In her more than 30 years in the banking industry, Rosilyn Houston has never been afraid to be “the first.”
Houston has served in various senior management roles, most recently as Chief Human Resources Officer and Senior Executive Vice President of Santander USA. She previously served as Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Talent and Cultural Executive at BBVA Compass.
In both of these roles, she was the first woman and first African-American, a path of progress and transformation that she is proud to forge.
“I have been the first in most of my leadership roles, but in my mind, I have committed to not being the last.”
Houston has advocated for women and minorities in the banking world for many years, blazing the trail for others to follow her footsteps. But banking wasn’t her originally intended career path. While attending college to study education, she began a part-time teller position at a local bank.
“I did every role possible,” Houston recalls. “From teller to broker, notary to supervisor— I’ve done it all. I made it my mission to do each of these roles well, and I began to thrive in the banking environment.”
“Thrive” may be an understatement, as Houston holds an impressive array of recognitions for her work, including Most Powerful Women in Banking by American Banker, Most Powerful Female Executive by Fortune, and Most Powerful Corporate Executive and Most Powerful Woman in Business by Black Enterprise, Inc.
With her impressive resumé and numerous acknowledgements, Houston has a great deal to be proud of. But perhaps what she is most proud of are the relationships that have been forged over the years.
“In the banking world, it’s all relationship driven. How do we create relationships with our employees and make sure they are engaged so that we create mutual win-win for the employee and organization? When people feel supported, they are better.”
Houston’s passion for supporting others, especially women, has been anchored in her desire to see more diversity in senior management roles. For her, diversity and inclusion is a business imperative, which is built first and foremost on the foundation of individual relationships.
It also stems from the mindset of being a lifelong learner. “I’ve had to open myself up to the mindset of not being intimidated by what I don’t know,” she says. “I can always learn and grow as long as I have access to the information and tools. That’s been the mindset of everything I’ve done— to learn and grow with empathy.”
And Houston has done that well. After coaching and mentoring countless leaders over the past three decades, Houston retired from the banking business at the end of 2023— but her leadership roles persist in various other avenues. She continues to actively engage in diversity and inclusion advocacy and leader mentorship as a board member for the Civil Rights Institute and Prosper Alabama.
Her heart is also closely tied to the work of Children’s Hospital of Alabama and Smile-A-Mile, as both her and her son are cancer survivors. Since retirement, she now wants to fulfill another dream of hers— to become a licensed chaplain, and serve alongside families in hospitals who are facing the same diagnosis as her son’s.
“God didn’t bring me out of that season to just talk about it,” she reflects. “I can walk beside these families and pray with them, and encourage them to hang on.”
In all she does, Houston views her work as something deeper than herself— something that her work ethic has instilled, and her faith has upheld.
“I’ve never looked at my job as just a job. It’s been a calling and a mission, and I take that to heart. Every morning I look for ways to nurture, develop, and mentor others, and to help people fulfill their potential. As a cancer survivor I feel like I’ve been given a second chance—to deepen my relationships, and to leave people better than when I met them.”
