Simmons, current chairman and CEO of Zions Bancorporation. Over more than a quarter-century at its helm, Anderson developed the legacy institution into a full-service commercial bank with a strong presence in Idaho and later in Jackson, Wyoming. During his tenure, the bank’s assets have grown from $6 billion to $22.8 billion. Anderson also became a powerful voice for the banking industry locally and nationally. In the early 2000s, he worked with industry associations to level the taxation playing field between banks and credit unions. He received the Utah Bankers Association’s Distinguished Banker Award in 2010. From October 2021 to October 2022, he chaired the American Bankers Association, supporting the nation’s recovery from the pandemic while driving economic growth. “He’s so focused on helping the people he leads, and I think that’s at the heart of all the amazing things he’s accomplished,” Howard Headlee, UBA president and CEO, said at the time of Anderson’s appointment as chair. Anderson was instrumental in bringing major economic development initiatives to Utah, including helping establish the World Trade Center Utah; the Utah Science, Technology and Research Initiative (USTAR); and other major community organizations. As chairman of the Board of Directors of United Way of Salt Lake, he created the Financial Stability Council that led to the creation of the “Earn It. Keep It. Save It.” initiative. Recognizing the power of the arts to re-energize communities, he’s also supported public art programs and revitalization projects that stimulate economic development, including the nationally renowned Utah Shakespeare Festival. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Anderson led Zions Bank’s round-the-clock efforts to get Paycheck Protection Program loans to ailing businesses while joining forces with banking and credit union leaders to address financial challenges facing consumers and businesses. As chair of the Utah Coronavirus Economic Response Task Force, he initiated town hall meetings to educate consumers and business owners about financial resources and made policy recommendations to federal, state and local governments. In Utah, PPP loans through Zions Bank helped retain more than 150,000 jobs and protected more than 10,000 Utah businesses. And more than 30% of the loans went to businesses in majority/minority and low- to moderate-income census tracts. Anderson’s leadership has been focused on creating opportunities for people of all backgrounds and at all rungs of the economic ladder. In 2015, he launched the Women’s Leadership Institute (WLI), now a self-sustaining 501(c)3, which Zions Bank continues to support. Zions Bank was also a founding sponsor of Somos, a Utah Hispanic Chamber of Commerce foundation dedicated to strengthening Utah’s Latino community through education. He has also worked to support veterans and active military and their families through banking services, employment opportunities, community partnerships and recognition programs. Because of his military-friendly employment efforts, Zions Bank was recognized in 2014 with the Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. From early on in his career, Anderson has emphasized the importance of personal relationships, community involvement and civic leadership. He’s served on and chaired numerous civic, business and nonprofit boards, including Intermountain Healthcare, University of Utah’s Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, the Huntsman Cancer Foundation, Envision Utah, and Silicon Slopes. And he’s encouraged Zions employees to do the same, fostering a culture of community involvement where employees regularly participate in local nonprofit organizations, volunteer in their communities and serve on boards. Anderson is reliably among the dozens of Zions employees who volunteer in schools each spring and fall to teach kindergarten through 12th-grade students their financial ABCs in honor of National Teach Children to Save Day and National Get Smart About Credit Day — annual outreach events sponsored by the American Bankers Utah Banker 9
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