The pandemic created a major challenge and opportunity for MetaBank, where Sheree Thornsberry helps oversee the issuer’s role as an approved prepaid card provider to the federal government.
In a rapid series of developments in 2020, the U.S. Treasury tapped MetaBank to deliver stimulus payments through prepaid Visa cards to 4 million consumers, and doubled it to 8 million for the second round of payments later in the year.
The government still sent out millions of paper checks, but MetaBank’s effort provided a more secure and versatile approach for many consumers whose bank account details the IRS lacked.
“We were already a service provider for government agency disbursements, but a national Economic Impact Payment Card program had never been done before — particularly on that scale,” said Thornsberry, who is one of PaymentsSource’s Most Influential Women of 2021.
Close regulatory scrutiny is par for the course with prepaid cards, where MetaBank’s services routinely bridge financial gaps for unbanked and underserved groups on behalf of banks, fintechs and government agencies. Despite the pressure, the South Dakota-based company pulled off a smooth rollout.
“We harnessed video conferencing technology in ways I’d never dreamed of prior to being thrust into this new remote work environment, and we all learned new ways to manage our workloads and multitask,” Thornsberry said.
Coping with unexpected changes is nothing new for Thornsberry, who joined MetaBank four years ago after several years in executive roles at payments companies including gift card giant Blackhawk Network, and prior to that incentive card provider InteliSpend, which Blackhawk acquired in 2013.
But the chaos of the pandemic taught Thornsberry new skills.
“I’ve held leadership roles for more than a decade, but I feel like I’ve grown into my role like never before within the last year. It’s easy to lead when times are good, but your character is tested in times of crisis,” she said.
One breakthrough was finally getting comfortable sharing her struggles and asking for help.
“This was a huge learning experience for me, making me a better leader and team member,” Thornsberry said.
Managing a remote workforce added a new dimension to Thornsberry’s skills.
“Virtual offices deepened our personal connections and our awareness of the family members and pets that are part of our colleagues’ lives,” she said.
Notorious for working long hours, Thornsberry also found an upside in the way the pandemic’s stay-at-home orders forced her to change her pace.
“It allowed me more time to focus on balance and self-care, which has historically been very difficult for me. I had no choice but to redirect some energy toward non-work-related hobbies. I’ve continued to build my self confidence by achieving goals that weren’t tied to work contributions or other metrics,” Thornsberry said.
Helping other women succeed at the executive level while staying true to themselves is another longtime passion for Thornsberry.
“There are still plenty of systemic biases against women. In my own career, I was often instructed to act a certain way to climb the career ladder. But that ‘certain way’ was in conflict with who I really am,” Thornsberry said.
She regularly encounters young women in the workplace who need more encouragement and reinforcement to embrace their authentic selves.
“I don’t want these women to believe they have to change who they are in order to succeed,” she said.
That said, Thornsberry believes in being flexible about taking assignments that don't seem to be on your personal career road map.
"Be open to new and different experiences, even if they take you off the traditional, well-traveled path — these experiences will help you grow in more ways than you expect," she said.
