Cadence Bank appointed Myra Caldwell its first chief diversity officer (CDO).

Caldwell has been with Cadence for more than nine years. Most recently, she led a team of associates in the bank’s treasury management and deposit operations department. She has experience leading change through 14 bank mergers, department reorganizations, and broad-based system and process improvements.

“At Cadence, diversity, equity and inclusion are more than just words — they are values that are deeply ingrained in our culture and intentionally fused into our strategic priorities,” Paul Murphy, chairman and CEO of Cadence Bancorporation, said. “Myra’s passion for change and diversity in all aspects of life make her well suited to take on this inaugural position. We’re honored that she will help us be the change we want to see in the world. Myra is motivated and she gets things done.”

As CDO, Caldwell will proactively develop the vision, mission and strategic plan for Cadence’s Diversity, Equity And Inclusion (DE&I) program, with a focus on its current and future employees and vendor relationships, and by working with local leaders and community organizations that seek to bring attention to social justice, human rights, civil rights, equity and inclusion. Caldwell also will chair the bank’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Advisory Council, which is comprised of a multicultural group of employees from across the organization.

Currently, Caldwell serves on the Houston Area Urban League board and is a member of the Society for Diversity, NAACP and the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. She formerly served as vice president of the Houston Urban Bankers board and as chair and co-chair for Cadence’s United Way of Greater Houston campaign.

“I am honored and excited about this opportunity with Cadence. Our core values — Embrace We, Do Right, Own It and Fresh Thinking — will guide us in executing programs that will not only further embrace our diverse perspectives, but also drive meaningful and effective change in the DE&I space,” Caldwell said.

Cadence Bank is a regional banking franchise with $18.9 billion in assets as of June 30, 2020, and 98 branch locations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas.