Outstanding Women in Business: Giampa is a volunteering powerhouse

Photo | Matthew Wright Diane Giampa

Write a Comment

By Susan Shalhoub

“I hope that I’ve made a little bit of a mark,” she said.

And with leadership roles in a full slate of local charitable organizations, it would be a safe guess to say Diane Giampa of Bay State Savings Bank has done more than a little bit. Her calendar is full, just the way she likes it.

Finding Giampa volunteering at a weekend event in her spare time isn’t unusual. She enjoys working and keeping busy, especially for a good cause.

The community causes she champions range from children’s welfare to cultural performances to history preservation to educational fundraising, and that’s just for starters.

The bank’s executive vice president of human resources, marketing and retail banking, Giampa’s work in the community spans myriad organizations, such as McAuley Nazareth Home for Boys in Leicester; Worcester Historical Society; Quinsigamond Community College Foundation in Worcester; and Worcester Police Department’s Mounted Police Unit. She’s an ambassador for the Hanover Theatre in Worcester and a corporator for Worcester nonprofit Children’s Friend, among many, many other endeavors.

With so much going on, she admits she’s accidentally double-booked meetings and events before, but the collective community good she accomplishes outweighs the occasional schedule reshuffle.

Besides, she finds work fun.

“Growing up, my dad owned a pharmacy, which I worked in from the time I was 10,” she said. “I always had a part-time job at the store. I didn’t know anything different. I don’t do well with sitting still.”

Bank President & CEO Peter Alden said Giampa is well known in the community, in demand from boards and committees.

“She has touched a lot of organizations and is a main face of the bank, continuing to bring us business,” Alden said.

The bank has grown from three to six branches since Giampa came aboard in 1997, with assets up from $133 million to more than $500 million.

Giampa has seen so many productive partnerships forged based on personal or professional relationships. Nothing can replace knowing someone, their skills and industry, and other factors about them, she said. She advocates for the personal touch, face-to-face time, grabbing a cup of coffee.

“With so much automation, we tend to lose sight of the importance of networking and people. Leverage them to help you. Women that compete with other women? It’s destructive and doesn’t do anyone any good. Everyone has their talents, and we can complement one another,” Giampa said. “I am always excited to hear about other people’s backgrounds, because through our shared experiences, we rise together.”

Years of local networking and a keen understanding of area nonprofits, their missions, and growing pains puts Giampa in a perfect position to play matchmaker to organizations looking for volunteer leadership.

Her own charity work and position as clerk of Bay State Savings Charitable Foundation empower her to link those in her network with causes that matter to them, and where they’d be best suited to make an impact.

“We encourage our officers to be on at least one board,” said Alden. “If they need help choosing one, they know to reach out to Diane. She knows the characteristics of each group and in most cases, knows how they function. She has a good feel for the pulse of the community.”

These bonds take time, said Alden, and are the result of years of forging and maintaining relationships.

“Without relationships with people, everything falls apart. Everything I do is about people,” Giampa said, whether it is addressing human resources issues or helping to meet societal needs through serving one’s community.

Both, in their own way, benefit people in Central Massachusetts.