BofA Names Stephenie Whitfield President of Sarasota/Manatee

Bank of America has named Stephenie Whitfield, Business Banking market executive, president of Bank of America Sarasota/Manatee. She succeeds Erik Vatter, who led the market since 2022 and will focus on his new role of Merrill senior financial advisor.

As president and head of the market, Stephenie will connect clients, teammates, and communities to the full power of the franchise and drive integration across the bank’s eight lines of business. She will oversee the company’s efforts to grow market share by fostering local connections and identifying opportunities to grow and deepen client relationships.

“Throughout her career with Bank of America, Stephenie has established deep relationships with teammates, clients, and the community to deliver responsible growth,” said Brian Moynihan, Bank of America Chair of the Board and Chief Executive Officer. “Stephenie is well positioned to build on Erik’s success and continue to grow our market share, delivering the full breadth of Bank of America’s capabilities to help our local clients improve their financial lives.”

From owning a financial consulting firm to positions in commercial banking and Small Business Administration (SBA) lending with both large and community banks, Stephenie has more than 25 years of experience in financial services. She has served in multiple leadership positions at Bank of America, including Commercial Credit executive for the Southeast and the national Small Business Administration (SBA) Credit team, Business Banking market manager for Greater Tennessee, and SBA market manager for the eastern U.S.

In addition to market president, Stephenie will continue her current role as Business Banking market executive, leading a client management team focused on delivering the bank’s capabilities to U.S.-based companies from startup to $50 million in annual revenue.

Stephenie is enthusiastic about community service. An alumna of Leadership Manatee, she serves on the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and The Salvation Army of Manatee County Advisory Board. She earned a law degree from Howard University School of Law and a bachelor’s degree from Georgia Institute of Technology.