Employee Spotlight: Makenna Wood

Job Title: Loan Officer
Location: Roanoke Branch
Tenure: 6 months
Briefly describe your involvement in 4-H. My involvement in 4-H started in elementary school, where I was a part of our little hometown 4-H club called Country Kids 4-H that my mom and my best friend’s mom founded. We participated in hippology and horse judging competitions, as well as competed in the Virginia State 4-H horse show in Lexington. I was a part of this club up until 2015.

Briefly describe your involvement in FFA. I transitioned from 4-H to FFA in my freshman year of high school in 2015. I continued to compete in horse judging competitions.
Briefly describe your involvement in agriculture. I grew up surrounded by agriculture, but my primary involvement was in the equine industry. I always had a passion for beef cattle and decided to shift my focus in college to study livestock. I was an animal science major with an emphasis in livestock and equine. In the future, I hope to have our own small commercial herd of beef cattle and produce our own hay.

Are you involved in any other clubs or organizations? I am Beef Quality Assurance Certified through the Beef Checkoff.
What's your favorite family recipe? My favorite family recipe is my Mimi's broccoli cheddar casserole. I request it for every family gathering – no one makes it like my Mimi can!
Tell us about your pets. I have three dogs: Tater is our happy little 2-year-old Red-Tri Aussie, Lynyrd is our rambunctious 3-year-old German Wirehaired Pointer and Daisy, our 13-year-old mini Blue Merle Aussie, is the angel of the household. They keep us entertained for sure! I also have a 2-year-old Quarter Horse named Annie, who is a spicy little lady.

What is your favorite song or artist? I listen to a lot of music, so narrowing down my favorite artist would be hard! Any "red dirt" country music or classic country would be my favorite genres.
What is your favorite movie? I have a lot of favorite movies. Some of my top choices would be The Notebook (based on the book by Nicholas Sparks), Sweet Home Alabama and The Longest Ride (another Nicholas Sparks story!).
What is your favorite season? My favorite season would probably be fall. You get to wear cozy sweaters and sip on warm beverages. Also, there is no beating the fall leaves and mountain views!
What's at the top of your bucket list? At the top of my bucket list would be an elk hunting trip in Montana or somewhere out west!
What is your favorite place you've ever visited? For my senior trip in high school, my whole family got to go to Alaska. We took a cruise ship out of Seattle, Washington and made various stops in the port cities along the way. It was by far my favorite place I have visited! There were breathtaking views and an overwhelming amount of wildlife and open land.
What was your dream job as a child? As a child, I always thought I wanted to be a veterinarian. My passion for helping animals definitely drove me to being interested in that career when I was younger!
What is your favorite thing about Farm Credit? My favorite thing about Farm Credit is the people! I am fairly new, and not once have I felt unwelcomed or like a burden when I had an abundance of questions to ask. Everyone here is very nice and so helpful!
What would you sing at Karaoke night? Although you will likely never find me with a microphone in my hand, if I had to choose a karaoke song it would be the duet “Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man” by Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn.
If you could meet a famous person, dead or alive, who would it be and why? If I could meet any famous person, I’d love to meet Dolly Parton – she is such an icon!
What is your favorite sport to participate in? From seventh grade to senior year of high school, I ran track and cross country. I was a part of four state championships that we won as a team!