ABA today saluted the women named to American Banker Magazine’s “25 Most Powerful Women in Banking” and “25 Women to Watch in Banking” lists for 2019. Many of them are current and former members of ABA’s board, councils and committees.
ABA Chair-Elect Laurie Stewart—president and CEO of Sound Community Bank in Seattle—ranked 25th on the “most powerful” list. Also on the list were ABA board members Andrea Smith (ranked 10th), chief administrative officer at Bank of America, and Patti Husic (ranked 24th), president and CEO of Centric Financial, Harrisburg, Pa. Former ABA Chairman Dorothy Savarese—chairman, president and CEO of Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank, Orleans, Mass.—was 12th on the list. Ranked at 20 on the “most powerful list,” Rosilyn Houston, the chief talent and culture executive at BBVA, was spotlighted in a recent ABA Banking Journal profile.
Spotlighted on the “women to watch” list were ABA board member Jill Castilla, president and CEO at Citizens Bank of Edmond, Edmond, Okla; ABA Community Bankers Council Vice Chairman Luanne Cundiff, president and CEO of First State Bank of St. Charles, Mo.; and ABA Core Platforms Committee Chairman Julieann Thurlow, president and CEO of Reading Cooperative Bank, Reading, Mass. The rankings, selected by the publication’s editors, highlight the professional achievements and business acumen of the industry’s leading women. They also spotlight institutions that successfully promote gender diversity in their leadership ranks.
