Full Bio
Dawnita McCain is a banking executive, author, speaker, and community leader with nearly three decades of experience driving operational excellence and organizational change. As Managing Director and Corporate Bank COO at Regions Bank, she leads a high-performing operations team that supports bankers across a diverse range of industries and capital structures.
In her current role, Dawnita is responsible for streamlining operations, managing organizational change, and championing initiatives that elevate both individual performance and institutional outcomes. She has a proven record of building teams, launching programs, and creating infrastructure where none existed — including founding a Women's Affinity Group at a top five bank and leading the inaugural Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Network for a major metropolitan market.
Beyond the bank, Dawnita is the founder and chair of Pearls for Progress Foundation, a community-focused nonprofit dedicated to financial literacy education and scholarships in the Gwinnett County area. Through initiatives like the "Progress in Your Pocket" savings challenge and literacy workshops, she has brought meaningful financial empowerment programming to underserved communities.
Dawnita is the author of The Stories We Tell, a book that explores how the narratives we construct about ourselves — often unconsciously — either unlock our potential or anchor us to our limitations. Drawing from decades of observing what drives high performance and what stalls it, she wrote the book as both a challenge and an invitation: to examine the story you're living and decide if it's the one you want to tell.
A sought-after voice on leadership, identity, and community development, Dawnita brings a unique perspective shaped by executive experience, entrepreneurial grit, and genuine care for the people she serves. She is a proud member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., a wife of 30 years, and a devoted mother of three.
Short Bio · For Event Programs
Dawnita McCain is a banking executive, author, and community leader with nearly 30 years of experience driving operational excellence and organizational change. As Managing Director and Corporate Bank COO at Regions Bank, she leads with both strategy and heart. She is the founder of Pearls for Progress Foundation, dedicated to financial literacy and scholarships in Gwinnett County, and the author of The Stories We Tell — a book about the connection between our inner narratives and our real-world outcomes. Dawnita is passionate about building people, building communities, and building the next chapter.
Speaking Topics
You Too, Can. — Identity, inner work, and the architecture of an extraordinary life. For early to mid-career minority professionals navigating corporate spaces while staying whole.
The Stories We Tell — How the narratives we inherit and accept shape our outcomes — and how to choose a better story.
Courage in Transition — Moving through uncertainty, change, and the shadowy spaces between who you were and who you're becoming.
