Lindsay J. Keith, CTFA

Here a few traits Lindsay Keith gleaned from her mother:

• She can be stubborn when she believes her purpose is good and true.  “My mom persevered through many challenges and obstacles as a single parent,” Lindsay says.  “In many ways, that quality has gotten her, my older sister and me to where we are today, and it’s a very good place for all three of us.”
• Hard work works.  “The value really isn’t in the things you can get from working hard.  Hard work teaches you to be grateful for those things.  I remember times at the dinner table, her worrying about how she would come up with the money for this or that.  But she always did.  She has always been my inspiration.”
• The virtue of thinking more about those around you, less about yourself.  “Mom always looked out for others.  She approaches everything in her life with such love and such care.  She’s the kind of person you just naturally want to pattern your own life after.”

Lindsay grew up in the small southeast Indiana town of West Harrison. Her home was a red brick federal built in 1832, and she has a fondness for older houses to this day.  Nearby Harrison, Ohio served as a stomping ground for Lindsay and her family, as it was the closest city with more than one grocery store and gas station. She was three years old when her parents divorced.

Her mother, Nancy, is a mental health counselor, specializing in addiction treatment and working with older adults at Margaret Mary Hospital in Brookville, Indiana.  “Things were tighter than she ever let on.  She always drove a clunker van, and my sister and I never had the latest cool brand of clothes.  There had to be something more than ‘I want’ as the reason for buying something.  But we had everything we needed.  Mom made sure of that.”

Lindsay was a shy girl, but a quick study in school.  She learned early on to entertain herself.   At East Central High school, she was captain of the color guard all four years.  “That was my world in high school. Mom would drive from the northernmost parts of Indiana to the southernmost parts to see my shows because she knew how important it was to me.”

She describes herself as a rule follower, someone who likes knowing what is expected of her.  She also likes checking items off her daily to-do lists, of which she keeps two – one for her personal life, the other for her professional life.

She and Nick met on a dating app in June 2020 at the height of the pandemic.  They had to wear masks on their first date.  Nick reminds Lindsay of her stepdad.  “He’s loyal, not a man of many words, but thoughtful.  He always makes me feel cared for.  We’re planning to be married in May 2024.”

Her idea of a good time is when she volunteers on Saturdays at one of the Cleveland area’s local animal shelters, called the Cuyahoga County Animal Shelter.   It’s where she and Nick found their dog, a German shepherd/pit bull mix named Buzz.   She serves on the board of the non-profit that funds the shelter, called Friends of the Cuyahoga County Animal Shelter.  “By spending time with these animals, I’m reminded to stay in the present moment. That’s where I go to get my therapy,” she says with a smile.

Lindsay is a Senior Trust Officer with the Johnson Trust Company in Cleveland.  She marked her five-year anniversary at the Firm in July 2023.

“Johnson Investment Counsel is a great fit for me because, at its core, it’s a good place with good people who really do care for others.  I’m surrounded by the exact group of people I need at any given time.  I don’t have to worry about things I otherwise would have to if I were beholden to outside shareholders.

“Here, all I have to concern myself with is doing the right thing and serving my clients the best I can.”