ANNA ALVARADO: TEXAS CAPITAL BANK’S AMBITIOUS ADDITION

by: Elsa Cavazos

A success story almost always has an inspiring background. Anna M. Alvarado, daughter of Mexican migrant workers, a central California native, is Texas Capital Bank’s newest Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary.

“MY PARENTS MET working the fields in the San Joaquin Valley,” says Alvarado. “That’s where I was born, in government-sponsored housing, and I lived there until I was about 13 years old. My first job was picking grapes.”

For the first 12 years, Alvarado had a dual Mexican-American education and traveled between central California and Mexico. Her family’s core values come from that personal experience. She learned firsthand that hard work and loyalty help many people achieve their goals. “You help your family no matter what; we’re loyal no matter what,” she said.

As Alvarado grew up, she noticed her environment – activists surrounded her. It was then when a characteristic trait began to develop: her ambition. “I wanted to do more, see more, learn more,” she says. “Because of that awakening, in school, I would always pay attention to the classmates or teachers that I admired and try to mimic what they did.” That ambition is still part of Anna Alvarado’s personality. It has been perfected and molded over time. She has learned to use it as leverage and propeller.

“I didn’t know anything else beyond what was in front of me, but I hated picking grapes,” Alvarado says. “I was sure there was more to life than that. I just didn’t know how to get there.” Learning from others was her main objective, and it allowed her to follow the advice and look for growth opportunities. Opportunities that led her to where she is today.

One of these opportunities was the Upward Bound program, which Alvarado says was a positive experience that changed her life. “That’s where I learned about working in an office, and they provided all these vouchers to apply to college,” she says. “That curiosity of wanting to learn from people I admired also led me to discover Bentley University, get a scholarship and do well there.”

Alvarado went to school in Massachusetts mainly because she wanted to experience new territory. She went back to California years later to work as an accountant. After, Anna realized it was time for her to pursue her goal of being a lawyer. So, she moved to Texas in 2004 to attend Southern Methodist University and never looked back.

She was juggling motherhood and a second degree — not an easy task. “I just powered through, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. It was a blur, but I knew it was temporary. I think I averaged about four hours of sleep for three years,” Alvarado shared.

Alvarado has learned that most things she sets her mind to aren’t easy, but she gravitates toward a challenge. She had great women mentors who helped her surround herself with positivity early on when she started working. But she has been underestimated as well, “I’ve learned not to take it personally but rather learn from it. Surprising people always brings good outcomes.”

However, her current role is her most significant professional challenge. “For a couple of reasons. Number one, coming into this new banking industry that I didn’t have any experience in before. Which is fine; we all learn. The second challenge is the ambitious strategic goals and mission, and we’re all working hard. I always remind myself never to shy away from hard work. It’s up to me to not let people down and hope to exceed people’s expectations,” she said.

As for the future, Anna has plans to continue developing an efficient and effective legal department that excels at achieving the bank’s goals. She also has promised herself to “make more time for fun. I will work on nurturing what is important and finding the right balance between work and my time”.