Out of all the banks Cynthia Jordan has worked for (she’s now on her fourth bank), Clayton-based Regions Bank is the most diverse financial institution she has been part of, she said.
Jordan is vice president and community affairs manager at Regions, and is part of the risk management division. Her main duties included maintaining the federal Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) efforts in the region.
Jordan also collaborates with regional and local community development organizations and business partners that result in more CRA lending, investments, services and accounts to the bank.
She is a member of the Corporate Mortgage Diversity Advisory committee at the bank, which focuses on community outreach, diverse employee recruitment, and lending strategies to diverse communities.
She grew up in the Greater Ville and Southwest Garden neighborhoods and graduated from Southwest High, Fontbonne University and Saint Louis University’s Cook School of Business.
American: Who were your role models growing up, and how did they influence your career path?
Jordan: My mother, James P. Morgan (banker), and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. From them collectively, I have learned the importance of community service and philanthropy. Banking made sense due to its early association of wealth and influence; you must have wealth or influence to implement changes that benefit the community, especially for the least of us.
I always wanted to be a banker from a little girl. J.P. Morgan was one of the early banking tycoons. I have learned quite a bit about banking and philanthropy reading about him. Since then I watch Ken Chenault, American Express chairman and CEO, and Ursula Burns, Xerox chairwoman and CEO…both quietly lead their fields and give back tremendously to their communities.
American: Who in your life would you say is a good leader and what qualities does that person/s possess?
Jordan: I would say my mother is a very good leader. She has touched so many lives. She is consistent with making a difference in a dark world. I think leaders have to be consistent in whatever they do. She is very humble, supportive and sees the good in every situation no matter what. I always tell my mom she is a master of words because she understands the power spoken words possess. So I rarely hear her utters a negative or hopeless word. I strive to be like that too.
The late Charles H. Houston was also a very strategic, influential quiet leader, who legally ended segregation behind the scenes. Leaders do not always have to be out front or seen all the time. Our influence and its range is what counts.
American: As a manager at Regions Bank, what are your strategies of leadership? Or how do you lead?
Jordan: My strategies of leadership are collaboration and being an excellent team player. I’m a proponent of participative leadership and believe that people should be strategically engaged in the decision making process. I also like to surround myself with people as smart as or smarter than myself. Iron sharpens iron.
American: Through your leadership at Regions, how do you portray the importance of diversity?
Jordan: I believe in giving people the opportunity to grow into their potential. I think leadership requires action therefore leading by example is necessary to diversify your team. When and where I’ve had the opportunity, I have brought more minorities and women to the table.
American: Where do you think St. Louis is currently in terms of diversity/inclusion and where do you think it’s headed?
Jordan: Remember Missouri was a slave state, and consequently St. Louis struggles with overcoming its pass from time to time. I personally like to focus on the people that made it in spite of and believe that serves as inspiration for what St. Louis’ future can be in this area.
Looking at it from that perspective, you will see that St. Louis has made considerable progress in terms of diversity and inclusion.
American: What else would you like our readers to know about you?
Jordan: I am committed to the St. Louis region being successful and moving forward. My God-given talents, abilities and resources are used solely for that purpose.
