Shay Caley: 'Love' is all you need in a fulfilling, community-driven life

“I love this community. I love the schools. I love knowing our neighbors.”

Caley is talking about her adopted community of Denver.

“Basically, we moved here knowing this is where we want to raise our family,” she said.

Caley, 39, has been married to her husband, Ryan, for 14 years. They have two sons, Jameson, 9, and William, 5.

“And Bella, our COVID puppy,” she said.

Originally from Missouri, her family moved to Davenport when she was in the eighth grade. She graduated from Davenport Central High School in 2000 and the University of Northern Iowa in 2005.

“I’m an Iowan at heart,” she said.

After earning a degree in communications, public relations and marketing, Caley went into the banking industry.

“I know it doesn’t have much to do with (my degree),” she said. “I had a friend who worked in banking, and she told me ‘We’re hiring.’ It was my first job out of college. It got me out of retail.”

Caley started as a personal banker at Wells Fargo in Cedar Falls. She now works at Denver Savings Bank in Denver.

“I lead our retail team, which includes consumer banking, mortgages, universal bankers, new accounts and cash management,” she said.

Ryan Tucker, who nominated Caley for 20 Under 40 honors, is a friend as well as a customer.

“Shay exemplifies what it means to be community driven. She is an absolute ray of sunshine when you walk into the bank. It’s clear that she is greatly respected by her co-workers, and she is always quick to note how hardworking her peers are,” he said.

Tucker goes on to list Caley’s community service efforts.

“Shay is a former board member of Boys and Girls Club where she chaired the Harley Party. She has been very active with Exchange Club of Waterloo, is a Grow Cedar Valley Ambassador, member of the Denver Chamber of Commerce and is active with Junior Achievement. She sees the great importance of community involvement and makes this area a better place with her service.”

Caley is especially proud of her involvement with the Harley Party.

“We turned a small event into one of the largest fundraisers in the Cedar Valley,” she said. “We raised roughly $100,000.”

Caley is also a member of the Waverly Chamber of Commerce and Cedar Falls Community Main Street.

“I couldn’t do any of the things I do without my supportive husband,” she said. “It’s meetings after work, it’s events at night, it’s a lot of time. And he steps in. He’s a really good guy.”

Though she has stepped back from some of her community service endeavors as her boys have gotten older, she remains active in other ways.

“I’m really trying to focus on what is going on in my own backyard,” Caley said. “I am not the type to sit back and do nothing. I like to be involved.

“Last year when COVID hit, I really wanted to do something to bring the community together. Me and a couple of gals designed and sold T-shirts. They said ‘Mile Wide Pride’ (a play on Denver, Colorado’s moniker of Mile High City) and ‘#denvertogether.’”

They created a website and raised money for the schools.

“We ended up giving back about $3,000,” Caley said. “We gave money to the elementary school kids group and also to the band for their trip. I was so happy to see those T-shirts around town.”

Caley was surprised to be named to this year’s 20 Under 40 list.

“When I heard I, I thought, ‘Why am I so special?’ I feel what I do is so simple. I just feel if I can change something in this town and leave it better for my kids, that’s what I want to do. I just want them to be proud of me.”

Much of Caley’s downtime is centered around her family.

“We love UNI football,” she said. “We have season tickets and we go as a family. We are avid Kansas City Chiefs fans.

“l really love spending time with my boys. We like to go hiking and boating on the weekends. We spend a lot of time at Clear Lake.

“And we have a core group of friends in Denver. It truly does take a village. We are so lucky to meet this awesome group of friends and parents. They are my lifeline sometimes.”

Caley’s philosophy is simple.

“At a leadership training years ago, we were talking about rules of business,” she said. “I came home and said, ‘We have to have family rules!

“So these are our five simple rules: Be kind, be honest, be respectful, be responsible, and have fun.

“We take them seriously,” she said. “They are hanging in our bathroom. I want to grow little leaders.”

And Caley’s advice to others?

“If you were to talk to anyone who worked with me, ultimately I hope that people would say I made them laugh,” she said. “Be yourself and have a good time.”