Success stories from our world
Success Stories
Dee Griebel '76
Leader by example
Deeann J. Griebel '76 is a leader the financial services industry. She’s a leader in her community. And, she was a leader in the effort to raise money for the Centennial Hall renovation at St. Cloud State.
The farm girl from Pipestone, Minn. began her career as a teacher before moving into accounting. Then she discovered her ultimate professional calling.
“Twenty some years ago she decided to be a financial advisor,” said Terry Richart, a Wachovia branch manager in Mesa, Ariz. “There’s a whole lot of people who are very thankful that she does that, including myself.”
Today, she is the managing director of investments for Wachovia Securities, a full service broker-dealer recently acquired by Wells Fargo. Among the skills that enabled Griebel to rise to the top was her ability to write upside down.
“She would write sentences, words, diagrams – upside down – and I was reading it right side up,” said client Jed Morrison. “I caught on to that right away and I just marveled at how she could do that.”
Roger Ball, senior pastor at First Baptist Church, Tempe, marvels at Griebel’s quiet philanthropy in greater Phoenix. “We have seen her help people in our church and people have no idea that it was Dee Griebel helping them.”
Back home in Minnesota, Griebel contributed to the St. Cloud State University Foundation's effort to raise $2.2 million toward the $15.2 million renovation of Centennial Hall.
The five-floor former library houses the G.R. Herberger College of Business, the bookstore, and academic student services such as the Advising Center, Career Services, Student Disability Services, the Multi-Cultural Academic Center and the Honors Program. She challenged alumni and students to contribute $100,000 to the renovation project and matched those contributions, dollar-for-dollar.
Griebel is a generous supporter of St. Cloud State. Among her gifts, she contributed $277,500 to the Dee Griebel Honors Student Scholarship, gave a $100,000 leadership gift to the Centennial Hall building fund, in addition to the challenge grant, and included St. Cloud State in her will. She has been a President's Club member for many years.
Colleague Bill Lee sums up Griebel in a simple sentence: “She absolutely makes everyone around her better.”
