2026 C-suite large public companies: MARIA TEDESCO

In 2018, Tedesco was named president of Atlantic Union Bank, becoming the first woman to hold the position since the institution’s founding in 1902. Under her leadership, the bank has experienced its most significant period of growth. It held about $9.3 billion in assets in 2017. By the end of 2025, that figure had grown to nearly $37.6 billion.

Tedesco, who added chief operating officer to her title in 2022, led the integration following the April 2025 merger with Sandy Spring Bank, positioning Atlantic Union as the largest regional banking franchise in the lower mid-Atlantic, including onboarding 1,100 employees. She also championed the bank’s largest digital platform migration, moving more than 220,000 customers to a new online and mobile banking system.

A Boston native, Tedesco earned a degree in finance and accounting from Ithaca College and an MBA from Northeastern University. She serves as chair of the board of the Consumer Bankers Association, which is focused exclusively on retail banking. Additionally, Tedesco sits on several other boards, including the board of Cary Street Partners, a Richmond-based wealth management firm, and the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges.

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