Tammie Sandoval, 29

Tammie Sandoval has quickly become immersed in the Sarasota community.

She moved to the area from Orlando in April 2012, through a promotion at BMO Private Bank. In a little more than a year she has participated in the Arts & Cultural Alliance Arts Leadership Program; joined the Junior League; and become a member of the Southwest Florida Estate Planning Council. Sandoval was also named to the board of directors at the Sarasota Orchestra earlier this year.

This is all in addition to a demanding day job at BMO, which specializes in trust and estate administrations services for high net worth individuals and families. “I want to make sure I take a little bit out of the community and put a lot back in,” Sandoval says. “Sarasota is a great place to support a charity.”

Sandoval has long been someone who gets super-involved in the places she lives. That goes back to Port Chester, N.Y., north of New York City, where she grew up. In fact, in high school, when she was a cheerleader and in the marching band, among other accomplishments, she won a prestigious award for academic and extracurricular excellence.

Sandoval’s biggest challenge, both in work and the community, is to remember to give herself a break from time to time — something many high achievers struggle with. “I hold myself to a very high standard,” Sandoval says. “Maybe I should ease up a bit. I can’t know everything all the time.”

— Mark Gordon

Q&A

City of residence: Sarasota

Birthplace: Port Chester, N.Y.

Alma mater: SUNY Albany; Barry University School of Law

The most important business lesson I’ve learned: When offering constructive criticism it is best to follow-up the critique with a solution or better practice. I have found that anyone can criticize a person or process, leading to a poor work environment. It is best to follow up your critique with a solution on how the issue/behavior can be better.

One website that makes your job easier: Online Sunshine – this is where I go to look up various provisions of the Florida Trust code. My daily workflow goes uninterrupted when I can look up a trust code provision with the click of a mouse.

One community group you’re most involved with: Sarasota Orchestra (Board Member). I grew up playing the clarinet and performing in my schools’ concert and marching bands as well as individually in state musical adjudications and concerts. Over the years music in schools has been placed on the backburner and the Sarasota Orchestra, via their Youth Orchestra, has taken up the slack and placed it back in the forefront of students’ lives. Music for today’s youth should not just be the blaring sound that comes out of their ear buds. Instead, students should be taught the art of music: how to play an instrument, read music and become a well-rounded, contributing member of society.

Favorite off-hours activity: Playing with my very spirited Jack Russell Terrier, Pepper. Reading, enjoying the beautiful Gulf Coast beaches and traveling.

Who would play you in a movie about your life: Sandra Bullock. Sandra carries a strength and spunk about her that I would love to see brought to my character in a movie about my life. She is passionate without being overbearing, funny without being crude, smart without being a know-it-all and genuine.

If I had a magic wand I’d: Cure childhood hunger. It’s mind-boggling to me that in a world of plenty there are children who go to sleep each night with their bellies empty.