Amber Korowicki, CAMS, a financial crimes senior consultant at Crowe with extensive experience in financial industry compliance, recently spoke with the ACAMS Pittsburgh Chapter Board about her career and experiences in the anti-financial crime (AFC) industry. Korowicki’s background demonstrates a strong focus on anti-money laundering (AML)/Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) compliance, risk management and internal audit processes within diverse financial institutions (FIs).
Before working at Crowe, Korowicki served as a senior BSA and regulatory compliance consultant and internal auditor at Zeno, Pockl, Lilly and Copeland, AC. Korowicki’s career includes roles at First National Bank as an assistant vice president and AML specialist II, and at CHROME Federal Credit Union, where she held positions as risk compliance officer and compliance and BSA officer. These roles reflect a commitment to maintaining regulatory standards and mitigating financial risk.
Korowicki holds a master’s degree in public and international affairs from the University of Pittsburgh and a bachelor’s degree in political science and government from Saint Vincent College, as well as a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) designation from ACAMS.
ACAMS Pittsburgh Chapter (APC): Do you have any role models/mentors and, if yes, please describe how they have shaped the professional you are today?
Amber Korowicki (AK): I have been lucky enough to have a number of mentors throughout my professional career; each one played a very important, unique role in my professional and personal growth. I believe that having a strong, honest and caring mentor is one of the most important components for being the best version of yourself. In turn, I firmly believe that being a good, honest and caring mentor to others is the next most important piece of your professional puzzle.
Looking back on my career, I can say my first true mentor came about in 2016, and he immensely impacted my career growth and personal goals. I was a young BSA officer within the credit union space when a newly hired executive officer took a proactive and hands-on approach to helping me grow in my career. We had scheduled meeting times, ad hoc meetings and daily conversations all centered around the current job at hand, career goals, growth opportunities, challenges and successes. We focused on finding what made me tick, what made me excited about the job, and my passions in life―essentially my “why” for being there. The advice and guidance did not stop with job specific growth, or professional aspirations, but also focused on personal growth and goals as well. We also had hard conversations: what I could do better, where I needed to reflect and how I could be a leader even in adversity or during challenging times. Every conversation provided lessons, advice and empathy. The lessons I learned were invaluable, I have grown as a leader, enhanced my technical and analytical skills, and most importantly, learned the value of true leadership (not just managing), including that your success as a leader is a direct result of the success of your team.
I am still in contact with him, nearly 10 years and three organizations later. Not only did he encourage me during pivotal, and sometimes difficult, career steps, but he also helped me navigate balancing work with major life events―like the birth of my first child. As a first-time mother and someone who has always been a “workaholic,” it was very difficult to find a realistic balance between growing my career and being a grounded, present, first-time parent. There were some individuals who tried to “mentor” me by telling me to relinquish some of my career goals and responsibility―even suggesting I drop down to part-time or leave altogether. Others brushed off the stress and anxiety that came along with being a first-time parent while actively trying to climb the ranks at work. Neither of these options were right for me, but I worked with my mentor to figure out a strong path forward, to be successful at home and at work.
This is what makes a great mentor, and having a great mentor makes you a better person all around. Having this experience has shaped my goals and helped me build upon the innate leadership skills ingrained in me. His leadership and mentorship led me to focus on the growth and development of others through a personal, respectful, honest and caring mindset. I contribute much of my success―especially related to leadership growth and skills―to his mentoring.
APC: How do you approach mentorship and support for individuals in the AFC field?
AK: Mentoring has been a very important and impactful component of my growth. I also believe mentoring does not have to be formal. It does not need to be scheduled and organized by the company where you are employed. Individuals can take a proactive approach to mentoring one another. In fact, forced mentoring can sometimes provide negative effects, including discouragement, possible jealousy and resentment.
I follow the approach that you should seek out a mentor with whom you have a good rapport, from whom you actively want to learn and you respect. It does not have to be the highest-ranking official―it can even be a peer in the right circumstances. Respect, honesty and passion for growth are the key components. I take the opportunity during all engagements to help guide others, whether it be a one-off conversation about improvement opportunities or providing positive feedback in real time. Even if I never cross paths with this individual again, I try to provide some advice and show them I care about their career growth, as well as them as a person.
APC: What led you to a career in AFC and compliance? What personal qualities or experiences have shaped your approach to financial crime prevention?
AK: I believe my path to AFC may be a little unique, or not as linear as some others, but I have had an interest in AML, white-collar crime investigation and prevention and cybercrime in general far before any knowledge of BSA. While in college, I studied political science, international affairs, constitution law and criminal justice/criminal law. Through a variety of factors, I then found myself at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh. This is where I focused more heavily on intelligence and security studies, cybercrime, terrorism (including terrorist financing) and gang-related activity―which always includes money laundering. I was presented with an opportunity to work with a local organization that focused on white-collar crime, from a mutifocused lens including the financial industry and other nongovernmental organizations as well as governmental organizations and partnerships. This is really what led me to the financial industry side of the house. I knew I could be valuable while working locally within the Pittsburgh area by following the AFC route.
APC: What skills do you believe are essential for success in the financial crime field?
AK: Throughout my AFC career within the FI space, I have held roles varying from AML team leader through AML/BSA/the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and compliance officer. I currently work within the consulting industry, assisting FIs with enhancing their current programs, staying compliant with existing, evolving and new regulation guidelines, as well as testing controls for accuracy and efficiency. Throughout all steps in my career, there have been a few key components that led me to success, I would say the most important components are the following.
Being teachable: Accept and respond positively to constructive criticism and feedback. This includes being open to change and growth, taking criticism and advice where appropriate, being open to pivoting your style and format when necessary, wanting to grow and focusing on the good for the institution (which includes the good for the client). Also, always be open to learn more.
Critical thinking skills: Think through all avenues, including seeing the perspective from the other side, especially within AML/BSA and OFAC. There is a lot of gray space―much of the regulations are risk-based and have various contingent factors. Of course, we have to follow federal, state and local laws along with regulatory guidance, but there is room to apply certain aspects of the AML and BSA regulations differently, while still being compliant. This means, we have to think through what is best for each institution, where the risk is and how similar institutions are successfully―or unsuccessfully―mitigating these risks.
Being resourceful: Rely on regulatory guidance, frequently asked questions, industry best practices, legal opinions, training content, etc., to provide valuable insight in all areas of your job. Do not fall into the philosophy of “fake it till you make it.” Do not provide guesses or assumptions as fact, and always follow up to inquires if you are unsure of an answer. You cannot know every detail about every topic, so use your resources to gather the correct or best answer instead of providing unsubstantiated opinions or inaccurate information.
APC: What emerging technologies do you believe will have the biggest impact on financial crime prevention? How do you stay updated with the latest technological advancements in the AML field?
AK: I think the obvious answer is artificial intelligence (AI). There are so many ways to use AI in combating financial crime. While all new technology takes time to be perfected, the possibilities are seemingly endless. AI can be used to do things like streamline suspicious activity reporting, writing narratives for suspicious activity reports (SARs), high-risk customer reviews and risk assessments, as well as reviewing current policies, procedures and processes for inaccuracy, enhancements and gaps. Overall, AI has the ability to enhance and streamline many functions within the AFC space.
I am fortunate to work for a company that is focused on forward-thinking and excited about the opportunities stemming from AI. This is a major focus at my place of work, and we have very intelligent individuals working to put tools and controls in place which will afford us to be true trailblazers in this area. Crowe is truly diving into the AI space, embracing the changes and taking the opportunity to mold and refine AI-based tools which will allow us to gain efficiency to better serve our clients.
APC: How has your role evolved since you started in the AFC field, and what are your future career aspirations within the AML field?
AK: I have worked within the AML space for over 10 years. My career has shifted from an AML/BSA employee within the financial industry to consulting and auditing AML/BSA programs for the financial industry, including banks, credit unions, trust companies, broker dealers, money services businesses, payment processors and other fintech companies.
While within industry I was hands-on, completing tasks such as reviewing high-risk customers, performing quality review on various functions of AML, researching and working alerts related to regulatory violations, filing required government reports (currency transaction reports, SARs, etc.), leading a department and managing teams, updating, enhancing, as well as creating new policies, procedures and processes, training staff on existing and new processes and rebuilding an underdeveloped AML program. Currently, in the consulting space, I have learned to apply the practical knowledge and experience gained through working within the financial industry to assist those within the industry to enhance existing programs, build new programs, review and test existing controls and suggest best practice and industry standard recommendations. My primary goal has shifted from completing daily tasks within regulatory expectations and having a strong program to using my knowledge of the regulations coupled with my practical experience to provide guidance and opportunities for enhancements to AML/BSA officers to assist with strengthening their programs.
APC: When you are off the clock, what is your favorite way to give back to your community?
AK: Being a mother of two young boys, I do not have as much opportunity to volunteer as I would like. However, when I can, I try to support organizations focused on mental health awareness and suicide prevention, primarily the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and organizations that specialize in veteran suicide prevention. In addition, I try to be hands-on in the local youth sports community. My husband and I take turns coaching; while he focuses on baseball and I focus on soccer. Coaching children in youth sports can provide valuable lessons to these children, even without them realizing it. I have set a goal for myself to expand the time I spend volunteering throughout 2025 and 2026.
ACAMS Pittsburgh Chapter Board
