With a career spanning almost 40 years as a community banker and banking regulatory and risk management consultant, Lauren Sparks is an accomplished advocate for women’s leadership, community banks, and economic access. In her early career in banking, Ms. Sparks held positions that ranged from teller to Investment Officer, Loan Officer, and Cashier. She actively supported bank acquisitions at the local Houston community bank where she spent her first 9 years. Ms. Sparks moved to bank consulting firms at a local level, and then to a national level at Sheshunoff Consulting where as a Director she specialized in troubled banks and fintech. In 2009, Ms. Sparks formed 3PR, Inc., a woman-owned consulting firm specializing in community banks and financial service firms. 3PR serves more than 40 community banks at any given time and has had experience as a preferred vendor for one of the world’s largest software providers.

In 2022, working through the pandemic, Ms. Sparks founded a denovo community bank in Houston, Texas, raising over $43 million and securing Minority Depository Institution status as women-owned. Awarded by notable organizations for outstanding contributions to banking, women’s issues, and finance, Ms. Sparks has been active in leadership roles across multiple financial boards, including being nominated to serve on the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Advisory Council. She edited the Reference Guide for Regulatory Compliance Manual for the American Bankers’s Association for 10 years. Ms. Sparks is a founder of the Houston chapter of the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Association (ACAMS) and is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS), Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager (CRCM), and an Accredited ACH Processional (AAP).