We met with Riana Maus, UMB director of talent inclusion, diversity and acquisition, to discuss her career journey, plans for her department and her experience as a UMBer.

Tell us about your current role at UMB.

I lead associate inclusion and diversity initiatives, associate giving programs, and talent acquisition strategies for the company, along with initiatives to engage our associates across our footprint. I get to work closely with our recruiting efforts, employer brand strategies, Business Resource Groups (BRGs), associate volunteer program and our matching gift program. I have amazing team members doing this work in each area, which makes my job even more fulfilling. While seemingly all quite different, these areas complement each other well.

Overall, I get to advocate for why UMB is a great place to work, strategies to continue backing up that claim, and helping facilitate an inclusive environment that makes people want to stay.

How has your career changed since you were hired in 2016?

I have had amazing opportunities in my time at UMB! I started as a communication specialist on the Marketing Communication team, eventually moved to Human Resources in talent acquisition and talent development, and now occupy my current role. Throughout my career at UMB, my primary focus has been the associate experience—communicating about it, enhancing it, and now managing parts of it. This is truly my passion.

It’s possible to look forward to Mondays, and I want to help people have that experience and feel like their lives and careers are better for having been at UMB.

I’ve worked with amazing leaders who have given me the opportunity to pursue my passions and work toward my goals. In my experience, UMB’s leaders genuinely want to help people succeed and I’m thankful to multiple people for championing my work and providing me opportunities to meet my potential.

Tell us about your ‘boomerang’ story. How did you find your way back to UMB and why?

I was always happy at UMB but I left for what felt like an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. The new role was a good one, but I realized some things truly are unique to UMB’s culture. I found I missed the ability to see the direct impact of my work, knowing people across the organization, and the balance of growing my personal and professional lives at the same time.

I was thankful for the chance to return to UMB. I maintained close relationships with several colleagues and was offered the opportunity to help lead inclusion, diversity and associate giving. This is such a fulfilling space for me to work in, and I knew I wanted to work my way back to UMB.

What most drew you to UMB, initially and for the second time around?

I was initially drawn to UMB’s deep history, especially in the Kansas City community. As I went through the interview process, everyone I spoke with seemed to share a common thread: you’ll build incredible relationships here, and there’s plenty of room for associates to grow their careers while balancing the demands of work and life. These things have been true to my experience, which is largely what drew me back.

As part of human resources, I got to witness so many teams come together during the hardest phases of the COVID pandemic to ensure our associates felt safe, had what they needed, and that we continued to take care of our communities—that is something I’ll never forget and that I think is unique to UMB. In addition, I was excited about the focus areas of my new role. I get to do important and rewarding work and help people live their passions through their careers.

What’s on the horizon for you, your role and UMB’s talent, inclusion and diversity initiatives?

UMB continues to experience rapid growth, and having the right talent in place is critical to delivering on our business objectives. Knowing this, our talent acquisition team is focused on what sets us apart as an employer. We know we’re the right place for people who want a relationship-focused career, want to help all people be successful, care about their communities, and do the right thing even when it’s hard. We continue to focus our talent acquisition initiatives on telling the UMB story and recruiting the best talent to support UMB’s current and future goals.

In terms of inclusion and diversity, we know our work is never done. Ensuring our associates can not only show up as their true selves every day but also reach their goals is a journey that requires constant learning. We are focused on continuing to hire talent that fully represents the communities we serve. We’re also continuing to facilitate opportunities for associates to find a sense of community at UMB, offer diverse perspectives to projects, and be empowered to give back to the causes they care most about.

Tell us about yourself.

I grew up in St. Joseph, Missouri and attended Missouri State University, where I earned my bachelor’s and master’s degrees. My husband, Taylor, and I now live in Liberty, Missouri, and we have a five- and two-year-old: Sutter and Nolan. We also have two dogs, and spend our time enjoying Kansas City sports, hiking, and soaking up the chaos of two young kids!

I love restaurant patios in the spring and summer and am full of Kansas City recommendations. I also enjoy reading, true crime documentaries, and traveling. My parents immigrated to the United States from Guyana, South America before I was born. Thanks to them, I have a passion for learning about other cultures and celebrating what makes each of us unique.

What are your tips for finding a work/life balance?

First, I think it’s important not to expect the “balance” to be 50-50. We all go through phases where our personal life deserves much of our focus and times when we spend a little extra time at work. Instead of chasing an even balance, I evaluate my priorities at any given point and have the flexibility to adjust them day-to-day.

Second, I try to practice being in the present moment and focusing on the people around me. It can be easy to answer an email during a meeting or check my calendar for the next day while my kids are eating dinner—but, we can miss out on so much if we’re always multitasking. If you let anything absorb all your free time, you’ll come to resent it. There will always be things on your to-do list, so simply do the best you can every day and give yourself a bit of grace.

UMB has long touted that it hires the best people, and they stay with the company, resulting in long-tenured associates with deep expertise. In fact, UMB’s average tenure in 2024 was 8.15 years for all associates, which is nearly two times the industry average, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics‡.

In recent years, we’ve started seeing another trend: boomerang employees. These are UMB associates who have resigned, only to return after a short time away. A common thread we hear from those associates is that the culture at UMB is second to none.

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