GSBLSU Student Spotlight: Samuel James
“LSU has a wonderful reputation for learning, not only inside the classroom but through networking opportunities with other bankers that can improve your knowledge,” remarks Samuel James, a student at the Graduate School of Banking at LSU and Senior Vice President of Enterprise Risk Management at Bank of Zachary. While James has worked in the financial industry for nearly a decade, he never balks at an opportunity to further his education and improve his performance as well as the services that he can offer his clients and financial institution.
Samuel’s day-to-day role has him overseeing compliance, BSA, CRA, CDFI officers, restricting terrorist financing, loan review, ALM, ALLL, and designing financial models. ”I build models, which is really just a fancy word for spreadsheets that perform stress tests. These tests help us determine liquidity and sensitivity for our clients,” says James. It is through his experience at GSBLSU that he is able to bring more knowledge and insight to his bank. “Bridging the knowledge between all aspects of the bank has been the greatest benefit of attending GSBLSU. Compliance, risk, capital, earnings, lending, asset quality, and employee retention, along with the case studies have provided exceptional understanding.”
Bank Regulatory Law class has really stood out in the curriculum for Sam. The Bank Regulatory Law course is designed to assist bankers in meeting the challenges of the rapidly changing regulatory environment. Topics include regulatory enforcement actions, mergers and acquisitions (including FDIC assisted deals), bank secrecy act, C.R.A., fair lending, bankruptcy, lender liability, and survival tactics for the new financial services industry. Attention is also given to current and proposed legislation as well as discussing the future of the financial services industry.
The interaction, networking opportunities, and lessons have become even more valuable to Samuel since the changes to work, school, and life that COVID created. This new way of working and connecting remotely has made James even more productive at home and at work. “Remote work has allowed me the ability to take care of family responsibilities while also tending to work needs such as an audit, exam, or an exit meeting.”
For those considering furthering their education and career in the banking industry, Samuel has words of wisdom, and furthermore, fond memories to share with prospective GSBLSU students. “Three years will pass whether you are in school or not; make those three years count.” As far as memories go, watching people from across the country experience some authentic south Louisiana charm never gets old. “Seeing people step out of their comfort zone and trying crawfish for the first time is always fun.”
