Dr. Vanessa Montañez: SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT & Community Lending National Sales manager residential lending at City National Bank

​

Dr. Vanessa Montañez is responsible for building and implementing strategies to encourage sales growth, as well as managing an external mortgage sales team to expand loan sourcing channels.

​

Vanessa has more than 25 years of experience in residential lending and sales and business development management. Prior to City National, she worked at U.S. Bank, where she served as vice president and national strategic markets and diverse segments manager. In that capacity, she was responsible for the development and execution of targeted market strategies to increase sales production and market shares for affordable lending.

​

Before taking on that responsibility, Vanessa was East West Bank’s vice president and national business development manager in charge of designing the company’s strategic efforts for increasing mortgage production and reaching underserved borrowers. She also served as regional business development manager for J.P. Morgan Chase, creating development plans for the California region.

​

Vanessa has been named to the Los Angeles Business Journal recognized her as one of the most influential women in finance in 2022. She is the CEO and co-founder of LeadHER talks, an open forum to empower, elevate, and educate women. She’s also a contributing writer on diversity for “Women’s Mortgage Magazine” and has been featured on Univision and TV Azteca.

Active in the community, Vanessa currently sits on the board of directors for Rebuilding Together of the City of Angels. She also serves as an advisory board member to the Montebello Housing Development Corporation, NDILC, NAMMBA, and as a national corporate board member and former president of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals.

Vanessa earned her doctorate of executive leadership with honors from the University of Charleston and her master’s degree in business administration from Pepperdine University. She received her bachelor’s degree in business administration from National University.

​

Vanessa is currently writing her first book regarding the importance of social capital.