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When Discover Card first came on the scene in 1985, it offered unheard of features that were disruptive to the existing credit card industry.  Early employees at Discover Card were called “dawners” – as in there from the dawn or beginning.   Kathy Roberts, a veteran of Sears Roebuck – Discover’s parent company, was one of these dawners. Discover Card offered a new way of thinking to an existing industry including cash back rewards, which a lot of those disruptive thoughts are now industry standards to the consumer credit industry. 

Since she first started with Sears Roebuck in Tacoma, Washington in 1971, Kathy Roberts has made a career of being a trailblazing dawner.   From being Discover Card’s first female Director of Field Operations (in Columbus, OH) to the first woman to chair the prestigious Delaware Bankers Association.    Now the former President of Discover Bank is at it again.

Kathy - Kathleen Roberts Discover Card
Kathy - Kathleen Roberts Discover Card

Roberts with her co-founder and Switch
President/COO Bradley Willden

Now Roberts is a dawner yet again as co-founder and CEO of Switch Reward Card- a Lehi, UT headquartered blockchain finance company. Switch Reward Card is a blockchain-based financial services ecosystem. The blockchain is empowered by a global decentralized node network where node licensees will be rewarded, by the blockchain, with Switch Digital Rewards. Switch offers debit payment solutions for both traditional and cryptocurrencies around the world.

From my first introduction I had a fascination with the reliability of the data on the blockchain and the freedom to make transactions in a decentralized market.   Not being one for the status quo, I set out on a step of faith to create something new,” says Roberts. 

In addition to her professional endeavors, Roberts has also contributed significantly to numerous non-profits, including The History Makers, Village Drill/WHOLIVEs, The New Mexico Museum Foundation, and the Delaware Junior Achievement organization.

Just as Discover Card did almost 40 years prior, Switch is looking to be disruptive in an established industry. Switch Reward Card President, COO and fellow dawner Bradley Willden is excited about the versatility of the product suite: “The Switch platform has both custodial and non-custodial wallets giving our community members true ownership of their digital assets.”   Willden brings over 20 years of traditional banking knowledge to Switch from his work with Zions Bank, Chase and others. Switch currently has products in Beta testing and has an open waitlist to be added to the Beta groups for the upcoming public launch.  

Sign up today at switchrewardcard.com 

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