Brian Smith joined Wells Fargo as Executive Vice President and Head of Government Relations and Public Policy on May 18, 2020. He is based in Washington, DC.

He comes to Wells from Regions Bank where, since 2010, he stood up and ran the bank’s government affairs operation. In that capacity, he was responsible for the company’s state/federal government relations and public policy. Smith supervised legislative lobbying, oversaw regulatory policy outreach, was responsible for the company’s political action committee, and worked closely with industry trade associations on public policy issues relevant to Regions. He also oversaw the bank’s partnership with the state of Alabama and other industry partners on state economic development. Regions is a regional bank that operates throughout the South, Midwest and Texas and is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama.

Before joining Regions, Smith spent several years working for U.S. Senator Robert Bennett (R-UT) and U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) in legislative and advisory roles on banking, securities, housing, international finance, trade and federal budgeting issues. More recently, he served as Legislative Director for Senator Bennett where he managed operations and developed legislative positions and priorities. Prior to joining Senator Bennett’s staff, he led the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta’s government affairs function and was previously a part of the government relations team for Freddie Mac.

Smith earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Brigham Young University and a master’s degree in International Transactions from George Mason University