Biography

Vanessa Washington

Director

Ms. Washington is a member of the board of directors and has served on the board of First Hawaiian Bank, since October 2020. Ms. Washington has deep expertise in legal, governance and risk mitigation with strategic experience in the areas of security, compliance, corporate social responsibility, human resources and environmental services. From 2006 until her retirement in October 2020, Ms. Washington served as Senior Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Bank of the West where she led the legal, regulatory relations and corporate secretary functions, and previously managed the areas of corporate social responsibility and an integrated security program including information and physical security and fraud prevention.  Prior to joining Bank of the West, Ms. Washington served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Catellus Development Corporation, a publicly traded real estate company. Prior to Catellus, she worked in financial services at California Federal Bank where she transitioned from a commercial real estate attorney to a corporate and securities lawyer.  She began her career in private practice in Atlanta, Georgia and is a member of the California and Georgia bars.

Ms. Washington serves as Director, Chair of the Audit Committee and a member of the Executive and Compensation Committees of the Board of Directors of the Habitat for Humanity of the Greater Bay Area. She is a member of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers and recently served on the managing board of The Clearing House.

Ms. Washington holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and a law degree from the University of California Berkeley School of Law.