Lois Hacker Anderson-Rowzee is a 1956 graduate of Sterling High School. She attended Sauk Valley Community College and the University of Colorado where she completed a three-year marketing and management course while working full time and raising a family.Lois began her career in 1956 working for the Bell Telephone Company. In 1958, she joined Central National Bank, starting at the bottom wrapping coins in the vault. She received many promotions and at the completion of her education at the University of Colorado, Lois was named the first woman vice president at Central National Bank. She was then appointed vice president and regional sales manager at Amcore Bank. Sauk Valley Bank was chartered in 1998 and Lois was instrumental from the beginning. As executive vice president and a member of the board of directors, she helped to write policies and procedures, hire staff, and purchase equipment for the new bank. Her attention to detail and organizational skills were invaluable to the start-up process. Lois’s list of community and personal accomplishments is long and varied. She has received the Sauk Valley Area Chamber of Commerce Ambassador of the Year Award and has twice received the chamber’s Community Service and President’s Award for outstanding service to the community. Serving six years on the YWCA Board of Directors and chairing the first-ever YWCA Leadership Luncheon honoring women in business, Lois was chosen as the first recipient of the Pearl Woods Award in 1982. She won the award again in 1999, making her the first person to receive the award twice. Lois was selected as the Business & Professional Club’s Woman of the Year in 1986. She was selected as a Today’s Woman by the Daily Gazette and honored in 1979 by the YWCA as a Successful Business Woman. Lois was a founding member of the American Business Women’s Association. She served as president of Financial Woman International, an organization to expand, support, and educate all women in banking. Lois has had many articles published in bank marketing magazines on sales and training. A lifelong resident of the Sterling/Rock Falls area, Lois is a passionate voice for the needy and dedicated to community service. She has worked as a volunteer at CGH Medical Center for 35 years, serving as a board member and president. Through her volunteer work with CGH, she co-chaired two country auctions that raised over $55,000. Lois was a founding member of the Salvation Army Auxiliary and co-chaired two auctions to raise money for needy children in the community. In regards to Sterling Public Schools, Lois served on the SHS Student of the Year committee for 16 years and the advisory board for the Whiteside Area Vocational Center. Lois is married to Shelby Rowzee. They have two children, Kelly Anderson-Walker ’78 and Kraig Anderson ’81; and three step sons, Mark, John, and Tom.Lois shares, “I enjoy playing bridge, gardening, and going on wagon train rides with our horses. Volunteering is a way of life for me at my church, with the hospital auxiliary, and at the Good Neighbors Emergency Center. I feel very honored to be recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus.”