When Jennifer Pelham arrived at TROY on a leadership scholarship, she found more than a place to earn a finance degree. She found a community that would shape her approach to leadership for years to come.

A graduate of Trinity Presbyterian School in Montgomery, Pelham’s visit to TROY happened almost by chance. A high school friend invited her to tour campus while considering colleges. During the visit, she met Coach Larry Blakeney’s daughters and Chancellor Jack Hawkins Jr.

“After the weekend it was clear TROY was the right place for me,” Pelham said.

At TROY, she studied finance in the Sorrell College of Business and remembers many of her impactful faculty members including Robert Earl Stewart, Steve Grice and Barbara Patterson. She credits both the classroom and her involvement in Alpha Gamma Delta sorority and Panhellenic leadership with helping develop the leadership skills she would carry throughout her career.

“My leadership was innate and fostered through TROY,” she said.

After graduating with a finance degree in 2001, Pelham accepted a position with AmSouth Bank’s highly selective Management Associate Program. The opportunity came through a TROY career advisor. Although she was unable to travel for the program’s first-round interview because she was working at The Half Shell Oyster House, she interviewed by phone from the restaurant kitchen before advancing through multiple rounds of interviews in Birmingham. She was ultimately selected as one of just 34 associates in the program.

Looking back, Pelham believes the relationships and opportunities she found at TROY helped open doors early in her career. It gave her confidence others wouldn’t have until later in life. 

“Had I been at a much bigger school I don’t know if I would have had that opportunity.”

Pelham spent almost five years with AmSouth as a branch manager and a commercial banker. She later joined Hancock Whitney, where she spent nearly 20 years building her career.

Seeking an opportunity to build something new, Pelham launched Pinnacle Financial Partners’ South Alabama banking operation in August. Today, she serves as South Alabama Regional President, leading the firm’s market strategy, recruiting bankers and advancing company culture. Pinnacle Financial Partners’ North Alabama Regional President, Jason Baldwin, is also a TROY graduate. Pelham said it’s “fun to get in a room and have so much TROY leadership,” reflecting on the shared experiences that continue to connect alumni throughout their careers.

What began in August 2025 with four employees alongside Pelham has since grown into a team of 34 in South Alabama, built around a culture that emphasizes local decision-making and entrepreneurial leadership. 

“We have been able to recruit because our model allows great people to do what they have already proven they can do, in an environment that gives them open architecture and freedom to grow and be valued,” she explained.

Her leadership philosophy has remained remarkably consistent throughout her career:

“You can be a leader without the title,” Pelham said. “Leadership is about having people who will follow you.”

She believes leadership begins with surrounding yourself with the right people and giving them the freedom to succeed.

“If you hire the right people, they know what they need to do,” she said. “You have to hire the right people.”

Today, Pelham continues leading Pinnacle Financial Partners’ growth across South Alabama while drawing on the lessons she first developed at TROY. For her, the experiences inside and outside the classroom provided more than a degree. They established a foundation for leading others through hard work, trust and service, regardless of title.