2026 Virginia Black Business Leaders Awards: DENISE COUNCE

Counce started out at TowneBank in 2004 as a teller. By 2015, she’d been promoted to branch manager. Five years later, she was named senior vice president and diversity, equity and inclusion officer. In 2024, as the department expanded, she was promoted to senior vice president, director of diversity and belonging.

In her role, she says, Counce focuses on preserving, protecting and nurturing one of TowneBank’s founding principles: to create a sense of belonging for everyone. She works to ensure all employees and members feel valued and respected.

Counce earned her accounting degree from Strayer University and completed a certificate program in diversity and inclusion through the online learning division of Cornell University. Additionally, she is a graduate of TowneBank’s Management Associate Program and of the Virginia Bankers School of Bank Management.

WHY I CHOSE MY PROFESSION: Initially, I was seeking a role that offered stability and a healthy work-life balance. With my husband serving in the Navy and a young family at home, it was important to find a job that aligned with my children’s school schedule. However, once I joined the Towne family, I quickly realized it was more than just a job — we were part of a community. The tremendous support from leaders and colleagues made me feel like part of an extended family. I worked alongside people who were not only invested in my professional growth, but also genuinely cared about my family and me. That sense of belonging and shared purpose inspired me to build my career in the financial industry — and, more importantly, here at Towne.

FAVORITE PLACE I’VE TRAVLED: I love visiting family, so that means traveling to Texas, Ohio and Missouri.