In January, Laurie Stewart, president and CEO of Sound Community Bank, celebrated 25 years with the organization.

Stewart, a former Sequim resident,  was hired in 1989 as president and CEO of Associated Grocers Federal Employee Credit Union (AGFECU). In the ensuing 25 years, the credit union converted to a thrift and is now a fully public company traded on the NASDAQ. Stewart oversaw the growth of the organization from $38 million to $496 million in the span of 25 years.

“What literally began in a shoebox in the payroll office of a grocery distribution company is now a full-service, state-charted bank,” she said. “I am proud of the growth of the company and reflect positively on my 25 years of service as the CEO.”

Tyler Myers, board of directors chairman for Sound Community Bank, said, “The guidance that Laurie Stewart has provided over that past 25 years is a text book lesson for all us. She always has been a forward thinker and executed on her vision. Her success as a banker and an industry leader should not be a surprise to anyone.”

Stewart has a long history in community banking and participation in industry affairs. Recognized by American Banker as one of the Most Powerful Women in Banking in 2011, she served as chairman of the board of directors of the Washington Bankers Association and is currently chairman for the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. Stewart is the chairman of the American Bankers’ Association Governmental Affairs Committee, a flagship national banking committee. She is a frequent speaker at conferences and colleges locally and nationally, and has testified in both Washington, D.C., and Olympia on a variety of legislative and regulatory financial issues.

She helped create the WBA’s Executive Development Program which is now in its fourth year of existence. Stewart is one of 14 bankers selected to serve on the inaugural FDIC Advisory Board and subsequently the CFPB Advisory Board.