Ms. Southerland joined A.G. Edwards in the Document Control Department in 1996 and quickly assumed a variety of responsibilities. In 1998, she was named an assistant supervisor and was charged with maintaining and updating procedures, training new employees, and managing the employee performance review process.

In 2002, Ms. Southerland moved to Fee Based Operations where she managed the setup and daily maintenance of new fee based accounts. Her responsibilities also included client service, and monitoring accounts for model changes, deposits, withdrawals, and billing. In November 2005, Ms. Southerland returned to the Document Control Department to supervise daily operations relating to fee based account processing and third-party requests.

After A.G. Edwards was acquired by Wachovia Securities (now Wells Fargo Advisors), Ms. Southerland was named a team lead in Fee Based Operations. In that capacity, she assumed responsibility for the reconciliation team, and helped financial consultants and money managers accurately trade accounts by ensuring that systems were functioning in an optimal manner.

She resigned in 2009 to assume a position as a fee based operations manager with Benjamin F. Edwards & Co.