Ameris Bancorp, the parent company of Ameris Bank, announced that Karlene Gordon has been promoted to be the bank's diversity and inclusion officer. In this role, Gordon will be responsible for further developing and implementing results-driven action plans designed to foster, cultivate and preserve diversity, inclusion and equal dignity throughout the organization.

Ameris Bank recognizes the value of a diverse and inclusive culture and the importance of supporting and encouraging the sharing of ideas, respecting differences and working toward common goals together.

"Growing a robust, diverse and talented group of teammates is an initiative that we take very seriously. It is crucial to the continued success of our organization as we meet the ever-changing business needs and demands of our unique and diverse customer base," said Chief Executive Officer Palmer Proctor.

As the diversity and inclusion officer, Gordon will be the champion for equal dignity at Ameris Bank. She will develop and promote training programs to enhance teammate understanding of diversity and inclusion, guide the recruitment of a diverse applicant pool and seek ways to improve teammate engagement, production and retention. As a thought leader, Gordon will ensure diversity, inclusion and equity continue to permeate the bank's work in the community, with both businesses and individuals.

"Ameris Bank appreciates the importance of continuing to grow and maintain a workforce that is rich in diversity, where everyone feels like they belong and everyone is empowered to reach their full potential," shared Gordon. "One of our bank's core values is respect, and my goal is to further advance Ameris Bank's culture of respect and inclusiveness. These feelings of belonging and empowerment allow our teammates to contribute their best work inside and outside our bank's walls."

With over 20 years of human resource experience, Gordon has most recently served as an Ameris Bank senior human resources business partner since joining the bank in 2018. She has held a variety of human resources roles throughout her career, supporting the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Live Person and HR Dynamics, among other businesses. A graduate of Queens College of New York, Gordon holds a bachelor's degree in psychology. She is an active member in the Accomplished Leaders Exchange with the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) in Atlanta, Georgia. 

The role of diversity and inclusion officer is reflective of Ameris Bank's heightened emphasis on environmental, social and governance issues. Earlier this year, Ameris Bank named its first Chief Governance Officer, Michael Pierson, to lead ESG initiatives, including the expansion of the bank's diversity and inclusion programming, corporate social responsibility and investor relations and outreach.

"This is an exciting time for our company. We have many plans to expand our ESG initiatives and our diversity and inclusion officer role is instrumental to this effort. We are proud to have Karlene's expertise on our team and to be able to promote her to this valuable position," said Pierson. "Her HR experience, passion for teammate greatness and commitment to this initiative makes her the ideal leader for this role."