Virnitia Dixon
Chief Diversity Officer
Santander U.S.
Virnitia Dixon is the chief diversity officer and head of the diversity, equity, and inclusion office at Santander US. Before joining Santander, Dixon was an executive coach and consultant working with Fortune 500 senior executives to transform corporate culture through leadership development, organizational effectiveness, and DEI. Her background is primarily in financial services, where she previously held roles as a corporate VP of strategy for New York Life and VP of operations for Travelers Property Casualty. Dixon is an Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (IPEC) certified professional coach and holds a doctorate of management in organizational leadership from the University of Phoenix, an MBA in management, and a bachelor of science degree in legal studies, both from the University of Hartford.

Dixon currently serves on several community boards, including Tampa Bay’s Wheels of Success, the PASCO County Economic Development Council as chairperson of the Strategic Planning Task Force, and the Santander Consumer Foundation as director of the economic mobility pillar. She has recently been recognized with a number of awards, including DEI Executive of the Year Large Market: Leaders of Distinction (2022) by HRO Today and one of the 10 Most Inspiring Women in D&I to Follow 2023 by CIO Views. She was also a featured guest speaker on The Impostor Syndrome Files, a weekly podcast hosted by popular TEDx Talk speaker and executive coach Kim Meninger.

Dixon’s life mission is “to be a blessing to the lives of many, one person at a time.” This mindset is evident in how she shapes corporate culture and facilitates human connection. By being a spiritually driven innovator, she inspires people to be their authentic selves, and helps transform organizations to put human connection at the core of everything they do.
Virnitia Dixon