Pathward employees gather for first Dare to Be Great Employee Summit

What does “Dare to be Great” mean to you?

As one of its core values, Pathward defines it as, “Think big, have the courage to disrupt, be prepared to pivot, deliver best-in-class service, and promote an environment of excellence.”

In March 2025, Pathward held its first-ever Dare To Be Great Employee Summit in Atlanta, Georgia, to provide an opportunity for employees, many of whom work remotely in locations across the U.S. and Canada, to connect with one another, gain insights from leaders and engage in discussion about how we can all help advance Pathward’s strategic focus on being the trusted platform that enables our partners to thrive.

During the event, Pathward’s Chief Executive Officer Brett Pharr led a panel discussion with stakeholders representing the commercial lending, payments and tax industries. Panelists covered several topics, including how we collaborate with each of their organizations and co-innovate to identify market gaps and needs while working to fulfill our purpose of broadening access to the financial network for more consumers and businesses. They also covered the importance of communications and culture, what makes for a good partnership, how they leverage artificial intelligence, career advice and more.

Pathward’s Senior Vice President of People and Culture, Lisa McCary-O’Neal, moderated a panel discussion focused on career pathing. A cross-functional panel of employees shared their personal stories during the session where they covered practical tips and strategies for navigating career paths and talked about how they overcame challenges and made the most of their skills and experience. McCary-O'Neal also shared career pathing resources available to Pathward employees and encouraged the employee audience to take advantage of the resources offered, such as LinkedIn Learning, Master Classes, People Business Partners, Targeted Learning and more. 

Pathward’s executive leaders comprised the final session during which they gave business updates, their perspectives and insights on several topics such as artificial intelligence, how they tackle tough decision-making together, what it means to Dare to be Great and more. The company also celebrated its Great Place To Work Certification™ for the third year in a row. 

The two-day in-person event provided opportunities for employees to meet with each other in person and network with other employees. A virtual summit was offered to employees unable to attend the event in Atlanta.

Learn more about Pathward’s People and Culture.

Visit our Careers page to learn more about what it’s like to work at Pathward and for a list of current job vacancies.