Meet Araceli Villanueva

Driving "Better"

Building a company with a truly welcoming, inclusive environment is a never-ending goal. But we’re proud to say we’re leading the industry with our programs, practices and perspectives—and that’s thanks to talented team members like Araceli Villaneuva.

Araceli, a Senior HR Business Partner, has been part of our FHLB Des Moines family for nearly two decades. And since she walked through the door in 2001 as a recruiter, she has been actively creating a haven of cultures, perspectives and viewpoints in the heart of downtown Des Moines.

“Focusing on diversity and inclusion isn’t just smart from a business perspective; it’s smart from a human perspective,” she says. “Embracing more viewpoints and different life experiences make us a better business—and better people.”

Araceli has helped drive “better” at FHLB Des Moines by developing training programs, creating curriculum for team members, reaching out to schools and community partners, and helping to foster connections among team members to create a mentoring culture.

All of those things are possible, she says, because of our priorities. “Our six corporate values are integrity, authenticity, teamwork, respect, excellence, and empowerment. We not only live those values, we recruit for them as well. And hiring people with those characteristics has given us this fantastically rich culture.”