Jan M. Pattishall

Senior Vice President and Director of Enterprise Services, WesBanco Bank, Inc.

By Alicia Elkin

“I bloom where I’m planted,” says Jan Pattishall. “It is something my mother always said, and I consider it all of the time. Life is full of surprises, so the best thing we can all do is embrace change and flourish.”

Pattishall’s career path has not exactly been linear, but she believes she ended up in the right place—as senior vice president and director of enterprise services at WesBanco Bank, Inc. in Wheeling, WV—by keeping her options open and blooming wherever she was planted.

Pattishall’s first job was working concessions at The 19th Street Theater, a single-screen art film house in Allentown, PA, where she cleaned, served popcorn and learned about the importance of balancing priorities. Her career launched with a position at RR Donnelley, a communications company based in Chicago. Though she wasn’t there long, the experience left an indelible mark on her.

“At RR Donnelly, I learned about standing out in a crowd,” she says. “It was a large organization and I was very inexperienced, but I learned how to grow my confidence and articulate my contribution to the organization and those around me. I will always remember this job because I felt so young when working with other professionals. In time I learned that age doesn’t have anything to do with success but that confidence is the real driving force.”

Throughout Pattishall’s career, one of her biggest challenges—and successes—has been learning how to balance work and life and how to take care of herself so she can be a better asset to her employer.

“I have achieved a balance where I am the best I can be for myself, my family and my career,” she says. “I consider the three-legged stool analogy. If you focus too much or too little on any of these three pillars, the stool will topple. I spent the early parts of my life focused only on my career, and rather than watching it improve, I watched all three suffer. I am not saying I have reached some sort of balance that will never be tested, and I constantly re-evaluate my priorities, but I have fully grasped the importance of this balance and will continue to work on it every day.”

That work-life balance is particularly beneficial with Pattishall’s community service commitments. As a 2016 graduate of the Leadership West Virginia program, Pattishall developed a deep passion for the Mountain State, and this year, she joined the organization’s board of directors. She is also a member of the West Virginia Farm Bureau and a member and sponsor of the Dance Marathon Alumni Interest Group. Pattishall invests time as a fundraiser and event participant for the American Heart Association and its Heart Walk and the United Way and its Day of Caring. She also volunteers with WesBanco’s Secret Santa program at Elm Grove Elementary School.

“Community service is critical because it allows me to become an active member of the community I live in while providing assistance to those who need it most,” she says. “I am truly blessed that my company has a passion for community service and enables employees to become involved.”

This fall, Pattishall joined the Junior League of Wheeling as a provisional member. She believes this organization will allow her to promote volunteerism and help develop the potential of women in the area. “I am confident this new endeavor will give me the opportunity to better serve the community in which I now work and live in a hands-on capacity,” she says.

Though Pattishall is not a native West Virginian, she has wasted no time in making the Mountain State her home. One of her biggest struggles is living far away from her family, and she utilizes photography to share her new home with them.

“My favorite West Virginia activity is taking pictures of the beauty the state has to offer,” she says. “Every time my husband and I travel around the state, we have our cameras in tow. I suppose I love taking pictures because I can capture the memory of these beautiful places and share them with my family and friends who aren’t as familiar with this great state.”