SEATTLE, Oct. 10, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Laurie Stewart, President and CEO of Sound Community Bank, was named one of 2019’s “Most Powerful Women in Banking” nationally by American Banker Magazine. 

American Banker’s Most Powerful Women in Banking recognizes the professional achievements and influence of top-performing female executives in banking and financial services. The annual program, now in its 16th year, encompasses four lists: the 25 Most Powerful Women in Banking™, the 25 Most Powerful Women in Finance, the 25 Most Powerful Women to Watch, and the Top Teams in Banking.

“The women selected for this honor are tackling tough business challenges with great success,” said Bonnie McGeer, executive editor of American Banker and chair of its Most Powerful Women in Banking and Finance program. “They are all standouts who bring vision to their work, and Laurie Stewart is certainly representative of that.”

Stewart celebrates 29 years with Sound Community Bank.  In this span, Stewart led the conversion of the organization from a $38 million dollar credit union to a $717 million publically traded commercial bank.  Stewart serves as Vice Chair of the American Bankers Association, and toward the end of October, assumes the role of Chair for a one-year term.  She has a long history in community banking and participation in industry affairs.  Stewart was one of 14 bankers selected to serve on the inaugural FDIC Community Bank Advisory Board.  Subsequently she was appointed to the inaugural CFPB Community Banker’s advisory Board.  She is active in trade associations, serving two terms as Chair of the WBA and she chaired the ABA flagship Governmental Affairs Committee.  In 2017, she was one of nine community Bankers invited to the White House for a listening session with the President.  She also serves as Chair of the National Arthritis Foundation Board of Directors and is a director of the Seattle Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank.  Stewart was recognized in the Most Powerful Women in Banking’s Women to Watch category four times, most recently in 2018.  In 2016, she earned the prestigious Woman of Influence award from the Puget Sound Business Journal.  Stewart was named Community Banker of the Year by American Banker in 2019.  She is a frequent speaker and teacher.  Community volunteering includes serving as Immediate Past Chair of the Woodland Park Zoo, volunteering as a Court Appointed Special Advocate, and climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise money for cancer research. 

Sound Community Bank is a Seattle-based community bank, providing personal and business banking services in King, Pierce, Snohomish, Jefferson and Clallam Counties, and on the web at www.soundcb.com.  Sound Community Bank is a subsidiary of Sound Financial Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: SFBC).

More Information

• Link to American Banker Most Powerful Women in Banking: https://www.americanbanker.com/list/most-powerful-women-in-banking

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