Lexington, KY - As a child, and even throughout college, Victoria Carling didn't really have a clue what she wanted to do when she grew up. She got a B.A. in Spanish, thinking she wanted to do international business, and spent six months studying in Spain - a wonderful experience, she said, but eventually she realized that Spanish was not her forte, and that what she ultimately wanted was to stay close to home.
"I am a Lexingtonian and wanted to stay in Lexington, so my career path was made by that decision," she said.
After getting her Master's in Business from Xavier, Carling landed a job in the credit department of a bank, which helped her realize that there were other positions in the bank that interested her.
"I like to get out and talk to people, so from there, I had the idea that I wanted to eventually be a relationship manager," she said.
Carling has been with American Founder's Bank since 2008, having come to the position with 12 years of banking experience. She acknowledges that building consumer confidence in the financial markets and banking institutions is no small challenge right now, which is where working with a small, local bank can be an advantage.
"People are nervous," she said. "They're nervous about bigger institutions, so I think that's where American Founders can create more value for the customer."
Carling was attracted to American Founders Bank "because the company was built with individuals just like me who understand the importance of balancing your life and work while having fun in the process," she said. "One of our value statements is 'We want an environment that is exciting, fun and fulfilling,' which we have at AFB."
Balancing work and life has been a major accomplishment for Carling, a mother of two children, ages 6 and 9. In addition to a successful career and family, Carling currently serves on the boards of Women Leading Kentucky, Picnic with the Pops Commission and Blue Grass Charity Ball, Inc. Carling also has an extensive track record with community involvement, including Lexington Philharmonic, Art in Bloom, LexArts, KET Summer Celebration, Commerce Lexington, High Hope Steeplechase, Girls on the Run and Cassidy School PTA.
"I grew up with parents who were very involved within the community, so even as a child stuffing envelopes, I was raised to appreciate the impact of volunteerism on the vitality of a community," she said. "Outside activities are important to making this community work - it's important to have a quality of life in Lexington that includes includes the arts and includes physical activities."
One of the activities that has been particularly special to Carling is Girls on the Run, a 12-week team program that helps girls achieve balance in their lives at a young age through open dialogue and physical activity, culminating in running a 5K at the end of the program. Accoring to Carling, the program "helps create positive images for [young girls] and helps give them an outlet to let them know that other people are also trying to balance their life and want to be healthy and physically fit.
"It's all about teamwork and pushing yourself to see what you're capable of doing."