Maria S. Franklin, a senior vice president at Union Bank & Trust, received the Patricia Lacey Metzger Distinguished Achievement Award during the 15th annual Leadership Colloquium for Professional Women at the University of Mary Washington (UMW) on Thursday, November 6.
Franklin won the Metzger Award in recognition of her career achievements, which include 17 years at Union Bank & Trust, where she worked her way up from the position of bookkeeping manager to senior vice president and regional retail executive. She currently oversees 18 branches located between Caroline County and the Springfield area of Northern Virginia.
The Metzger Award recognizes individuals who uphold high standards in their professional and personal lives while fulfilling a career goal of significant stature. The award is given in memory of Patricia Lacey Metzger, a UMW professor and a founder of the Colloquium, which is held yearly at the university’s College of Graduate and Professional Studies.
In 1991 Franklin joined Union Bank & Trust, which is headquartered in Bowling Green and operates 38 branches in all. Following her stint as bookkeeping manager, she held jobs of increasing responsibility, including assistant cashier and, later, branch manager. Franklin was named assistant vice president in 1998 and was promoted to vice president and commercial lender in 2002. She was named senior vice president and regional retail executive in 2004.
“Maria is the regional retail banking executive for our largest group of branches. Her deep understanding of retail banking and her commitment to customer service have been instrumental in allowing her to create a very successful team of retail associates,” said John C. Neal, President and CEO of Union Bank & Trust.
Franklin earned a bachelor of liberal studies in business administration from Mary Washington, and she graduated from the Virginia Bankers’ Association School of Bank
Management.
The Fredericksburg native is active in community organizations, currently serving on the Rappahannock United Way’s Board of Directors and previously serving on the board of the Rappahannock Big Brothers Big Sisters. She is a graduate of the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership 2000 program and has served as a program mentor to a Leadership Fredericksburg fellow. She is married and has two grown children.
The annual Colloquium is hosted and sponsored by the University of Mary Washington, and this year it was cosponsored by GEICO, NSWC Federal Credit Union and MediCorp Health System. Only past Colloquium participants are eligible to receive the Metzger Award.
This year’s Colloquium offered seminars about coaching, negotiating, stress management, mentoring, professional development, leadership in a multi-generational workplace and other topics. Hilary Bruggen Fordwich, an expert on business relationships and development, delivered the keynote speech.
The Colloquium prepares women to advance in leadership roles at various stages of their careers. The program attracts managers, administrators, educators, business owners and leaders of public, private and nonprofit organizations.
For more information about the Colloquium visit www.umw.edu/lcpw.