Meghan Donelon, Senior Vice President and Commercial Banking Group Manager at First Horizon Bank in New Orleans, has been appointed Executive Committee Board Chair of United Way of Southeast Louisiana, effective July 17, 2026. The appointment elevates a banking executive who has spent nearly two decades in commercial lending into one of the region's most prominent nonprofit governance roles, underscoring the cross-sector collaboration between regional finance and community-focused organizations seeking to address poverty across the seven-parish region.
The appointment was announced jointly by First Horizon Bank (NYSE: FHN) and United Way of Southeast Louisiana (UWSELA). Michael Williamson, President and CEO of United Way of Southeast Louisiana, described Donelon as a collaborative leader with deep community commitment. As Board Chair, she will serve as the organization's Chief Volunteer Officer, presiding over the Board of Trustees and Executive Committee while overseeing strategic governance across the organization. The role carries responsibility for appointing committee leaders and serving as an ambassador for UWSELA's initiative to help 100,000 economically disadvantaged individuals and families move onto a Pathway to Prosperity by 2035. No search firm involvement was mentioned in the announcement.
Donelon began her banking career in 2008 as an intern at IBERIABANK before joining the bank's Management Training Program in 2009. She advanced to Commercial Banking Relationship Manager in New Orleans, building client relationships before relocating to Dallas, Texas, where she advanced to Commercial Banking Group Manager in 2020, leading a high-performing team. In September 2021, she joined Red River Bank as New Orleans Market President, where she spearheaded the bank's entry into the New Orleans market and oversaw expansion that included opening a loan and deposit production office and eventually the bank's first full-service banking center in the market. She returned to First Horizon in March 2026, marking a return to the market where her career began. Beyond banking, Donelon serves as Treasurer of the Board of Trustees for the New Orleans Museum of Art, holds board positions with GNO, Inc. and the Academy of the Sacred Heart, sits on the Executive Committee of the Allstate Sugar Bowl, and is a member of the Jefferson Business Council. She was recognized as a Biz New Orleans Biz 500 honoree and a New Orleans CityBusiness Power 50 recipient.
First Horizon Corp., headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, operates as a regional financial services company with USD 84.4 billion in assets as of June 30, 2026. The company operates through its banking subsidiary First Horizon Bank across 12 states concentrated in the South, offering commercial, private banking, consumer, small business, wealth and trust management, retail brokerage, capital markets, fixed income, and mortgage banking services. First Horizon has been recognized as one of the nation's best employers by Fortune and Forbes magazines and ranked as a Top 10 Most Reputable U.S. Bank. United Way of Southeast Louisiana has operated for more than 100 years as a leader in fighting poverty through investments in health, education, and financial stability programming across Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, and Washington parishes.
Donelon's appointment reflects broader patterns of senior bankers moving into prominent nonprofit leadership roles, particularly in markets where financial institutions maintain significant community presences. Her progression from commercial banker to board chair of a major poverty-focused nonprofit suggests that regional financial executives increasingly view volunteer governance leadership as compatible with corporate banking careers. Her prior track record in launching and expanding Red River Bank's New Orleans operations demonstrates operational execution and market knowledge, which may prove relevant as United Way seeks to strengthen partnerships across the seven-parish region. However, the appointment's implications for First Horizon's commercial banking strategy in New Orleans remain unclear; whether her governance role at UWSELA will translate to expanded corporate community investment from the bank or serve primarily as personal civic engagement cannot be determined from available information.
