For Kelli Diserens, a career in banking has always been about more than numbers. It has been about people, partnerships, and finding ways to connect financial resources with real community needs. With more than 35 years in the banking industry and the last 11 years focused on community development, Kelli brings extensive experience and a strong commitment to service to the NeighborWorks Waco Board of Directors.
Kelli currently works with SouthState Bank, where she serves as a liaison between the bank and community organizations. In this role, she focuses on understanding the needs of the community and helping develop products and partnerships that respond to those needs. Her work has included helping create special-purpose loan products, small business lending products, and mortgage programs designed to support low- to moderate-income individuals and families. She also connects community partners with bank employees who provide financial education, small business expertise, and other technical assistance, helping ensure that partnerships are meaningful and responsive to local needs.
Her leadership in community development has expanded over the years, and she now leads a team of community development officers serving Texas and Colorado. Following the merger of Independent Financial and SouthState Bank, her team became part of a larger community development network that now spans eight states and hundreds of locations. Despite the size of the organization, Kelli values the bank’s focus on building meaningful, lasting relationships and maintaining a strong local presence in the communities it serves.
Kelli believes NeighborWorks Waco is an important part of the solution to Waco’s affordable housing challenges. She sees the organization’s nationally recognized homebuyer education program as a pathway to homeownership and a tool that can help families build generational wealth. She has seen firsthand how homeownership can create long-term financial stability, including in her own family, and she is passionate about helping ensure that future generations have the same opportunities. She also appreciates the role NeighborWorks Waco plays in providing high-quality affordable rental housing while helping residents prepare for homeownership through financial and homebuyer education.
As a new board member, Kelli is currently participating in the organization’s onboarding process and learning more about its programs and services. She has been assigned to serve on the Board’s Loan Committee and is especially interested in helping connect NeighborWorks Waco with down payment assistance programs, affordable homeownership grants, and other financial resources that can expand access to homeownership in the community. As she describes her role, “More than anything, I see myself as a connector in the community, and that’s my favorite job.”
Kelli shared that she has admired NeighborWorks Waco for many years and had always hoped to become involved. When the opportunity to serve on the board became available, she welcomed the chance to contribute and looks forward to working alongside the board and staff to support housing opportunities and strengthen the Waco community.
