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Named in honor of OBA's former longtime CEO, the Linda W. Navarro Trailblazer Award was established in 2024 to recognize extraordinary women in banking who have achieved remarkable success in their careers while lifting others along the way. The award celebrates leaders who open doors, create opportunities, and redefine what leadership looks like for the next generation of women in banking.
Dodson's career embodies the very spirit of the award.
She began her banking career at just 17 years old, working part-time as a teller and proof operator on the Oregon Coast. From those early days, she recognized that banking is about far more than transactions - it is about relationships, trust, and strengthening the communities served by financial institutions.
As a first-generation college graduate, earning a bachelor's degree from Willamette University, Dodson brought both ambition and a deep sense of purpose to her career. Over more than four decades in banking, her leadership took her across Oregon, where she left a lasting impact in every community she served.
Dodson broke new ground early in her career when she became the first woman relationship manager in the Willamette Valley serving agricultural and business clients. Within a year she was promoted to sales manager, responsible for training and coaching business bankers and branch managers across the Mid-Willamette Valley and Oregon Coast.
Rising steadily through leadership roles, she helped the bank not only maintain its number one market share position in the region but strengthen it in one of the most competitive banking environments in the country.
While her professional accomplishments are significant, Dodson is perhaps best known for the impact she has had on the people around her.
Throughout her career, she has intentionally mentored and sponsored countless women, many of whom now serve in leadership roles across Oregon's banking and business community. She also played a key role in building one of the most impactful Women's Business Resource Groups within U.S. Bank, creating a network where women could connect, grow, and lead boldly.
Dodson's influence extends far beyond her organization. She served as a Portland Branch Board Director for the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco from 2018 to 2024, helping inform U.S. monetary policy through insights on regional economic conditions. She has also held numerous leadership roles across Oregon's civic and business communities, including service with the Portland Metro Chamber, the Oregon Business Council, and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.
Even in retirement, Dodson continues to expand her impact through board service and investment in ventures that support women founders and leaders, including her role as a limited partner in How Women Invest.
Dodson's legacy is defined not only by what she accomplished during her 40-year career, but by the leaders she has helped develop along the way.
The Trailblazer Award was presented during the Women in Oregon Banking Luncheon on April 21, where industry leaders gathered to celebrate and support the advancement of women in banking.
"Stacey Dodson represents the very best of Oregon's banking industry," said OBA President and CEO Scott Bruun. "Her leadership, mentorship, and unwavering commitment to strengthening communities have left a lasting mark on our industry and on the many leaders she has helped inspire."
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