Evelyn A. Toney

I attribute my success to my faith, which made me fearless, and to the strong foundation my mother gave me. My mother was an immigrant from Ecuador who came here with only $50 to her name, worked incredibly hard as a single mom, and eventually opened her own business, becoming the first Latina hair salon on Main South and receiving the key to the City in 2023. Watching her determination to make a better life for her children showed me that I could do it too. I never gave up, I was determined, and I persevered. I knew what I wanted, and I worked hard to get there. My faith and my mother's example gave me the tools to keep going no matter what obstacles I faced.

Early in my lending career, a trusted manager told me I was too nice for the business. At first, it sounded like criticism, but I quickly realized it was actually a challenge to lead differently. I decided to lean into my kindness and make empathy and trust the foundation of every relationship I built. That mindset not only shaped my leadership style, but also became the driving force behind my career growth, from mortgage loan officer to director of underwriting, and now to executive leadership. It's proof that you can lead with your heart and still achieve excellence. I made being nice my superpower, and that's why I'm still in business, why people trust me, and why I have all these relationships after all these years.

If you're getting into my field, you have to understand that you can't just jump in to be a director, you have to start somewhere. I would say start as a banker and move your way up quickly by showing them what your worth is. Go get your degree, because a college degree goes a long way. In order to be a CEO of a bank one day, you have to have a master's degree, it doesn't have to be in business, you just have to have a master's degree. Some organizations will pay for your college, and in order to move up quickly and be at my level, it just takes experience. Learn fast, show them you're a hard worker, and continue to grow that corporate ladder. And most importantly, don't be afraid to ask for help. I'd rather you ask than do something that's not right. I'm very approachable, but not everybody is, so make sure you find people who will support you and answer your questions.

My biggest challenge has been being judged before I even opened my mouth. As a Latina woman in a male-dominated field, people would look at me and wonder, does she speak English? Where's she from? What credentials does she have? I was already judged before I even spoke. I felt like I had to prove myself twice over, so I knew I had to go hard and back it up with facts. It's frustrating because even in corporate America today, I see people in high positions who don't even have degrees, and I'm like, how did you get this job? But I didn't let that fuel my anger. I just had to pivot and figure it out a different way. The opportunities come when you show your worth ethic and determination. When you're a hard worker and you show people what you're capable of, doors open. When I saw a door open just a little bit, I made sure I was ready to go.

Work life balance is very, very important to me. I know we all have our careers and we're busy, but people have to understand that when 5 o'clock comes and you don't have to work, you need to pick and choose where your time is valuable. At the end of the day, if you have a family to go home to, you want to make sure you're there for them, especially when they're little, because they grow up fast. I know this because I have one in college. When I was a single mom with my oldest, I worked so much, but now that I have my partner, my husband, and I can balance my work and life out, I can actually enjoy being with my kids. When 5 o'clock comes and I'm taking my son to basketball practice, I'm with him and I'm in the zone. Just like you block off your time for meetings, take the opportunity to block that off for yourself. Even if you don't have a family, you have to take care of yourself, because otherwise you're just gonna look like a hot mess.