Liberty Bank
05/14/2021 | Press release | Archived content
BLOG: Talking about AAPI Heritage with Liberty Bank's Chris Troxell
In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we caught up with Liberty's Bank's Chris Troxell. Chris shares his thoughts on recent AAPI discrimination, embracing AAPI heritage, and how diversity leads to innovation.
Tell us about your career and where it's taken you.
I served as a civil servant for the majority of my professional career, working in various capacities for several different federal government agencies. My roles ranged from auditing major Department of Defense contractors to leading examinations at some of the largest banks in the country. These experiences, as well as my time in the Army Reserves, solidified the importance and value in supporting a cause or purpose that is greater than any personal desires. Two years ago, I was fortunate enough to join the Liberty team as the bank's Fair Lending Officer. I thoroughly enjoyed that role because it provided me the opportunity to partner with teammates from across the bank as we explored and implemented strategies that centered on serving our customers and communities. Now, in my current role of General Auditor, I continue to partner with teammates who collectively share the common vision of building the community bank of the future.
Can you share what AAPI heritage means to you, this month and all year?
Being Filipino and a son to parents that were both born in the Philippines, I have a strong affinity to AAPI Heritage Month. It's an opportunity to reflect on AAPI accomplishments and to acknowledge the need for continued progress. It is also a good reminder to educate my children about their heritage and to reinforce their responsibility to lead with kindness and respect when interacting with their peers.
Growing up I was called derogatory names and treated differently because of the way I looked and the way my parents looked. Those types of experiences subsided as I grew older but it saddens me that my fellow AAPI community still encounters these types of behaviors. Just a few weeks ago one of my Chinese American friends was told to go home and that he wasn't welcome. My friend was born in the US so he is 'home' but ignorance and hate have no boundaries. This type of behavior, and much worse, is happening regularly which is alarming, and it demonstrates the need to raise awareness to stop this discrimination.
I'm a firm believer that we all have the capacity and responsibility to combat racism and discrimination. Now is a critical time to fulfil those responsibilities given the recent surge in violence against the AAPI community. One way to help curb discrimination is to challenge any negative thoughts or sentiments we have toward a particular community or group of people because we'll likely learn that those thoughts are unwarranted. And when discrimination or racism toward any group occurs within our sphere of influence, I hope we'll all do the right thing by not permitting such behavior.
What are some of the values that you and Liberty Bank share around diversity, equity and inclusion?
We all have unique perspectives, ideas, and competencies; those value-add qualities are born out of our unique backgrounds and work experiences. Therefore, embracing and encouraging diversity is instrumental in our pursuit to building the community bank of the future. Supporting DE&I initiatives allows our teams to be more innovative because diversity fosters creativity, which is the kindling to innovation. This innovation and creativity allows Liberty to create superior products and services and allows us to better serve our customers and communities.