JPMorgan Chase announced today that Byna Elliott has been named the Head of Advancing Black Pathways, a nearly two-year-old strategy aimed at strengthening the economic foundation of the Black community. Elliott, who will report to the firm’s Global Head of Diversity & Inclusion (D&I), Brian Lamb, will be responsible for executing a strategy that aims to help Black people achieve sustained success through targeted investments and programs in four key areas under the firm’s D&I framework: Careers & Skills, Financial Health & Wealth Creation, Business Growth & Entrepreneurship, and Community Development.
“Advancing Black Pathways is a bold and strategic commitment at JPMorgan Chase focused on accelerating opportunities for Black people and mitigating the effects of historical inequality,” Lamb said. “Over the last two years we’ve established a strong foundation that will enable this strategy to achieve sustained generational impact. Byna brings a proven track record of driving strategies to invest in underserved communities, and her skillset is precisely what we need to ensure that Advancing Black Pathways will deliver on its purpose for generations to come.”
Elliott joins JPMorgan Chase from Fifth Third Bank, where she served as the Chief Enterprise Responsibility Officer, overseeing the firm’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) and Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) efforts —which include environmental sustainability initiatives, philanthropic giving, ethical business practices and economic responsibility. As part of these efforts, she was also an executive sponsor of Fifth Third’s efforts on Black talent development.
“I’m excited to join JPMorgan Chase and for the opportunity to play a direct role in helping Black people chart stronger paths towards economic success and empowerment,” Elliott said. “It’s inspiring to join a firm that’s being intentional about closing the racial wealth divide, and I look forward to contributing to this effort.”
Elliott brings more than 20 years of community reinvestment experience into her new role, as well as five years of experience administering all aspects of consumer compliance programs, CSR and CRA initiatives at Fifth Third.
In taking the helm of Advancing Black Pathways, Elliott will play a key role in executing the firm’s strategy to address the key drivers of the racial wealth divide and create economic opportunity for Black communities through a $30 billion commitment over the next five years. She will also build upon Advancing Black Pathways’ successes, which include a hardship fund to help students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities cover the cost of personal finance emergencies, Advancing Black Entrepreneurs by Chase for Business, Currency Conversations, the New Voices Banking Bootcamp for women entrepreneurs, and a commitment from the firm to hire 4,000 Black students by 2024 through fellowships, internships and entry-level analyst roles.
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