Mary Buche, who is of Korean ancestry and was born in Seoul, South Korea, is the first Asian American to serve as the chair of the Community Bank Advisory Council of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. She is senior vice president, fair banking & CRA officer at Lead Bank. (CRA stands for Community Reinvestment Act, a regulation meant to ensure that banks serve people with low to moderate incomes and  small businesses in their communities.) Mary views mentorship as important and is thrilled that she has just been accepted as a Big by Big Brothers Big Sisters Kansas City. “I want young Asian females to see they have resources of support and that they belong in all places,” she said. Mary hopes they will feel more confident than she did in her youth. “I had to work to advocate for myself and it felt unnatural, as I was raised to not speak up and be modest,” she noted. In addition to her other responsibilities, Mary is a board member of Resurrection Catholic School and serves as the chair of the table committee for Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas’ Snow Ball.

Featured in the May 13, 2023 issue of The Independent.