1
00:00:00,291 --> 00:00:03,795
I first met Katie my sophomore year
at Duke.
2
00:00:03,837 --> 00:00:08,967
She came in to my ROTC class
and I was immediately interested.
3
00:00:09,050 --> 00:00:12,137
We slowly got to know each other
through that experience.
4
00:00:12,220 --> 00:00:14,389
Kind of a good way to get to know someone
fairly quickly.
5
00:00:14,389 --> 00:00:17,017
He got assigned to Hawaii.
I got assigned to Germany.
6
00:00:17,017 --> 00:00:19,853
My flippant response is, well,
if you really want
7
00:00:19,853 --> 00:00:21,980
this, you're going to make it work.
And you made it work.
8
00:00:21,980 --> 00:00:25,233
I don't know how he got rid of Hawaii
and got to Germany, but
9
00:00:25,233 --> 00:00:28,236
we ended up in the same,
pretty much the same town.
10
00:00:33,742 --> 00:00:34,868
I was able to marry
11
00:00:34,868 --> 00:00:39,289
a personal passion of mine with my work
and my career in banking,
12
00:00:39,289 --> 00:00:43,043
that it really started to feel like
I had found that sense of purpose again.
13
00:00:43,084 --> 00:00:45,211
Everybody wants to make a difference,
14
00:00:45,211 --> 00:00:47,797
and it's a great feeling of
when you can see those direct impacts
15
00:00:47,797 --> 00:00:51,217
in the communities and you can see that
new hospital being built, or you can see,
16
00:00:51,301 --> 00:00:55,722
you know, different programs
at universities or instituting
17
00:00:55,722 --> 00:00:59,225
that certification program because Truist
was able to help and finance that.
18
00:01:06,733 --> 00:01:07,776
The mission is different now.
19
00:01:07,776 --> 00:01:12,363
But I think the principles of leadership
and, you know, teamwork still hold.
20
00:01:12,363 --> 00:01:15,283
The first step is always knowing
what does the client need?
21
00:01:15,283 --> 00:01:17,994
What's the gap
they're coming to you to try to fill,
22
00:01:17,994 --> 00:01:21,247
and then understand your capabilities
and how you can apply them to,
23
00:01:21,289 --> 00:01:22,624
to solve those problems.
24
00:01:22,624 --> 00:01:27,045
I think beyond just what my role is
and think of the enterprise as a whole,
25
00:01:27,045 --> 00:01:30,048
and how can the enterprise
support those clients.
26
00:01:30,048 --> 00:01:33,134
At Truist, I am so excited.
27
00:01:33,259 --> 00:01:35,386
I feel like we're
in a really exciting space right now.
28
00:01:35,386 --> 00:01:37,847
I think the future looks bright
For two Army veterans, the mission has changed; their commitment to serving others hasn’t.
At a glance: Truist's commitment to veterans
- Invested $3.6 billion with veteran-owned suppliers since 2019
- Connected 2,000+ veterans and military spouses with career opportunities in 2025
- Provided $25 million in grants to nearly 400 veteran-serving nonprofits since 2011
When Chris Nygren first noticed Katie Nygren in an Army ROTC class at Duke University, he was interested right away.
Katie's recollection is a little different.
She remembers him first as a friend, maybe even "a goofball." But after enough early morning physical training sessions and field exercises, friendship became something more.
Their relationship would soon face its first logistical challenge courtesy of the U.S. Army.
After graduation, Chris received orders for Hawaii. Katie was headed to Germany. Because they weren't married, the Army had no reason to keep them together.
Katie's response was characteristically direct: If they wanted to make the relationship work, Chris would have to figure something out.
He did.
After some maneuvering, Chris traded Hawaii for Germany. Against the odds, the Army assigned them to posts just a few miles apart. They lived between the two and married a year later.
That was the beginning of a partnership built around service, adaptability and knowing when it was your turn to step forward or step back.
Both deployed to Iraq. Katie served nearly 10 years in the Army Medical Service Corps, including commanding a 110-person medical company. Chris spent seven years in the Signal Corps, supporting Army units with communications networks. When Katie deployed for a year with two young children at home, Chris became the primary parent. At other points, Katie stepped back as Chris transitioned into his civilian career.
"There's a time to lead and a time to follow," Chris said. "Depending on the flow of career and family demands, we were able to lean on one or lean on the other."
Today, the mission is different, but the call to serve remains.
Katie leads a banking team serving hospitals, higher education institutions and government entities along the East Coast. Chris leads Truist's tax equity finance group, which invests in renewable and clean energy projects across the U.S. Both said their work allows them to reconnect with something they valued in the military: a sense of purpose bigger than themselves.
Chris and Katie's journey reflects the experiences of many military veterans who have built successful civilian careers at Truist.
Their experience also illustrates why translating military talent into civilian careers matters. Katie remembers struggling to explain how commanding soldiers and managing complex operations applied to banking. Chris said veterans bring something difficult to capture on a resume: initiative, resilience and a willingness to take ownership when things get hard.
Truist has sought to help bridge that gap between military service and civilian careers. Since 2019, the company and its heritage banks have spent $3.6 billion with veteran-owned suppliers, connected more than 2,000 veterans and military spouses with career opportunities in 2025, and provided $25 million in grants to roughly 400 nonprofits serving veterans since 2011.
For Chris and Katie, service is also becoming a family tradition. Three of their four children have pursued Army ROTC or military service, continuing a connection that stretches back generations.
And after decades of deployments, career moves and stretches living apart, Chris and Katie sometimes share a commute to Truist.
"It only took us 25 years to get to this spot," Katie joked.
By: Jacob Jordan, Senior Communications Partner