Karen McCormick, president and CEO, of Port Angeles-based First Federal Savings and Loan Association, has been selected as one of the 25 Most Powerful Women in Banking by U.S. Banker magazine. The institution operates a mortgage banking office in Poulsbo.

McCormick and the others selected in a nationwide search are featured in the magazine’s October edition. America’s Community Bankers, the national trade association for community banks, nominated McCormick. The magazine received 4,700 nominations nationally.

“Karen is a role model for community banking,” said ACB President and CEO Diane Casey-Landry. “She epitomizes the best in community banking with her strong commitment and involvement in the communities First Federal serves. We are proud to have Karen and her bank as a member of ACB.”

McCormick began her 26-year career in banking at First Federal as a teller. As she advanced to the top of the bank in 1997, her front-line experience equipped her, as a “hands-on CEO,” to lead the bank to new heights. The results were consistently increasing earnings, growth in assets, improvement in efficiency ratio and a decline in non-performing assets.

She wrote the mission statement for the City of Port Angeles following a major plant closing, led the bank in pledging $50,000 to the Northwest Maritime Center capital campaign, was president of the Nor’Wester Rotary Club of Port Angeles, chaired its Arts in Action Street Fair for three years and is treasurer of the Peninsula College Foundation.