Deneva Shelton Joins JPMorgan Chase As Community Manager

Press release from Chase:

July 21, 2021

Sacramento native Deneva Shelton has been a community leader working in the financial services industry for almost 20 years. Starting out in the Welfare-to-Work program, Shelton first learned how to best navigate the system to be able to help people in the local community who don’t have the resources to reach their financial goals, whether it’s starting a business, becoming financial healthy, or buying a home.

As the new Community Manager in Sacramento for JPMorgan Chase, Shelton‘s goal is to provide the local community with access to the tools and resources that are available to help them.

“Growing up in Sacramento, I’ve seen a lack of awareness among the local community for some of the tools and resources out there to contribute to their success,” explained Shelton. “Expanding that knowledge base of what’s out there and helping them learn more about what it takes to make their goals a reality really drives me.”

Previously, Shelton served as the Community Engagement Program Manager for the Golden 1 Credit Union, managing large partnerships, including the Sacramento Kings, creating connections with the local community and driving brand awareness throughout California. Now, as Sacramento Community Manager for JPMorgan Chase, Shelton will further expand on her local connections to understand the unique needs and challenges, and help improve financial health among residents, businesses and the community as a whole.

“Financial health isn’t always associated with more income necessarily. Getting the right education is important to understanding how to utilize money and watch your finances grow,” added Shelton. “That’s why it’s so important to work with other community leaders and local organizations and find these opportunities to create programming, resources and collaborate to address local needs.”

As part of JPMorgan Chase’s recent $30 billion commitment to address racial equity, the firm is hiring 150 new community managers across the U.S. by the end of 2021 to oversee and build relationships with important community leaders, non-profit partners and small businesses with the goal of promoting and improving financial health among the local community. Over the next five years, the firm is also refreshing 150 branches in traditionally underserved communities, including 16 new Community Center Branches, in cities like Harlem, Chicago and Los Angeles, designed with extra space to be a focus for the community, as well as building 100 additional branches in low-to-moderate income neighborhoods across the country.

“We’re bringing in local leaders who know these communities inside and out to help increase awareness of the types of resources available to local entrepreneurs to grow their businesses, or to first time home buyers to navigate the mortgage process.” said Jonathan Morales, Head of Community Banking for California for Chase. “Deneva’s deep roots in the community and strong industry experience will bring a lot of value to Sacramento and this is the first step in doing our part to continue supporting the community.”

Shelton serves on the Board for Improve Your Tomorrow, working to close the school-to-prison pipeline for young men of color, and is a Senior Fellow and Board Member for Nehemiah Emerging Leadership Program, creating training, mentorship, and networking for predominently minority, emerging professionals. She received her Bachelor’s in Marketing and Communications and MBA from the University of Phoenix and is a wife and mother of three who loves a good basketball game or concert.

This press release was produced by Chase. The views expressed here are the author’s own.