Interview: Ken Kucera, Senior Vice President/CIO, First National Bank of Nebraska

November 14, 2008, 12:20 PM —  ITworld — 

This interview is part of ITworld's regular "How I got here" series which focuses on the career path of successful IT professionals.

Ken Kucera grew up on a farm in rural Nebraska, doing various farming related activities such as cow milking, harvesting and putting up hay -- but he quickly decided that farming was not a long-term career path for him, so he studied IT in college. At Mutual of Omaha, Ken began life in IT as a computer programmer and quickly ascended into more responsible management positions that lead him to larger organizations and very different work environments (New York City).

Bio
Name: Ken Kucera
Current position: Senior Vice President/CIO, First National of Nebraska
Age: 51
Hometown: DeWeese, Nebraska (population 92)
Something most people don't know about me: I was born in the back seat of a 1957 Chevy because my father had to finish doing the farming chores.
Education: Southeast Community College, Milford, Nebraska, Associate Degree in Computer Science
Years in the Industry: 32
Role models: My father because he worked hard his entire life, and took care of a large family. It's all about trust, integrity and doing the right thing.
Philosophy: Whatever you do in life and work - give 100 percent. It's the only way you will be able to do a good job.
What I'm reading now: Colin Powell. Also Rudy Giuliani's Courage Under Fire.

Ken ultimately found his niche "back home" in Omaha, where he currently serves as Senior Vice President and CIO of First National Bank of Omaha, a subsidiary of First National of Nebraska, (20 billion dollars in assets and over 7,000 employees); one of the top fifty bank holding companies in the United States.

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