Marilka Vélez joined Associated Bank in 2016 and since then has been a positive force and trusted leader. She is responsible for leading all company-wide marketing efforts and has led the development of the bank’s online Covid-19 consumer and business resources sections during the pandemic. She is also the 2021 board chair of the Women’s Fund of Greater Milwaukee and serves on the board for the Rotary Club of Milwaukee.
CLOSER LOOK
Senior vice president, senior director of marketing
Associated Bank
Age: 39
Hometown: Milwaukee
What has the pandemic taught you about yourself? “The first few weeks of the pandemic were rough for me mentally. Although I recognized I have it relatively easy compared to what so many Americans were going through, I realized that I need in-person connection and that I need to travel and be with people outside of my borders and participate as a citizen of the world.”
Who’s your mentor? “I’ve been blessed with many, strong female mentors including my biological mom Noelia, my adoptive mom Connie and my step-mom Barbara. When Ruth Bader Ginsburg said, ‘My mother told me to be a lady. And for her that meant be your own person, be independent,’ I heard my mothers’ love, sacrifices and wisdom in those words.”
Read their complete interview here: Milwaukee Business Journal 40 Under 40
(Content derived from article; Image by Scott Paulus)