Would-be nurse finds banking career in Wesson

By: Bob Arnold

            Back in 2010 in Brookhaven after Brittany Brister received a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) license from Co-Lin and was still working as a sales clerk at Sally’s Beauty Supply, she decided on a whim to apply for a part time teller position at Regions Bank where she made the daily deposits for her retail employer.

            Regions hired her, and Brister has never looked back over 15 years as a banker.  For the past two years, Brister has served as branch manager at Trustmark Bank in Wesson.  Nurses are people she sees when she has a healthcare need, not part of a work life that consists of overseeing operations at the local Trustmark branch.

            Born in New Orleans, Brister spent her early life in Port Charlotte, Florida, near Tampa, before coming to Brookhaven with her parents after she completed first grade.  Her father was a restaurant manager and her mother helped elderly clients as a home sitter.  She has two brothers and a sister.

            After attending Brookhaven schools through the fourth grade, she landed at Enterprise Attendance Center in the fifth grade and graduated from high school there in 2007.  Swimming was a passion in her childhood, and she got into basketball and softball in junior high and high school.  On Enterprise High School teams, she played wing positions in basketball and center field in softball.

            In 2008 and 2009, Brister studied at Co-Lin, and returned to earn her CNA while selling beauty supplies and before starting her banking career.  She joined Trustmark in Wesson in 2023 after moving up to assistant manager at Regions in Brookhaven.

            “At Trustmark, I lead my co-workers in constantly changing environment, and help customers with accounts and loans,” Brister says.  “At Regions, I also sold insurance, but a specialist handles that Trustmark.”

            Brister and her husband Blake, who sells transformers for Hitachi, live in Wesson with their two children – Raelynn, 6, and Noah, 3.

What are your hobbies?

Outside work, my life is mostly centered around my kids.  I am something of a party planner for them.  Beyond that, I love travel, mostly regionally in Florida and Louisiana.  I am looking forward to visiting Arizona, where my brother lives.  On Sundays, I visit churches with my family, with church home remaining at Harmony for now.

Are you a reader?

I mostly read the Bible, and help my little girl as she learns to enjoy reading.

How about music?

I don’t play any instruments, but I try to sing gospel and country music.

Movies, theater, television?

On television, I watch Criminal Minds and Law & Order.  I also like reality TV.  My kids like Disney movies, and I’ve gotten into them as well.  I am also a fan of the Love Come Softly movie series.

If you won a lot of money in the lottery, how would you spend it?

I’d pay my way out of debt, help my kids, build a compound where I could enjoy life with family and friends and give to others who need assistance.

How would you change the world?

People spend too much time on their cell phone.  Technology has its pros as well as cons, but we need to get back to the basics – going outdoors, being with your kids, spending time with family.