After graduating from Eisenhower High, Deavours moved to Denton, Texas, where she worked her way up to manager of a small bank that was acquired by Wells Fargo. At age 20 she had become Wells Fargo’s youngest branch manager in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.
“I’m pretty proud of that,” she said. “I worked for Wells Fargo for a couple years and then went to Bank One, which was acquired by Chase. I was in leadership there for about six years before I decided to move back to Lawton in 2007. And that’s when my career really took off.”
Starting as an assistant manager at Arvest Bank, within a year Deavours had become the branch manager at the 27th and Gore location for several years, she said. She then moved to become the branch manager for Navy Federal Credit Union’s Fort Sill location. In 2013 she transferred to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. While there, Deavours earned her bachelor’s in business management.
“With Navy Federal, we traveled all over the U.S. with different trainings and conferences – mostly on the East Coast,” said Deavours. “I loved that. And I learned a lot from them, but I really missed being in my hometown.”
In February 2018, Deavours moved back to Lawton and began at BancFirst. She currently serves as the Assistant Vice President, Business Development Officer. She recently completed Commercial Leading School hosted by the Oklahoma Bankers’ Association. In addition to her current role, she provides commercial lending services. With more than 20 years in the financial industry, she is an experienced banker who lends her talents to BancFirst Lawton.
Deavours is an alumna of Leadership Lawton-Fort Sill Class XXI and serves as chairman of Young Professionals of Lawton. She is the incoming secretary for Greater Lawton Rotary Club and sits on the board for Marie Detty Youth and Family Services Center.
Volunteering with the Lawton-Fort Sill Chamber of Commerce, Deavours serves on multiple committees and works extensively with the Small Business committee creating educational and marketing opportunities for members. She is an active member of Lawton Business Women who serves on multiple committees.
“I sit on these committees and boards because, personally, I feel like I need to invest in our community to make it better,” said Deavours. “I join organizations and groups that give back and have a purpose – that they have an investment in the community.
“If I broke down each [organi- zation] individually, I could tell you exactly what they do to give back to the community. And that’s why I chose to be on the ones I selected.”
In addition to her roles at BancFirst and in the community, Deavours is looking forward to completing an MBA program in organizational leadership with the ultimate goal to become a bank president. “That’s always been my goal,” she said. “I’m going through the steps now to move up to that next role. In order to take that next step, I’ve got to have that MBA and I’m on the right path.”