Salute to Service: Ingrid Boatright

Our customers and communities benefit greatly from the perspectives, commitment, and drive to succeed that our veteran team members deliver – and we’re proud they chose Synovus for their post-military career.

From serving our country to serving our customers, we spoke with several of our Veterans Employee Resource Group (ERG) team members to see how they utilize the knowledge gained in the military in their roles.

Reporting for duty

“The military wasn’t my first choice at all,” says Ingrid Boatright, recalling the day a recruiter called her home out of the blue. Ingrid hadn’t considered herself service material, but she and a high school classmate agreed to sign up together. After her friend reconsidered due to unforeseen circumstances, Ingrid decided to enlist by herself. She attended Navy boot camp at the former Naval Training Center in Orlando, followed by technical training at Naval Air Station (NAS) Memphis in Millington, TN (now Naval Support Activity Mid-South). From there, it was on to specialized training in aviation support at Sea School in San Diego, CA, before shipping out to Japan for a tour of duty at Naval Air Facility Misawa, where Ingrid supported Navy and Marine squadrons. Finally, she ended her seven years of service at NAS Mayport, near Jacksonville, FL.

“I’ve enjoyed my time at Synovus. I enjoy doing what I do. I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

Uncharted career waters

Ingrid left the Navy and returned home to Sumter, SC. After taking a little time to adjust, she says she realized, “Manufacturing companies were the only ones really offering jobs. I knew I was different.” Ingrid’s mother had worked in a factory and encouraged her daughter to avoid it if she could.

Despite the warning, she put her resume in with the local labor department office, which led to a job dyeing fabric. On her first day, she received a call from National Bank of South Carolina, which would later become Synovus. Ingrid, not wanting her employer of one whole day to know she was still looking for employment, pushed through her nerves to say, “Okay, but I’ll be in jeans and a t-shirt.” After the initial interview went well, Ingrid was invited back to meet with the branch manager. She agreed, once again taking a moment to eliminate any surprise about her choice of interview attire.

A new mission, a new team

Ingrid started as a floating teller in August 1997. Over the next dozen years, the work ethic and discipline she developed in the Navy drove her steady rise to teller, customer service specialist, then head teller at the Palmetto Place branch. In 2010, she joined the shared product team, later transitioning to Treasury Product Risk Specialist.

From her second job after the Navy, Ingrid has built a career at Synovus spanning more than two decades. She invites other veterans looking to make a change to follow her path. “I’ve enjoyed my time at Synovus. I enjoy doing what I do. I wouldn’t change it for the world.”