Kendee Ruark
Golden
Summary
People-first financial services executive with a proven track record of driving performance through empowered leadership, talent development, and a strong, values-based culture. Known for fostering dynamic, engaging environments that inspire teams, elevate customer experience, and deliver sustained business growth. Brings extensive leadership across consumer banking, residential lending, client engagement, and multi-state regional operations. Recognized for building high-performing teams, scaling markets, and leveraging data-driven strategies to unlock innovation and operational excellence.
Overview
20
20
years of professional experience
Work History
Managing Director, Regional Director of Consumer Banking
JPMorgan Chase
Denver
06.2022 - Current
- Oversaw service delivery to 3M+ consumers and 300K small businesses across five states, ensuring consistent, high-quality banking experiences.
- Led a 1,300-person regional team in delivering integrated customer experiences across deposits, lending, and investments, increasing customer retention and loyalty.
- Fostered a dynamic, engaging culture anchored in purpose, values, and business principles to strengthen employee engagement and customer-centric delivery.
- Spearheaded a 175-branch transformation, reversing -2.4% growth to +5% through optimized sales processes and tailored, needs-based engagement.
- Directed 150+ leaders, implementing coaching frameworks and field behavior models that improved customer satisfaction to 90%+.
- Implemented data-informed acquisition strategies, resulting in a 46% increase in net checking account openings.
- Led compliance and risk efforts by fostering a culture where control issues are escalated, and trends are anticipated, identified, and remediated, resulting in a 98% branch audit success rate.
- Developed a high-impact leadership pipeline by mentoring top talent, ensuring succession planning and sustainable regional growth.
- Enhanced customer experience by training frontline staff to deliver tailored financial guidance, driving 43% growth in engagement with digital financial health tools.
- Aligned cross-functional teams on client strategy and retention, generating over $3B in investment sales and growth across multiple product lines.
- Led the strategic expansion of branch networks into underserved communities, increasing distribution reach and financial access.
Executive Director / Senior Lending Manager
JPMorgan Chase
Denver
10.2012 - 06.2022
- Directed a top-performing regional sales organization across multiple states, driving strategic growth, operational excellence, and regulatory compliance.
- Developed targeted market expansion and capacity strategies, boosting engagement while ensuring adherence to all internal and external risk standards.
- Forged high-impact partnerships to strengthen collaboration, expand product reach, and accelerate business results.
- Built a performance-driven culture by hiring and mentoring top-tier lending leaders, significantly boosting productivity and team engagement.
- Expanded regional funded volume from $1.1B to $2.0B despite a leaner salesforce, through performance optimization and data-driven strategy.
- Increased productivity per advisor from $1.2M to $3.9M via focused coaching, training, and streamlined sales workflows.
- Achieved 87% customer satisfaction scores by standardizing a client-centric engagement framework across all teams.
- Enhanced client satisfaction and relationship depth through integrated financial solutions and cross-functional collaboration.
- Led digital transformation initiatives across the region, streamlining operations and elevating client and advisor experiences.
Vice President / Lending Manager
JPMorgan Chase
Denver
05.2011 - 10.2012
- Led residential home lending across 30 branches, increasing acquisition and retention through strategic market focus and tailored lending solutions.
- Recruited and mentored a top-tier lending sales team, fostering alignment with branch leadership and community partners to strengthen market share.
- Partnered with operations to streamline loan origination workflows, reducing cycle times and elevating customer experience.
- Achieved #1 ranking in Colorado for overall and purchase-funded productivity, setting performance standards for the region.
Home Lending Advisor
JPMorgan Chase
Denver
02.2010 - 05.2011
- Originated high-volume residential mortgages, managing the end-to-end loan process to ensure client satisfaction and maximize branch productivity.
- Funded 200+ loans within 18 months, earning the National Achiever Award (2010) for top-tier performance and client service.
Mortgage Banker
Alpha Mortgage Corporation
Wilmington
07.2005 - 03.2009
- Executed targeted business development, marketing, and sales strategies, expanding market share and increasing loan volume.
- Drove acquisition and retention by delivering personalized mortgage solutions and maintaining long-term client relationships.
- Ranked #3 company-wide for overall production, demonstrating consistent top-tier performance and client engagement.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Economics
University of North Carolina
Chapel Hill, NCSkills
- Sales leadership
- Workforce planning
- Talent management and development
- Strategic planning and analytics
- Risk management and compliance
- Business transformation
- Digital transformation
- Customer relationship management
- Operational excellence
- Market expansion
- Performance optimization
- Change management
- Relationship building
- Partnership development
Affiliations
- 2023 & 2024 Executive Chair of the JPMorgan Chase Market Leadership Team
- Board of Directors of Public Education and Business Coalition
- Board of Directors for the Downtown Denver Partnership
- Co-founder and Executive Sponsor for JPMorgan Chase’s Colorado Women on the Move Business Resource Group
Timeline
Managing Director, Regional Director of Consumer Banking
JPMorgan Chase
06.2022 - Current
Executive Director / Senior Lending Manager
JPMorgan Chase
10.2012 - 06.2022
Vice President / Lending Manager
JPMorgan Chase
05.2011 - 10.2012
Home Lending Advisor
JPMorgan Chase
02.2010 - 05.2011
Mortgage Banker
Alpha Mortgage Corporation
07.2005 - 03.2009
Bachelor of Arts - Economics
University of North Carolina