Prioritizing Family Throughout Her Career: Penelope ‘Pennie’ Taylor ’85, M’99

This Alumni of Distinction profile was originally published in Universitas 2025-26, Notre Dame of Maryland University’s award-winning magazine.

“My family really came first, then my career. When you’re working, raising a family, and trying to achieve your goals, you have to divide your time. That’s not easy to do when you also have demands on a job as you move up to a senior level.”

Penelope “Pennie” Taylor ’85, M’99 has held many significant titles. Senior executive vice president. Board president. Notre Dame Trustee. But the titles that have meant the most are wife, mother, grandmother, and most recently, great-grandmother.

“My family really came first, then my career,” she said. “When you’re working, raising a family, and trying to achieve your goals, you have to divide your time. That’s not easy to do when you also have demands on a job as you move up to a senior level. The focus now in my later years really is family.”

A proud graduate of the Weekend College, Taylor fondly recalls her college years and values the time she spent earning two degrees at Notre Dame. Back then, she was married and had three children, all while juggling the demands of a full-time job and school.

“From the staff, the faculty, and the bookstore, I got the full experience of attending college,” she said. “I have always believed one of the pillars of my success was my education. That body of knowledge helped me to do the right thing throughout my career. That was the biggest thing I got from my college experience.”

Her career path was not clear when she first started as a bank teller in her Baltimore neighborhood. Because of her excellent customer service, she was promoted to account representative. After moving up through several more positions, she eventually became a senior executive vice president at Maryland National Bank of America (MNBA), handling the firm’s largest client in affinity banking.

“I think customer relations helped my career 90%,” she said. “I didn’t have to treat my high-level customers any
differently than I treated my customers with a checking and savings account that totaled $300. I just treated everyone the same – being courteous while listening to understand. Relationship is what helps build customer satisfaction.”

Through it all, Taylor always prioritized her family. She and her husband Stewart worked hard to advance their careers, but they never lost sight of what was most important.

“I have a wonderful husband. We successfully raised three children, and we have eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren,” she said. “My husband and I both had successful careers because we were there for each other as we pursued our career goals while raising our children.”

That has been her most satisfying achievement.

Established in 1895, Notre Dame of Maryland University (NDMU) is a private, Catholic institution in Baltimore, Maryland, with the mission to educate leaders to transform the world. Notre Dame has been named one of the best “Regional Universities North” by U.S. News & World Report.