Sandy Starnes is Vice President of Emerging Products and Services and Director of Marketing at Citizens Bank. A leader in her industry nationally, Starnes currently serves on the Professional Development Advisory Board for American Bankers Association.
In 2017, she was appointed as Arkansas’s sole representative to the American Bankers Association’s Inaugural Emerging Leaders Advisory Board of Directors. With this team, she played an integral role in implementing the Emerging Leaders Council, representing each state as the innovative next generation of the banking industry.
While she has accomplished much in her career thus far, Starnes measures achievement in impact. She believes her highest professional achievements have been the development of leadership programs that create a legacy of serving future leaders. Citizens Bank’s leadership program has helped and empowered more than 35 leaders in its six years, owing much success to Starnes’ dedication and hard work. She has a personal passion for economic development, education, and women’s empowerment, which translates into her professional career. Beginning as a community banker serving a small town, she then moved to an HR role where she built tools and created programs to empower members of the organization. In her current marketing role, Starnes works alongside organizational and community leaders to develop and promote outside-of-the-box solutions. She is truly dedicated to putting People First, the core mission of Citizens Bank, and serves as President of the Independence County Education Foundation.
In 2018, Banking Exchange named Starnes to its “20 Under 40 Most Influential Young Bankers in America” list in which she was, again, the only banker in Arkansas so recognized. She stands out from her peers both locally and nationally as an asset to our state and the banking industry.
