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24 Hartford Business Journal • April 7, 2014 www.HartfordBusiness.com Women In Business 2014 By Becky Bergman Special to the Hartford Business Journal B ank of America's Marisol Vazquez has been honing her leadership and people skills through networking and change for more than two decades. Since she joined Bank of America in 1991, Vazquez has helped bolster the company's banking centers in Connecticut by attracting new customers and improving branch managers' leadership skills. In her position as senior vice president of consumer bank- ing for northern Connecticut, Vazquez is responsible for help- ing to strengthen and enhance the organization's ties with the local community. As part of her job, she travels around the state to meet with team leaders in 15 different banking centers. Her main task is to coach branch managers to be better mentors, and to look for other opportunities to help employees advance their careers. Her goal is to help managers "set financial plans, achieve new goals and reach their full potential," she said. Vazquez said she leads by example — both in the work- place and in the community, where she leads teams of bank employees in making the Hartford community a better place to live and work. She credits various career mentors with helping her achieve her success. "When I first started working for the bank, I surrounded myself with people who were very successful," said Vazquez. "Bank of America provides many opportunities for women to succeed. I was fortunate to have mentors who challenged me to step out of my comfort zone and I'm so glad I did." Vazquez said working with people is the best part of her job. She is always looking for a way to "pay it forward" by helping others. "Marisol is an important part of our team," said Kevin McDonnell, a consumer market executive at Bank of America, who is Vazquez's manager. "She's constantly looking for ways to improve our best practices, and is always quick to share what she's learned. Her leadership both in the banking centers and in the greater com- munity is inspirational to other employees," said McDonnell. Vazquez is heavily involved in the community, not only pick- ing up a paintbrush and volunteering herself, but often leading a team from Bank of America in charity work. Vazquez has been involved with numerous charities in Hart- ford, including My Sister's Place, a nonprofit agency exclusively serving homeless women and their children in Hartford. Last summer, Vazquez and her team helped My Sister's Place renovate housing units, and this year she'll be leading Bank of America volunteers in running financial literacy and resume writing workshops. Vazquez has also volunteered extensively with Loaves and Fishes Ministries and Judah House. Vazquez said it's her goal to find and serve an organization at least once a month, whether it's a soup kitchen, My Sister's Place, or another nonprofit agency where her team can make a difference. The full-time mom of two says she balances a career, com- munity service and family time with careful planning. She also relies on support from her husband, family and friends to help her with her children's after school activities. "Planning ahead of time, and communicating with my fam- ily on my work schedule is essential," said Vazquez. "During the workweek, I also dedicate time with my family on things we enjoy. This allows me to balance the week." Vazquez joined Bank of America in 1991 as a credit investigator. In 2004, she assumed the role of banking center manager in Farmington, and led the division in sales performance. In March 2006, she became the consumer market manager in northern Connecticut, and in 2008 assumed the consumer market executive role in the central north market. In 2011, Vazquez transitioned to consumer manager for the Hartford market. As a consumer market manager, she was a national and divisional award of excellence recipient with the northern Connecticut market. [ Marisol Vazquez Consumer Banking SVP; Consumer Market Manager, Bank of America Vazquez's people skills, willingness to take risks pay off How do you balance your work life with your personal life? I balance the two by asking for support from my family members and neighbors. They assist with my children's after school activities, which allows me to focus on work. In addition, plan- ning ahead of time, and communicating with my family on my work schedule is essential. During the work week, I also dedicate time with my family on things we enjoy; this allows me to balance the week. What's your advice for other professionals on how best to balance work life with personal life? For me, it comes down to planning effectively, scheduling meetings and personal commitments on a calendar, staying true to your schedule, and pri- oritizing accordingly. After work at least a couple of times per week, dedicate time on things you enjoy; exercise, reading, spending time with the family. If you have children, ask for support. What are some of the things you enjoy outside of work? I enjoy traveling, fishing, camping and spending time with my family. We spend a lot of time in a gymnasium with my daughter who is part of the AAU basketball team. In addition, we also enjoy vis- iting our son who is a professional singer and dancer for a prominent cruise line. Vazquez enjoys traveling, fishing and spending time with family in her down time. P H O T O | S T e v e L A S C H e v e r