Rosilyn Houston has worked in the banking industry for more than 30 years and has never been afraid to be the “first.”

Houston has held various senior management positions, most recently as Chief Human Resources Officer and Senior Executive Vice President of Santander USA. She previously served as Senior Executive Vice President and Chief People and Culture Officer at BBVA Compass.

She is the first woman and first African American in both of these roles, and is proud of the path of progress and transformation she has forged.

“Although I have been first in most of my leadership roles, in my heart I have always tried not to be last.”

Houston has long advocated for women and minorities in the banking industry, paving the way for others to follow in her footsteps. However, banking was not the career path she originally intended. While attending college to further her education, she took up a part-time teller position at a local bank.

“I filled every role possible,” Houston recalls. “From teller to broker, notary to supervisor, I've done it all. I made it my mission to do each of these roles well and began to thrive in the banking environment.”

The word “thriving” may be an understatement. Houston has been named “Most Powerful Woman in Banking” by American Bankers, “Most Powerful Female Executive” by Fortune Magazine, “Most Powerful Corporate Executive” and “Most Powerful Woman in Business” by Black Americans. She has received an impressive number of awards for her work.Enterprise Co., Ltd.

With her impressive resume and numerous accolades, Houston has a lot to be proud of. But perhaps what she's most proud of are the relationships she's built over the years.

“In the world of banking, everything is about relationships. How do you build relationships with your employees and ensure their engagement to create a mutually beneficial relationship for you and your organization?” What can we do? People do better when they feel supported.”

Houston's passion for supporting others, especially women, is rooted in her desire to further increase diversity in senior management. For her, diversity and inclusion are business imperatives that are first and foremost built on a foundation of personal relationships.

It also comes from the idea of ​​being a lifelong learner. “She had to open herself to the idea that she wasn't scared of what she didn't know,” she says. “As long as you have access to information and tools, you can always learn and grow. That's been the mindset behind everything I've been doing: learning and growing with empathy.”

And Houston did it well. After mentoring countless leaders over the past 30 years, Houston said she will retire from the banking industry at the end of 2023, although her leadership roles continue in a variety of other areas. . She remains active in advocating for diversity and inclusion and coaching leaders as a board member for the Civil Rights Institute and Prosper Her Alabama.

Her heart is also tied closely to the work of Children's Hospital of Alabama and Smile a Mile, as she and her son are both cancer survivors. Since her retirement, she now wants to fulfill another of her dreams. It's about becoming a licensed minister and ministering to her family in the hospital who have the same diagnosis as her son.

“God didn't take me out of that season just to talk about it,” she reflects. “I get to walk alongside these families, pray with them, and encourage them to persevere.”

In everything she does, Houston sees her work as something deeper than herself, something instilled in her work ethic and sustained by her faith.

“I have never thought of my job as just a job. It is a calling and a calling, and I take that to heart. I spend every morning training, developing, and mentoring others. I look for ways to help people reach their potential. As a cancer survivor, I feel like I've been given a second chance to deepen relationships and build them better than when I met them. Masu.”