Meet Toni Drake, CCE.(Interview)

"How could I go wrong?" asks Toni Drake, when discussing how she got into the credit field.

"I don't think that anyone really plans to be a Credit Executive when they 'grow up' ... but strangely, when I was given the opportunity to enter the Credit Department, it involved a transfer to Midland, Texas, which was where my husband (who I was dating at the time) was living!"

This was just two years after she received her undergraduate degree: she accepted the offer of a transfer and promotion into the Credit Department of the company she was working for. That was in 1984, and Toni is now into her 22nd year in credit. "I love business credit and, in particular, I am very partial to credit in the oil and gas industry," she says. "The oil and gas industry is one that is constantly changing and evolving, so I find myself always facing new challenges. I have had the privilege to work with absolutely wonderful people in the industry, who are truly interested in assisting each other in credit. I've been associated with many of these credit executives for all of my 22 years in credit, and they have become my lifelong friends.

Toni joined NACM in 1984 and began immediately taking advantage of the industry groups. "This was, and still is, the lifeblood of survival for me," she said. "I began my education journey in 1992, and from there I began my service on committees, and board work. She said her real involvement in NACM began when she became a CAP instructor. "It is difficult to describe the elation one feels when a student passes the CBA, CBF or CCE exam," she said. Likewise, she said she's felt the "agony of defeat" when one of her students was not able to pass. "I truly enjoy interacting with people, and teaching/mentoring has afforded me the opportunity to do so ... whether I'm teaching a class, a seminar, or mentoring one-on-one, I cannot adequately explain the satisfaction I gain from helping others advance in credit." She added, "I've often thought that I actually gained more from my teaching experiences than those I was teaching."

Toni, who received her BBA in Management from Angelo State University, and later earned CBA and CCE Designations through NACM, believes that education for those working in credit is becoming more critical than ever. "Credit executives must stay ahead of the curve when it comes to credit," she said. "Sarbanes-Oxley has changed the face of credit forever and I believe that credit executives must stay abreast of SOX in order to protect both their companies and themselves." Toni believes that if a credit professional ceases to learn, he/she becomes stagnate; and credit is not a stagnate profession. "It is a constantly moving profession that requires forward, out-of-the box thinking, in order to thrive," she added.

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