Celebrating Pride Month: Embracing Change Leads Lex Wainwright To a Career He Loves

By Kyle Babcock | Published: June 2021

When Lex Wainwright began his career, he didn’t see his journey leading him toward banking. After obtaining his B.S. in interior design with a minor in art history from The Art Institutes, Wainwright was working with an architect prior to joining one of Philadelphia’s most exclusive firms as an interior designer.

“I eventually decided that it was time for me to make a change,” he said. “My best friend told me that WSFS was hiring, and that’s what led me to banking. I joined WSFS in 2015 as a Personal Banker in the Southern Pa. region and remained with WSFS until 2017.”

In 2017, when his husband was transferred to Washington, DC, Wainwright embraced the change.

“I spoke with my ‘best friend at work’ and mentor to make a game plan, and I ended up working for one of her colleagues at a bank in Washington, DC,” he said. “However, I desperately missed WSFS.”

“Then, in 2019 my husband’s job transferred him back to Philadelphia. The bank I was working for offered to move me, but in my heart, I knew that I wanted to come back to WSFS, so in 2019 I called the Human Capital Management Department, and the rest is history!”

Wainwright rejoined WSFS as a Personal Banker before moving into his current role as a Consumer Lending Processor at the Bank. His commitment to WSFS is only surpassed by his dedication to serving the communities in which he has lived.

“I regularly volunteer with the Mazzoni Center in Philadelphia, an organization providing comprehensive health and wellness services to the LGBTQIA+ community,” Wainwright said. “While I was living in Washington, DC, I also spent a lot of time working with Carpenter’s Shelter, which is a homeless shelter that serves families in the area and helps them get back on their feet.”

Words of Wisdom
Throughout his life, career and volunteer work, Wainwright has learned quite a few helpful lessons in finding happiness and success.

One day at a time. “Take every day as it comes. Life can be full of rapid and intense change, and it is important to embrace that change.”

Do what you love. “Ten years ago, I had no thought that I would work for a bank. It didn’t occur to me that after working for one, I would be the person to say, ‘I love my job,’ but that has been my experience with WSFS.”

Find a support system. “I have been fortunate to have a supportive family and a close group of friends who helped me through difficult times, especially when I was coming out. Remember that you are loved, you matter, you are essential.”

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About the Author – Kyle Babcock
Kyle Babcock is Integrated Communications Strategist at WSFS Bank. He has more than seven years of experience in product and professional services marketing, communications and advertising.