Jennifer S. Upshaw

Chief of Staff

Upshaw began her banking career as a Management Associate with Synovus in June 2003. She spent several years in branch banking leadership roles and later led key strategic initiatives such as consumer lending centralization, execution of retail strategy and a historical unified branding conversion, consolidating 30 separate, tenured bank brands under the Synovus name. She was named group executive, Marketing in 2017, laying the foundation for digital marketing, and Chief Retail Banking Officer in 2019, overseeing consumer and small business client segments, branch network and product development. Upshaw was appointed chief of staff in May 2021.

Education

•  Bachelor of Arts, Finance, University of Georgia

Affiliations

• Board of Water Commissioners, Columbus, GA
• Muscogee County Library Foundation Board
• Twin Cedars Youth and Family Services, Inc., Board
• Piedmont Columbus Regional Board
• Leadership Georgia Class of 2020-2021

Awards

• Recipient, Synovus Game Changer Award, 2018
• Honoree, American Banker’s Most Powerful Women in Banking: NEXT, 2019

Summary of Responsibilities
As Chief of Staff, Upshaw serves a vital role as a trusted advisor to the Chairman, CEO and President and the broader executive leadership team. She leads critical strategic and operational initiatives and serves as proxy for the chairman and CEO to guide the company through strategic prioritization of investments and resources and to identify high-level solutions and drive key decisions. Upshaw collaborates across the organization, managing relationships and optimizing partnerships to champion the company’s top strategic priorities.