Movers & Shakers: Beth Jackson

A look at the people behind the numbers in area business:

Title: Market executive, Minneapolis office

Age: 52

Financial services executive Beth Jackson is working to meet clients and learn about their goals as the new market executive in the Minneapolis office of U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management.

Understanding what clients hope to accomplish is a critical starting point for her role as a "translator and facilitator," Jackson said.

"It's our job to get to know our clients and understand what's important to them," Jackson said. "Then we flip over to the financial services side … where we take those concepts and match those with the needs of our clients but do it in a way that's easy to understand. Our job is to help them get done what they want to get done."

Jackson's responsibilities include developing and executing strategy and leading a team offering investment management, wealth structuring, banking and credit, family office, legacy and philanthropic planning services to private clients in the Twin Cities metro area.

Jackson, who has worked in financial services in the Twin Cities for 31 years, most recently served as president of Anchor Bank's investment and trust business. She also has been an executive for UBS Financial Services, Wells Fargo, First Bank System and Merrill Lynch Pierce, Fennier and Smith. Jackson has a bachelor's degree in business administration from Babson College.

Q: What sets U.S. Trust apart in the marketplace?

A: Some might say we're a big company, and of course, we are. But I believe we're the best of both worlds. We have the resources of a big company behind the scenes, but in front of our clients we deliver very directly and personally. It comes back to how we work as a team.

Q: What goes into developing a team that works together to serve U.S. Trust's clients?

A: It's understanding what you want to accomplish and clarifying roles and responsibilities. We surround our clients with very specific specialists who focus on managing portfolios, trust or estate planning, or banking. At the very center is the client and what's the best thing for the client.

A: At the very core there really aren't a lot of differences. The families we work with, what is most important to them right now is how they can share their wealth philanthropically. We have specialists here at U.S. Trust, a team that all they do is philanthropic strategies. The difference comes from the needs and our ability to listen to what is important to our clients and match that with the appropriate solution.