My Richmond Fed

Behind each Richmond Fed employee is a unique story about their path to and journey through the Fed. For example, Willis Lam’s story is one that shows how our Bank puts our mission into action and empowers our employees to directly help strengthen our communities. Here’s his #MyRichmondFed story:

I was fortunate to have had a mentor early on in my life, and that helped me to discover that one of my passions is volunteering in my community. During my senior year at Christopher Newport University, I had no idea what to pursue after college. With the help of my brother, I found a job posting for a business analyst role at the Richmond Fed. After I researched and learned about the Fed’s culture, mission and the benefit of 16 hours of paid volunteer time off, I knew that it was where I hoped to work after college.

The business analyst position was the only one I applied to, as I believed it was the best fit for me. Fast forward, I’m now in that business analyst role in Corporate Accounting with Local Procurement conducting process improvement and analytics. 

During my first year here at the Richmond Fed, I’ve had the opportunity to participate in a few of our volunteer events. My favorite volunteer opportunity I’ve participated in so far is the mentorship program at Huguenot High School. Through my own personal experiences, I’ve recognized the huge impact that a mentor can make in one’s life. Every two weeks, Fed employees connect with their designated mentee and have conversations about everything from steps after school to personal interests of the mentees.

My participation in the mentorship program makes me reflect and realize how my conversations with my mentor growing up pushed me to develop and provided clarity around my questions about higher education. These moments of realization are why I gravitate toward volunteer opportunities that revolve around youth and education that help me pay forward the impact of mentorship.

Outside of just having the opportunity to pursue my passion for serving my community, I really enjoy the engagement aspect of volunteering. At volunteer events, I have developed genuine relationships with fellow colleagues. One of the many channels to meet individuals outside your department is by volunteering. There are great people at the Fed, and I’m fortunate to have met several of them through volunteering.

I’m extremely thankful for the opportunities that the Bank provides. Working somewhere that shares in my community-first mission is exactly what I hoped for in my career.

Want to become part of #MyRichmondFed? Search our current job openings and apply today.