Dr. Vanessa Montañez – Senior Vice President & Head of Community Lending, City National Bank

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Dr. Vanessa Montañez is a visionary executive leader with nearly 30 years of experience in mortgage lending, social capital building, and executive leadership. As Senior Vice President and Head of Community Lending at City National Bank, she spearheads innovative strategies to expand access to homeownership while leading a high-performing national sales team. She is the architect of the bank’s signature Ladder Up program and grant initiative, empowering underserved and diverse communities to achieve sustainable homeownership.

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Throughout her career, Dr. Montañez has been a trailblazer in advancing responsible lending practices and championing financial inclusion. Prior to City National Bank, she served in senior leadership roles at U.S. Bank, Chase, and East West Bank, where she designed national initiatives that grew mortgage production and created meaningful pathways for multicultural borrowers.

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Widely recognized as a thought leader, Dr. Montañez has been named one of the Most Influential Women in Finance by the Los Angeles Business Journal (2022, 2023) and was honored as Bank Executive of the Year in 2024 by the Greater Los Angeles African American Chamber of Commerce.

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Her leadership extends far beyond the boardroom. A passionate advocate for community and equity, she serves on multiple nonprofit and industry boards, including Rebuilding Together of the City of Angels, Montebello Housing Development Corporation, Habitat for Humanity Los Angeles, NAWRB’s NDILC, the Latino Chamber of Commerce, and as a national corporate board member of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals.

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Dr. Montañez earned her Doctorate in Executive Leadership with honors from the University of Charleston and an MBA from Pepperdine University. She is among the fewer than 1% of Latinas in the U.S. to hold a doctorate degree, a testament to her lifelong belief in her father’s words: “Querer es poder” — where there is will, there is power.

 

An inspiring voice in leadership, lending, and social capital, Dr. Montañez is dedicated to opening doors for others, proving that when leaders rise, communities rise with them.