Hannah Hahn, Harvey County United Way board chair
By Sheila G. Kelley, Development Coordinator
Question: Where did you grow up and what was your family life like?
Answer: I grew up outside the tiny town of Enterprise, KS. My dad is a farmer and my mom is a financial advisor. I also have a younger brother who is helping with the farm today. The farm was a large part of how I was raised. I had many evenings taking care of livestock and just being in the equipment with my dad (or mom). 4-H and FFA were also a large part of my life growing as I was never very good at sports but could give one heck of a speech!
Question: Who have been your strongest influences in life?
Answer: I have been incredibly lucky to be surrounded by strong women in my life. My mom being one of the largest influences, followed very closely by my Grandma Miller and Grandma Conley. Each woman has left such a mark on me and I hope I make them proud every day.
Question: What led you to your career?
Answer: As I was finishing up my master degree at K-State in Agricultural Economics, many of my classmates were getting jobs where they crunched numbers or did research. I knew that working with people was something I wanted to do. As I started searching for a career, my mom introduced me to Mike Petitjean. Mike was looking for a younger advisor to take over so he could retire. I was absolutely terrified at first. There was so much to learn! As my mom is a financial advisor, she trained me to help and service clients in the best way possible. Being a financial advisor gives me a great blend of working with people and working with numbers. I LOVE my job as I get to help people every single day reach their financial goals!
Question: How would friends and acquaintances describe you?
Answer: My friends say that I am a devoted and loyal person. I will do anything for those in my life who are important to me. This includes family, friends, and clients. I have also been told that I am good interpreting others and reading a room. I also am good at being direct when needed but also comforting.
Question: With so many volunteer opportunities in the community, why did you choose to be involved with Harvey County United Way?
Answer: I started out with Untied Way as our office was a major sponsor of the Chili Cook-Off. As I got to know more about the organization and what it stood for, I quickly realized that it aligned with other areas that I care about deeply in my life. As I got more involved, my dollars could go a lot further with one donation than trying to donate small amounts to a lot of places.
Question: What’s the one thing you want people to know about HCUW?
Answer: Harvey County United Way is an organization that does much more than what people realize. When a crisis happens in the county, United Way is one of the first organizations that will be on the scene. I don’t think that a lot people of know that crisis management is part of what Harvey County United Way does. My love for United Way grows every year that I am involved because I learn more the positive impact that we are making in the county. While we won’t see the impact today, we will see it five to 10 years from now as we are investing in tomorrow.
Thank you, Hannah, for your service to Harvey County and your unwavering support of Harvey County United Way.