Dana W. Nolan
Executive Vice President, Head of Investor Relations
Regions
Dana Nolan serves as the Head of Investor Relations at Regions, a regional bank that operates throughout the South, Midwest and Texas and is headquartered in Birmingham, Ala. Regions is a member of the S&P 500 Index and ranks on the Fortune 500 listing of America’s largest companies.
Nolan joined Regions in 1989. Prior to assuming her current role, she was named associate director of investor relations in 2010 and had previously held a number of positions including Wholesale Funding and Liquidity Manager and head of Debt and Capital Management, both in the bank’s Treasury Division.
Nolan earned a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and is a graduate of the Bank Administrative Institute’s Graduate School of Bank Financial Management at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. She is a member of the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI) and a member of the bank’s Senior Leadership group.
What did you gain from your MOMENTUM experience?
MOMENTUM provided an invaluable opportunity to connect with professional women and hear their stories of success, ambition, efforts and concerns. It was an empowering experience that motivated me to invest in myself.
What is one piece of leadership advice you have been given that has helped you in your career?
Leverage your successes along the way. Continually remind management of your accomplishments, skills and expertise.
If you knew then what you know now, what would you tell your 18 year old self?
Rid yourself of preconceived notions of what you “should do” or what you are “supposed to be”. Career options and choices are limitless.
What three words do you think should characterize every leader?
Humble, determined and visionary
How do you find balance in your career, home, and community life?
Successfully integrating career, family, and personal life continues to be an ongoing challenge. While I’ve made decisions I regret, I try to learn from those experiences and adjust accordingly. I am also more comfortable outsourcing certain household tasks and responsibilities which has been very liberating.
Is there a book that has been helpful to you in your career? If so, please share the title and author.
I enjoy reading a variety of books, but I am particularly fond of good biographies. David McCullough is one of my favorite authors. Clearly, biographies are informative, but they are often inspirational. For me, they offer mentors at a distance and promote self discovery.
Is there anything else you would like to share? Advice you would like to give women in leadership?
Women have the tendency to focus and concentrate on tactical rather than strategic leadership. We need to put most decisions in a strategic context and then broadly communicate that context. Identify new opportunities and trends in your environment and then chart a course that inspires women and men throughout your organization.
