Dean Athanasia

Dean Athanasia is president of Regional Banking for Bank of America, and is a member of the company’s executive management team.

In this role, Athanasia oversees four of the company’s eight major lines of business which make up Regional Banking, including Retail Banking, Preferred & Small Business Banking, Business Banking and Global Commercial Banking. Located in over 200 U.S. and 15 international markets, Regional Banking serves 68 million consumer and business clients that hold over $2.4 trillion assets at Bank of America. In addition to his Regional Banking responsibilities, Athanasia also leads Digital, Brand and Marketing for the company.

Prior to the most recent expansion of his responsibilities, Athanasia served as president of Consumer & Small Business, leading the team that serves 66 million U.S. consumer and small business clients. This included a full range of financial products and services through a network of 3,900 financial centers, 16,000 ATMs, and an award-winning Digital platform that serves over 56 million users. He was also responsible for Consumer Investments which serves over 3 million investment client relationships through its Merrill Edge platform.

Under his leadership, Bank of America has consistently retained and grown its #1 retail deposit market share and its position as the top small business and commercial lender in the U.S. Regional Banking was recognized with 319 Industry Awards in 2021, including Best Consumer Bank in the U.S., Best Digital Bank in North America and North America’s Best Bank for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises. Athanasia joined the company in 1996 and previously spent time as the head of Global Wealth and Investment Management Banking and Merrill Edge. He also served as president of Premier Banking and Investments for the company’s Wealth Management division.

Athanasia currently serves as executive sponsor for the bank’s LGBTQ+ Executive Leadership Council, which invests in the advancement and advocacy of LGBTQ+ talent, clients and communities. He previously sponsored the company’s Disability Advocacy Network and the NextGen Council, which seeks to understand and address the needs of future generation employees and clients.

Athanasia holds a masters’ degree in business administration from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and graduated from Yale University where he majored in economics. He is active in the community, serving as chairman of the board of Cradles to Crayons, a nonprofit organization that provides essential items for children living in homeless or low-income situations in Boston, Philadelphia, New York and Chicago. He also serves on the board of the Noble & Greenough School in Dedham, Massachusetts.