As women in banking, it is important that we lift each other up and celebrate each other's accomplishments. The entire purpose of the Girl Banker blog is to do just that! The Girl Banker of the Week series serves as a way to highlight Girl Bankers everywhere by telling their stories and motivating and encouraging other women in banking. It also is a great way for women in banking to connect! Read below about this week's Girl Banker of the Week! Stacy Matlock | Community Banker | Arvest Bank Stacy got her start in banking in 1991 with National Bank of Arkansas in North Little Rock as a part-time bank teller while attending her senior year in high school. Following her sister’s footsteps, who was also a “girl banker”, Stacy moved on to Worthen Bank which was later acquired by Boatmen’s Bank, Nations Bank and finally Bank of America.

Stacy moved up the ladder from a bank teller to Indirect Lending at Worthen Bank and was later offered a position at Bank of the Ozarks in 1997 at which time her son was only 4 months old. At Bank of the Ozarks, Stacy was a Commercial Loan Assistant for 3 years before moving up once again to Assistant VP, Consumer, and Construction Loan Officer. In 2006, Stacy ventured off of the banking grid to become a commercial real estate agent. During this time she obtained her real estate license and strengthened her sales and relationship building skills as a real estate broker, property manager and leasing agent specializing in retail, office and industrial properties. In 2017, Stacy moved to NWA to join her new husband and accepted a position with Arvest Bank as a Commercial Banker. Stacy feels that her past experiences and positions in banking have helped pave the way to where she is today. Each job has helped shape and prepare her to build relationships and grow a portfolio of long-term, loyal customers. In addition to banking, Stacy is heavily involved in the economic development of Springdale by serving as a member of the Springdale Chamber of Commerce and Leadership Springdale Class of XXIII.  She is also a member of Women In Networking NWA and serves as a board member for the Arkansas Crisis Center of NWA. Stacy and her husband, Jesse, live in Springdale, along with their 3 children: Chase, a full-time student at the University of Arkansas, Bradi, a student at NWACC, and Landen, a student at Har-Ber High School. She unplugs by hiking the Buffalo River trail and bicycling the Razorback Greenway with her husband. They are also big fans of taking family vacations. MOTIVATION | "My motivation comes from other successful women in male-dominated careers, friends, and family and my desire to build relationships and meet the needs of my customers. I have also been very blessed by the people who believed in me throughout my career and mentored me along the way." Join me as we celebrate this week's Girl Banker of the Week, Stacy Matlock! Know someone who should be the next Girl Banker of the Week? Send nominations to thegirlbanker@gmail.com!