Where Curiosity Meets Capability: Holly Young’s Cannon Journey

Starting Without a Clear Path

Holly Young didn’t set out to build a career in trust and compliance. In fact, when she first stepped into the trust department at Citizens & Northern Bank, she had no background in it at all.

“I had no idea what trust meant, what wealth management meant,” she says.

She joined the bank in 2016 as an assistant. It was an entry point, not a long-term plan. But over time, something shifted. What started as exposure turned into interest, and interest turned into ownership of her own growth. She moved into a coordinator role, began overseeing others, and by 2020 stepped into a newly defined position as the wealth management group’s compliance officer.

At one point, she was given a choice—stay on the administrative path or move into compliance. She chose compliance, even though it meant stepping into a more complex, less clearly defined role.

Today, that complexity is exactly what keeps her engaged.

“It’s a lot of legal language. I’m learning how to interpret some of that,” she explains.

There’s no routine to her work. Each day presents a new problem. A new regulation to interpret. A new situation that requires judgment, not just knowledge. What she enjoys most is finding that balance—between structure and flexibility, between rules and real-world application.

“I do enjoy identifying potential risks early, finding those practical solutions, and partnering with the team to build processes that ultimately protect our clients and our firm.”

And at the center of it all is something deeper than compliance itself.

“Knowing that my work contributes to maintaining the trust and integrity in the organization is very fulfilling.”

Building Knowledge from the Ground Up

That sense of responsibility didn’t come from a textbook. It started much earlier.

Holly grew up on a farm, where work wasn’t optional. She and her sister handled daily responsibilities that required consistency, discipline, and follow-through.

“You didn’t have a choice. You learned hard work,” she says.

That environment shaped how she approaches everything today. The patience to work through complexity. The discipline to stay consistent. The understanding that progress comes from showing up, even when things aren’t clear yet.

When she first entered the trust space, that mindset mattered. Because she wasn’t building on existing knowledge. She was starting from scratch.

“I had zero knowledge base coming into this,” she says.

That’s where Cannon played a role. Through Trust Schools, CFIRS®, and ongoing education, she began to build the foundation she didn’t have at the start. But what stood out wasn’t just the content. It was how it was delivered.

“The instructors really helped take those complex situations and make them simple,” she explains.

That clarity changed things. It allowed her to not only understand trust concepts, but to apply them in her role. Today, she can read and interpret trust documents while also understanding the regulatory side that governs them. That combination is what sets her apart.

Interestingly, Holly chose not to pursue the CTFA™ at the time. Not because it wasn’t valuable, but because her role had shifted.

“I have the knowledge—and that’s what matters for me,” she says.

A Career Built, Not Planned

Outside of work, there’s another side to her that adds depth to that story. She spent more than 20 years in dance, including a decade as an instructor. That experience gave her something different—an understanding of how to teach, how to guide others, and how to build connections.

There’s a parallel there. In both dance and compliance, the work is similar. You take something complex. You break it down. You help others understand it.

Looking back, her path wasn’t linear. It wasn’t planned. But it was consistent.

She followed opportunities. She leaned into learning. She chose the harder path when it made sense. And over time, those decisions added up.

Her story is a reminder that most careers in this industry don’t start with certainty. They start with exposure. Then curiosity. Then the decision to keep going.

And if there’s one thread that runs through all of it, it’s this:

You don’t need to know everything at the start.

You just need to be willing to build.