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JSU alum, Ashley D. Varnado is a senior vice president, COO-Strategy & Initiatives Executive for the Philanthropic & Family Office Solutions Group at Bank of America Private Bank. In this role, Varnado oversees and executes the organization’s operational business strategies, manages overall efforts and alignment to enterprise objectives, and ensures the organization can effectively meet both its operational and financial goals.
Previous to her current role, she was the business finance officer for The CFO Group at Bank of America. She was responsible for forecasting, strategic planning, and portfolio management of the CFO group’s non-interest expense totaling $1.8B. Her previous roles include serving as the CFO Global Diversity & Inclusion and employee engagement manager and business finance support officer for Home Equity, Deposit Products & Operations, Corporate Real Estate, and the Financial Center & ATM Strategy teams.
She continues to cultivate her passion for mentoring and D&I through active participation in the private bank mentoring program and as co-chair of chair of the Philanthropic & Family Office Solutions D&I Council. She’s also actively involved in multiple employee network groups including the Black Professionals Group (BPG), Disability Advocacy Network (DAN), Hispanic/Latino Organization for Leadership and Advancement (HOLA), and LEAD for Women. Deeply rooted in philanthropic missions within the Charlotte community, Varnado is a member of Good Friends-Charlotte, Women’s Impact Fund (Committee Cabinet), Muggsy Bogues Family Foundation (Internal Affairs Chair/Board), and Young Black Leadership Alliance (Board). She is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and is actively involved in the Myers Park Traditional Elementary School Leadership Team, Women of Influence Network-Charlotte, and the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts and Culture. In October 2020, Varnado was named in Charlotte Business Journal’s “Top 40 under 40”.
As a native of Yazoo City, Mississippi, she holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Jackson State University and a master’s degree in business administration from Mississippi State University. She resides in Charlotte, North Carolina with her husband, Christian (JSU class of 2009) and their two sons. Outside of traveling for JSU football, she enjoys cooking, hiking, and spending time with her loved ones.