LANB Vice President & Manager, Human Resources Carole Steward during a recent interview in her office at 1200 Trinity Dr. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.comLos Alamos native Carole Steward went to work at Los Alamos National Bank in 2001 and will celebrate 17 years with the bank June 4.
Steward graduated from Los Alamos High School in 1979 and left town that year to attend Biola University in La Mirada, Calif. While in college she met Tom Steward and the couple later married and spent 20 years living and working in southern California.
She was a teacher in search of a new career path and wanted her three sons to be raised in Los Alamos, so in 1996 she brought her family back to her home town.
“I came back because Los Alamos is such a special, special place … and I value it so much,” Steward told the Los Alamos Daily Post during a recent interview. “This town is something to be treasured and that is why I enjoy working in a company that supports this community.”
Five years after returning to Los Alamos, LANB had an opening for a loan processor and Steward applied and got the job. Putting her teaching skills to use a short time later, she created a training program for the loan department. That has evolved to her providing training programs across the bank. Last August, Steward was promoted to vice president & manager, human resources.
Her new role focuses on activities such as recruiting and hiring new employees, employee orientation and training, performance management, organization development and culture, employee benefits and retention.
“The greatest satisfaction for me is being a part of helping to create a high performing organization in a high performing town,” Steward said. “The challenge is in keeping up with changing trends and generational shifts and managing the generational span and those expectations.”
Steward commends the work environment at LANB. “The best part of working at LANB is the opportunities they have given me to take chances, which has allowed me to grow and succeed overtime,” she said.
LANB Market President Liddie Martinez congratulates Steward on her 17-year anniversary with the bank.
“Carole is an exceptional employee whose advice I often seek and who is supplying us with superior service for our employees,” Martinez said.
Throughout her years at LANB, Steward has served the community on various boards including three years on the Los Alamos County Personnel Board, six on the Family Strengths Network Board and eight on the Los Alamos Historical Society Board.
Steward and her husband Tom have been married for 34 years in June and the couple resides in Los Alamos.
