Ryan Coaxum, vice president at Guaranty Bank & Trust in Austin, and Hazel Davis, vice president of compliance & community development officer at Jefferson Bank in San Antonio, received the 2022 Emerging Leader Awards from Texas Bankers Association and American Bankers Association. The two Texas bankers were recognized as leaders of the next generation. Both Coaxum and Davis are passionate about serving the banking industry, as well as their communities. They each recognize the importance of their work and how it affects those around them. Following is a Q&A about how they got to where they are today as Emerging Leader Award winners and where they want to go next.
How did you get into the banking industry?
Coaxum: I just got thrown into it. I was selling residential real estate and loving it, then at that time I got kicked off my parent’s insurance. So, I got into banking as a part-time teller and worked my way up. I’ve learned banking all the way from a teller to my job as a lender now.
Davis: I had a friend who said to give banking a try. I started as a revolving credit clerk with the hopes of getting into the trust department and retain my licenses, but I didn’t last long in the lending world. I immediately started picking up compliance projects, volunteering myself for anything I could and at that time nobody wanted to do compliance, so that’s what I did.
Share a special banking experience.
Coaxum: I started banking in 2010 as a part-time teller, moved up to a full-time teller, personal banker and then did some analyst work. In 2017, my boss (at the time) and I started Guaranty Bank & Trust in Austin in his child’s playroom. Soon after we shared a small office space, then moved to an office building where we hired more people and now we’re in the building where the Austin branch is located today. We opened offices in Georgetown, Lakeway and West Lake, with the original office in downtown Austin. It’s been a fun ride. There’s not a day that goes by in banking where I don’t love some aspect of the industry.
Davis: I started almost 20 years ago. I didn’t have a whole lot of ideas on what I was going to do next after my plans were derailed. I took on a bunch of different projects and was willing to learn. My mentor was my then-CFO who said if I don’t go to college, I won’t make it as far in the industry as I want to make it. I really credit him for pushing me to go to college and seeing how eager I was to learn the business of banking in addition to compliance. Banks do so much for the community, being associated with what we do in the profession can be a proud thing — if done in the right way.
Why do you continue to stick with banking?
Coaxum: I really think banking is one of the pillars of community. Banks do a whole lot for communities. I wanted to be in an industry that I felt like even though I was getting paid, I was able to give back in a way, too. There are not many careers where you can feel like you’re giving back as you’re doing your job.
Davis: I grew up in the industry, it gave me the support I needed given the changes that occurred in my life, and it allowed me the opportunity to continue to explore that part of myself. The view of bankers now is becoming more accurate because people see all the different ways you can be a banker and give back. It’s been an honor and it’s too fun to leave.
How do you show up every day as a leader?
Coaxum: I lean heavily on my Christian faith, with that I would say, “do to others as you would have them do to you.” I take that with me on a daily basis of how I want to be treated or how I would want my banker to treat me. What information can I share that the general public doesn’t know about banking that I can shine a light on? One of the biggest things for me in banking is representation. For me, banking is not going to look like it used to — the customers we serve don’t look the same as when banking started, so it’s up to us to get out there to have representation in the banking industry.
Davis: Being located in San Antonio with such a high Hispanic minority population and growing up with a lot of people who didn’t look like me gave me a different perspective. When I realized how people viewed banking, that’s when I wanted to see some change. Showing up every day with authenticity and honesty, as well as giving back with mentorship, has been so important in my world. Doing what I can to connect with people and identify with them is what keeps me passionate as a leader.
What does it mean to be recognized by both TBA and ABA?
Coaxum: For me it’s everything. I hope it’s encouraging for others — and I hope it’s encouraging for young men and women who look like me. Again, representation is a big one for me. That’s why I love saying, “if you can see it, you can be it.”
Davis: In a strange way, it’s validation. Throughout so much of my career I had a little bit of imposter syndrome, hoping and wondering if my background was good enough. To receive these recognitions has validation but it’s also very humbling. I’m so grateful to have been recognized both personally and professionally.
What fuels your passion for the industry?
Coaxum: Again, it leans into my faith and being able to give back. Being in my community and giving back to my community is a second nature to me. This is who I am at the core. It’s awesome to have a job that intersects with giving back to community and getting paid to do it. It’s also my drive for people — I love meeting new people, seeing old friends and making new ones.
Davis: Being connected to the community and somewhat being a conduit as a white woman. I can connect what I know as a community development professional and what the needs of the community are with populations here in San Antonio that may not fully understand the challenges the community is facing. To show up and be a leader is where I strive.
What change do you hope to see implemented in the future of banking?
Coaxum: More people of color. Hard stop. And add women to that. I always tell people I want to see more people of color and women. If you want something done right, ask a woman to do it.
Davis: Businesses should look like their communities. If you’re serving your community, your business should look that way. Banking is no different; diversity is more than gender and skin color, it’s income levels and different life experiences. All sorts of things can add to quality of life and diversity. Diversity is part of the future.
What’s your advice to future generations of bankers?
Coaxum: Listen and pay attention to others who have already chartered the track. I always tell others as much as I talk, I listen more. Asking questions is always important.
Davis: Retain your tenacity and your voice. Don’t be afraid to say something. If you’re in a room, you’re in the room for a reason. The only way we’re going to have that diversity of thought is when everyone feels comfortable when they’re brought to that table.
What’s next?
Coaxum said he just wants to do good work. “Good work in my community, good work in my church, good work for my family. I just want to do good work,” he emphasized. It’s not about waiting for those awards, not looking for the accolades, but just doing the work.
Davis said staying on the course of compliance and enterprise risk is what’s next for her. “That world is always changing, it’s enough to stay on top of that,” she revealed. She hopes to continue to grow her community contacts as well as participate in more national organizations.
Coaxum has been with Guaranty Bank & Trust in Austin for five years and Davis has been with Jefferson Bank in San Antonio for 10 years. The two are involved in their communities through various ways outside of their roles in banking. Both Coaxum and Davis are passionate leaders in Texas banking as well as their respective communities.