Exchange Bank benefits manager wins North Bay Forty Under 40 award

“I think over the past few years especially I have been able to grow exponentially in my role. I have been able to gain experiences and have confidence in my decision making. I hope that I am becoming a trusted leader in my organization and community,” says Kelly Obremski.

Her primary role with Exchange Bank is compensation and benefits manager. She’s done this for two years, serving a total of eight years with the company.

Obremski lives in Petaluma with her husband and two daughters, and in her spare time she enjoys reading, attending local theater, and exploring Sonoma County.

“It’s a busy time but I’m loving every second and trying not to blink!” she says.

Obremski expresses pride in the professional growth she has achieved since entering the human resources field 18 years ago upon graduation from Sonoma State University.

“The greatest challenge, especially in recent years, has been remaining flexible to change at such a quick pace. For example, there was a record number of new employment laws that passed in January 2023 and things don’t seem to be slowing down.”

In a business sense, what is the greatest thing about being under 40; and then what is the worst?

“I think that people probably feel they have more flexibility to take calculated risk when they are under 40 … I also think that it’s a bit easier to embrace change, and let’s face it, the world has experienced a massive amount of change in the past 10 years.

The worst thing about being under 40 for me personally is that it’s almost over — I’ll be 40 next month! In all honesty, I think it’s that when you are under 40 you may have less real-life experiences to tap into in order to make tough decisions or have difficult conversations.”