Citizens Bank SVP Sandy Starnes awarded inaugural ABA Emerging Leader Award

Sandy Starnes, senior vice president and director of marketing, at Citizens Bank is a recipient of the inaugural ABA Emerging Leader Award with the American Bankers Association. This new award recognizes the next generation of bank leaders who are committed to the highest standards of achievement and service to both their industry and their local communities.

Starnes and 10 other winners will be recognized during next week’s ABA Annual Convention.

“On behalf of Citizens Bank, we want to congratulate Sandy for this exceptional achievement on the national level,” said Adam Mitchell, president and CEO of Citizens Bank. “Sandy is a dedicated and passionate leader who will continue to do great things for Citizens Bank, the banking industry and our community.”

The winners were selected by a diverse steering committee of industry professionals. The qualities and characteristics the committee evaluated as judging criteria included dedication to the profession, inventiveness, leadership skills, mentoring ability, personal integrity, tenure at the bank and broader commitment to a career in banking, sustained career progress, and academic training including advanced degrees and certifications.

“We congratulate these high performers who are already having a significant impact on our industry,” said Rob Nichols, ABA president and CEO. “These ABA Emerging Leader Award recipients have demonstrated a range of banking skills, a commitment to conduct their work with integrity and a strong desire to help their customers and communities flourish. The future of our industry is bright because of leaders like these.”

Starnes has over 10 years of experience in banking and has been with Citizens Bank since 2008. Citizens Bank has assets exceeding $1.2 billion. In 2017, Starnes was appointed to the American Bankers Association Emerging Leaders Advisory Board of Directors as Arkansas’ sole representative.

She currently serves as a board member of the Independence County Education Foundation, IMPACT Independence Foundation, BankOn Arkansas, and the American Bankers Association Professional Development Advisory Board. Starnes was a member of Leadership Arkansas in 2022 and Leadership Batesville in 2014. She is also one of this year’s Talk Business & Politics NEA Women in Business honorees.