Tree Buckingham

Senior Managing Director, Sterling National Bank

Tree Buckingham is an accomplished, transformational leader with decades of experience in specialty finance lending. Over the course of her career, she has served in various roles within commercial finance including collateral, audit, portfolio, and underwriting before becoming focused in the field of loan operations. Her industry experience has established her as a respected expert in the arena of mergers and acquisitions, system conversions, and team building. 

In her current role as senior managing director of loan operations at Sterling National Bank, Tree is responsible for executing on all aspects of lending operations for asset-based lending and equipment. 

Key passions that drive her success are building teams through empowering and equipping others, improving processes, modernizing systems, and maintaining data integrity. She believes that the highest performing teams are a result of trust, emotional intelligence, and shared knowledge. An avid learner, and someone who lives under the mantra of “paying it forward” both personally and professionally, Tree remains dedicated to intentionally learning the business from all facets to gather a strong acumen that can be shared with her peers and colleagues. 

What do you know now that you wish you knew in the beginning of your career? 

I wish I fully understood the importance of human relationships, and how much they impact the culture of an organization. At the end of the day, a career is so much more than technical skills and accomplishments—it’s about building and nurturing an internal community of people. I believe a corporate ecosystem is made healthier by an inclusive, diversified collage of colleagues joined by a common purpose. 

Even before the climate of uncertainty we’re in today, it was said that the only constant in the financial industry is change. And constant change, of course, can have a dramatic impact on culture. That’s why I’ve worked really hard throughout my career to ensure that we never lose sight of what makes our team, our community, “work” at a human level—and to fiercely protect it. Sometimes that means having the courage to challenge conventional thinking and norms—and even embrace our emotions rather than suppress them—to ensure that we never compromise when it comes to investing in the right people in the right roles at the right time to nurture successful and productive relationships. 

What role has mentoring played in your career? 

I’m a huge believer in mentoring. The way someone explained it to me once is “coaching is talking at you, mentoring is talking with you.” It’s the deeper relationships that manifest the true value of mentorship, and you have to be invested in establishing and building that relationship.

Early in my career, I was blessed to have a few strong male and female influencers who I sought out and forged relationships with, and they infused my talents, thoughts and my trailblazing tenacity to help shape me into the professional I am. 

Even today, mentorship continues to play an important role in my professional growth. I’ve been fortunate to participate in an executive mentorship program at Sterling National Bank with one of our senior executives for the past couple of years, and it’s been invaluable for me. Having an established mentor has given me access to fresh perspectives, ideas, and approaches that continue to fortify my professional growth. My relationship with my mentor has helped me become more focused than ever on “forging without fear”—and my teams’ success and my overall commitment to our organization couldn’t be stronger as a result. 

What advice would you offer to women just starting out in the industry? 

As a mother of three daughters (and a son), I think about this daily. The advice I give my daughters is to know your worth. Make sure your worth is rooted in character, talent, and an unrelenting passion to be a change-maker. In the right environment, your value will be seen by the people deserving of your uniqueness.

I also wholeheartedly recommend cultivating your personal brand. It’s all about how you carry yourself—your business intelligence, your emotional intelligence, your appearance, your self-awareness—and the statement that makes about the value you bring to an organization. Having a brand and confidently sharing it with others inside and outside an organization is vital to career success and sanity. 

Finally, don’t be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone and align with other women early on. We have a connection group here called Extraordinary Women of Sterling, where we can go to share our successes and learn from one another. I believe internal resource groups like this are a great venue for young women to find their voice and feel supported, and that’s going to make us all successful.