John Heath

John "Jack" E. Heath III has spent his entire banking career at Washington Trust Bank, which he joined in 1989. He rose through leadership roles across the bank's Commercial and Retail divisions, Investment Services, and Marketing before being named President and Chief Operating Officer in 2000 — succeeding Peter Stanton in that post. In April 2024, as part of a broader leadership reshuffle, Heath was named Chief Executive Officer, becoming the first person outside the Stanton family to lead the company in its 120-plus-year history. In the same restructuring, former Chief Lending Officer Kevin Blair became President and Jim Branson became COO.

Washington Trust Bank, headquartered in Spokane, describes itself as the largest privately owned community bank in the Northwest, with roughly $11 billion in assets. As CEO, Heath also sits on the boards of Washington Trust Bank and its holding company, W.T.B. Financial Corporation. He was recognized by the *Spokane Journal of Business* in its "People of Influence" features in both 2024 (as President & COO) and 2025 (as President & CEO).

Heath holds a bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Idaho and an MBA in finance from Gonzaga University. He is deeply embedded in the Inland Northwest civic and philanthropic community, having served on boards including the Washington Bankers Association (board member and past chair), Pacific Coast Banking School, the Community Cancer Fund, and LaunchNW, and as a former member of Gonzaga University's Board of Regents. He is a past chair of the Spokane County United Way Campaign, Greater Spokane Incorporated, and Premera Blue Cross. In profile interviews he has cited mottos such as "Hope is not a strategy" and advised, "Do not ever let fear of failure hold you back."

• This is institutional commercial banking, not angel/venture investing. Heath leads a full-service community bank whose "capital deployment" takes the form of commercial and consumer lending, wealth management, and investment services across the Pacific Northwest — not equity checks into startups.
• If a founder's need is debt financing, treasury/banking services, or wealth management for a Northwest-based business, Washington Trust is a relevant institution; if the need is seed equity, Heath and the bank are not the right target.
• No publicly stated personal angel thesis, check size, or startup portfolio could be found. Any claim of a "seed-round" venture focus for Heath personally is unsupported by the available record.