DURANGO — Joseph Garcia, Controller, Sr. Vice President of First Southwest Bank (FSWB), has graduated from the Graduate School of Banking at Colorado’s state-of-the-art graduate school of banking program. Garcia was among 166 graduates of the class of 2023 honored during a ceremony on July 27 in Boulder.
Students in the Graduate School of Banking at Colorado (GSBC) program receive their diploma in banking after successfully completing two weeks of classroom training for three consecutive years. Classes focus on financial management and strategy, innovation and engagement, leadership and culture, and lending.
Graduates of the program are also required to complete six intersession projects, including an extensive bank management simulation course, where they assume the roles of senior management of a commercial bank, involving themselves in the group dynamics and managerial skills of managing a bank in a competitive environment with changing economic conditions.
“The coursework and projects at GSBC strive to create technically sound and future-oriented community bank leaders,” said GSBC President Michael Stevens. “The ultimate beneficiary will be the consumers and businesses in the communities where these financial professionals serve.”
Garcia has more than 28 years of banking experience. Throughout his career, he has worked as a teller, new account representative, bookkeeper supervisor, customer service manager, assistant controller, internal auditor, controller and senior vice president. He grew up in Center and received a bachelor's in Business Administration and a bachelor's in Accounting from Adams State University. In his free time, he enjoys serving on the board of the ASU Grizzly Club, coaching Alamosa Youth Football, and coaching at the Center Middle School.
