Good News about Our Members and Partners

Amy Parsons Retiring from Discover

Three-time Most Influential Women in Payments Reveals Insights about the Evolution of Wnet, Women Leaders and the Industry

Interview by Discover’s Brianna Frost, Product Manager, and Joanna Hanner, Director, Corporate Strategy and Development

After an impressive 25+-year career at Discover, Amy Parsons, Senior Vice President, is ready to spend more time with her family and in her garden, nurturing the things she loves. The three-time recipient of PaymentsSource’s Most Influential Women in Payments will retire from Discover in July 2022.

Known for representing the global nature of the payments industry, one of Amy’s biggest career accomplishments was building a global ATM network from scratch within a year to serve Discover's acquisition of Diners Club International.

Brianna Frost and Joanna Hanner, other accomplished women at Discover, sat down with Amy to explore her career, her connection with Wnet, and her hopes for the industry and the women who are helping it grow and prosper.

You were one of the original members and proponents of Wnet? Why was it important to you to get involved?

Amy: I was invited to Wnet’s first Career and Leadership Summit in 2006 and I was curious about this new group of women. There was a small group of us at that first event as compared to the hundreds who attend today. I explored their new views of the payments industry and spent much of my time simply listening—to the speakers, like ETA Hall of Famer Pam Joseph, and those around me. I started to make connections and could see the value of networking with these innovative women.

Soon after joining Wnet, I knew it was important to get Discover involved. I became our Corporate Champion of engagement because I realized that women helping women was so powerful and an endeavor that Discover should support. I wanted us to make a difference in the lives of women in our organization and beyond.