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Melissa Beltrame, Marketing Director
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Jenny Kincaid Julian, Socialworx PR
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(KANSAS CITY, MO) August 2019. Lead Bank is thrilled to announce Susan Chambers, former Walmart executive, has joined the Lead Bank board of directors. Chambers retired from her role as executive vice president and chief human resources officer at Walmart in 2015.
During her tenure, Chambers was responsible for managing, attracting, and retaining the world’s largest private workforce, 2.2 million global Walmart associates. Other duties included the governance of compensation, recruitment, development, and retention initiatives, as well as benefits and communications. Chambers was acknowledged as one of the “50 Most Powerful Women in Business” by Fortune Magazine for five consecutive years.
Additionally, her duties included human resource technology, culture, diversity and inclusion, and regulatory issues. Chamber's strong technology background and experience with a large national community of consumers at Walmart positions her well for this board appointment. Chambers says, “Technology is essential, but we all long for relationships, purpose and connection. The businesses that most artfully thread all of these together will best achieve a sense of community, regardless of the geography.”
Having spent multiple years with Walmart, and before that, 14 years with Hallmark Cards, Chambers is intimately familiar with companies that cover strong values. She understands the importance of having a clear mission and strong values and has tremendous experience in creating innovative and successful company cultures as well as communities. Chambers looks forward to supporting Lead Bank’s mission: to be at the heart of the success of its communities. She has worked with community leaders throughout her career, and wholeheartedly believes that “it is easy to get caught up in good intentions that miss out on the meaningful outcomes most needed. Great institutions, like Lead Bank, focus on being in and of the community so that the end result is a true partnership that serves everyone,” Chambers said.
As Lead Bank expands to serve a national clientele of consumers, the board needs to have expertise and insight into how to develop a national business and how to help consumers (as well as commercial clients). Chambers' corporate experience at Walmart will support the Bank to achieve its growth objectives in both respects. Secondly, she excels in talent recruitment, and her prior experience will strengthen the Bank's strategy of creating a large, more robust workforce, so the Bank to succeed with its strategic initiatives. Finally, her technology background at Walmart and her expertise in the development of IT networks, engineering, and software resources will bring additional capabilities to Lead Bank consumers. “Through her experience with managing a national network, expertise in consumer services, IT networks, and software and service development, Susan will be a fantastic addition to Lead Bank,” says Josh Rowland, CEO, and vice-chairman of Lead Bank.
Chambers currently serves as the Board Chair at William Jewell College and is a Board Director for the Kauffman Foundation. She has a degree in systems data processing that included computer science, accounting, and finance. Chambers has been a Director of Arvest Bank, a national bank with over $18 billion in assets. This experience and her skills will not only elevate the strength of the board of directors but also the national profile of the Bank. “I’m excited to return to Kansas City as part of the Lead Bank team. Kansas City has much to look forward to and I feel fortunate to be a part of it,” Chambers added.
About Lead Bank
For 90 years, Lead Bank has remained a reliable, independent commercial bank dedicated to delivering smart financial solutions for business owners, managers, and their families and communities. With locations in Garden City, Lee’s Summit and now the Kansas City Crossroads, Lead Bank continues to provide treasury management, lending services, and personal client products. The new flagship location in Kansas City’s dynamic KC Crossroads District introduces clients to a new “era of banking.” Lead Bank is the 2018 recipient of the prestigious Mr. K Award, named after the late Ewing M. Kauffman. This award goes to companies who have shown growth and sustainability of their business, positive company culture, and a record for giving back to the community. For additional information, call (816) 220.8600