Get to know some of United’s Black leaders this Black History Month

United recognizes that the diversity of its team supports the Company’s overall mission to provide excellence in service. Its commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion fosters respect and a shared purpose that aligns with the bank’s core values and community leadership. Since the Bank’s founding in 1839, its leading principles have helped United grow from a single-office bank to a premier regional banking company with a strong presence throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast. Today, the Company holds nearly $30 billion in assets and serves a consumer and commercial customer base that is diversified across lines of business as well as geography, with nearly 250 offices located throughout Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Georgia, as well as Washington, D.C., where it is the largest community bank headquartered in the D.C. Metropolitan region.

United’s employees are its greatest asset – when team members thrive, so do customers and so does business. That’s why, this Black History Month, United is spotlighting some of its Black employees, their accomplishments, and the work they are doing to support their communities, bolstering the Bank’s commitment to ensuring that employees from entry-level to management are empowered to reach their full potential and make a difference, contributing to a culture that is entrepreneurial, efficient, relationship-based, and service oriented.

Amy Goumbala’s first job was a Customer Service Representative at Nordstrom. Born and raised in Senegal and a graduate of the University of Maryland, where she studied computer and information science, Goumbala has successfully made a name for herself in the financial services industry, with a career spanning more than 15 years.

Goumbala has worked for United Bank for about six years, currently serving as Senior Regional Retail Sales Manager, SVP based out of the Bank’s Georgetown location in Washington, D.C. In this role, she provides leadership and oversight to a team of banking professionals, focusing on employee engagement, excellence in service, leadership development, driving revenue to the Bank, and being active in the community. She oversees the D.C., Bethesda-Chevy Chase, and Suburban Maryland Markets.

Prior to joining United, Goumbala held several leadership roles at financial institutions in the D.C. Metropolitan region. She started her banking career as a part-time teller, followed by opportunities at Capital One, Wells Fargo, and PNC. Goumbala also spent a brief period as Branch Chief with the D.C. government before returning to banking. When she made the transition back, Goumbala sought out the best community bank in the DMV area – that’s how she found a new home at United. She credits the Bank’s culture, local leadership, and commitment to community as what drew her in.

Specifically, when it comes to company culture, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) is a major focus for Goumbala. She prides herself on having successfully built a strong and very diverse team, having recently hosted a two-day DE&I celebration panel discussion attended by executive leadership and over 200 attendees from various departments and levels of the organization. Goumbala also hosted a Cultural Diversity Day with branches in her region – with employees representing 20 countries across the globe. The celebration was a powerful and engaging experience aimed to promote dialogue, understanding, and action towards creating a more inclusive workplace.

From a recruitment standpoint, her work as the Bank’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) coordinator for D.C. has brought top talent from Howard University to United, as well as built lasting relationships with the university.

The majority of Goumbala’s free time outside of work is spent working on her personal non-profit organization that she established in 2015 to help support underprivileged youth in West Africa. As a person of faith, Goumbala says the work she does through the organization not only helps to keep her grounded, but also allows her to serve a greater purpose than herself. She has worked with the Montgomery County Coalition for the homeless, helping to serve meals and coordinating efforts to get family members, friends, and colleagues involved as well. She has also volunteered through the mosque to provide support to refugees in resettlement in the U.S. and has participated in Junior Achievement volunteer events.

However, no matter how busy Goumbala is with work and volunteering, she always makes time for reading and quenching her thirst for knowledge. An avid reader since a young age, Goumbala found that as she grew older, she was increasingly curious about leadership and fascinated by stories about great leaders. She has learned to appreciate these stories and take lessons from them for how to emulate the things that great leaders have done, helping to better herself and add value to her team and organization. 

What has your experience been like as a Black business leader?

In general, my experience as a Black business leader has been very positive. I am fortunate to have had great leaders and mentors early on in my career who recognized my talent and skillsets when I was just starting off as a part-time teller. These amazing leaders guided me, advocated for me, and set me on the right path to becoming the leader I am today. I can only hope to pay it forward and lead my team in a similar fashion. But what I think really makes United specifically stand out is the opportunities provided to have meaningful interactions with Bank leaders. Executive leadership is always accessible – something you don’t often find at companies our size. Even our CEO has acted as a coach and mentor for me, providing me with guidance and ample exposure. You often hear about the challenges women in the workforce face due to lack of exposure and opportunities for growth so, as a Black woman business leader, these interactions have been crucial for my growth, and I am so grateful for it.

My goal in life is to add value to people, and I am very proud to have mentored young men and women over the years, throughout my career and here at the Bank. Many of them have followed me here to United and others have gone on to make a difference at some of the largest global financial institutions. It is so fulfilling to see them doing great things with their careers and becoming great leaders themselves and to know that I played a part in their growth.

Were there any Black leaders who inspired you?

Starting work as a part-time teller, as an immigrant, and speaking English as my second language, I never imagined I’d be able to become a banker – let alone a branch manager-turned regional retail sales manager. However, I was fortunate to have a leader who saw more in me than I did at the time, recommending me for leadership programs, partnering me with top-performing mentors, and setting high expectations that pushed me to perform beyond what I thought possible for myself. I now have high expectations of leaders I work with today because I started my career under such a great leader. He walked the talk and modeled what leadership is truly about, and I always aspired to possess those same qualities. People say that leadership is influence, and this leader influenced me and inspired me to be the best leader I can be by demonstrating the importance of lending a helping hand and uplifting others. I can confidently say that I would not be where I am today without this exceptional leadership. It's a testament to his character that now, even as one of the most influential global business leaders in banking of the day, he has remained accessible and supportive throughout the years. I think we need more examples like this in our community.

What advice do you have for young people of color just starting their career?

Authenticity and integrity are two things that money cannot buy. My advice to young people of color is to be true to oneself – work hard and don’t compromise your core values, and always embrace and celebrate what makes you different.