spouse employees whose contributions at home, at work, and on the frontline help us foster a culture of respect, understanding, and camaraderie.

Ester Sisson, Manoa Branch Manager, fondly remembers her time as military spouse before settling down in Hawaii. “I feel so fortunate to have the opportunities we had being in the military.”

Before joining the bank, Ester and her husband, a retired U.S. Air Force C-130 pilot, were stationed in Landsberg, Germany—an experience she credits to helping her build leadership skills—particularly flexibility and understanding, “When I lived in Germany, I had to learn everything in a different language, something as simple as making a doctor’s appointment or reading the signs when driving on the autobahn. My leadership skills and confidence come from those experiences because it gave me the advantage from doing a lot of it on my own. It was a great experience to learn different cultures, make new friends, visit different countries and be completely immersed.”

Learning the culture in a new country, with a young child and a husband who was often away, Ester also credits her time as a military spouse in helping her build her can-do attitude, passion for learning, and independence—all skills that she uses daily in her role as a Branch Manager. “You never know what’s going to come up. You anticipate anything and everything, then you adapt.”

In addition to providing exceptional customer experiences at our Manoa Branch, one of Ester’s passions is giving back to the community and helping young children learn financial literacy skills at an early age. Working with schools such as Pearl Harbor Elementary School, Ester volunteers for Smart Money lessons and Junior Achievement to teach financial education classes designed by Bank of Hawaii for students.

Ester is also part of Bank of Hawaii’s Blue Brigade, an Employee Resource Group dedicated to “serving those who serve.” Members of the Blue Brigade are focused on community engagement—including volunteering to build homes for veterans, providing financial literacy lessons to students, and supporting organizations such as the Armed Services YMCA and U.S.VETS Wai'anae, Hawaii (usvets.org).

At Bank of Hawaii we are committed to diversity, including honoring those who have served our country. Mahalo Ester for sharing your story and being one of the great people who make Bank of Hawaii a great place to work—and the kind of company people are proud of.

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