Board of Directors

Robert F. Rivers is the Executive Chair and Chair of the Board of Directors of Eastern Bankshares, Inc. and Eastern Bank. Mr. Rivers joined Eastern Bank in 2006 as its Vice Chair and Chief Banking Officer, becoming President in 2007, Chief Operating Officer in 2012, an Eastern Bank director in 2015, and Chief Executive Officer and Chair of the Board of Directors in 2017. He has also served as a trustee of Eastern Bank's predecessor holding company, Eastern Bank Corporation, since 2007. Prior to joining Eastern, from 1991 to 2005, Mr. Rivers held a number of staff and line leadership positions at M&T Bank in Buffalo, NY. Immediately prior to joining Eastern, he was an Executive Vice President for Retail Banking at the former Commercial Federal Bank in Omaha, Nebraska, following 14 years at M&T Bank. Mr. Rivers serves as Foundation Board Chair of the Dimock Center, as Chair of the Massachusetts Business Roundtable, is a member of the executive committee of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, and is a trustee of Stonehill College. He also serves on the Board of the Lowell Plan and on the Advisory Boards of the Lawrence Partnership and the JFK Library Foundation, and the Boston Women’s Workforce Council. A leader in Boston’s business community, Mr. Rivers has been recognized as a champion for social justice issues, having led the “Yes on 3” campaign to protect the rights of members of the LGBTQ+ community. He received his undergraduate degree from Stonehill College and holds an MBA from the University of Rochester.

Deborah C. Jackson, the Lead Director of Eastern Bank, has served as a director of Eastern Bank since 2000 and as a trustee of its predecessor holding company, Eastern Bank Corporation, since 2001. She served as the President of Cambridge College in Cambridge, Massachusetts from 2011 – 2023. Prior to that, Ms. Jackson served for nearly a decade as chief executive officer of the American Red Cross of Eastern Massachusetts, one of the nation's largest Red Cross units. Prior to that, she served as Vice President of the Boston Foundation where she managed its $50 million grant and initiatives program. Throughout her career, Ms. Jackson has served and continues to serve on numerous commissions, task forces and boards including the Boston Green Ribbon Commission; the Mayor's Task Force to Eliminate Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care; the "City to City" program focusing on national and global best practices for urban policies; and the American Red Cross National Diversity Advisory Council. Ms. Jackson served for over 15 years on the board of the American Student Assistance Corporation, the nation's first student loan guarantor agency; and she has served on the Boston College Carroll School of Management's Advisory Board, and the boards of Milton Academy and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. She also served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts and was a board member of the New England Chapter of The National Association of Corporate Directors. In addition, Ms. Jackson served as the Chair of the Audit Committee and on the Board of Directors of the Boston Stock Exchange. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of John Hancock Investments and on the board of the Amwell Corporation. Ms. Jackson also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Eastern Bank Foundation. Ms. Jackson attended Hampton University, graduated from Northeastern University with a B.A. and she pursued graduate studies in urban studies and planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Ms. Jackson is also the recipient of Honorary Doctorate degrees from Curry College and Merrimack Valley College. Ms. Jackson was a fellow of the British American Project of Johns Hopkins University, and previously served as a fellow of the Harvard University Advanced Leadership Institute and the Harvard University Institute for College Presidents.

Denis K. Sheahan is the Chief Executive Officer of Eastern Bankshares, Inc. and Eastern Bank. He previously served as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cambridge Trust Company and Cambridge Bancorp from 2015 until its 2024 merger with Eastern. Prior to joining Cambridge Trust Company in April 2015, Mr. Sheahan spent 19 years at Independent Bank Corp. and Rockland Trust where he served as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer. Prior to joining Rockland Trust Company, Mr. Sheahan served as Vice President of Finance for BayBanks, Inc. Mr. Sheahan currently serves as Board Trustee for the Cambridge Community Foundation, is an Advisory Board Member of the Rian Immigrant Center, and is a Board Member and Treasurer for the Cambridge Family YMCA. Mr. Sheahan also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Bankers Association, and is a Board Trustee for the Massachusetts Bankers Association Charitable Foundation, Inc. Mr. Sheahan is a graduate of the Cork Institute of Technology, Cork, Ireland, and received an MBA from Boston University.

Richard E. Holbrook currently serves as director and Chair Emeritus of Eastern Bank. Mr. Holbrook retired as Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Eastern Bank in 2016, having served in those roles since 2007. He also served as a trustee of its predecessor holding company, Eastern Bank Corporation, since 2001. Mr. Holbrook joined Eastern Bank in 1996 as Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President and was named President and Chief Operating Officer of Eastern Bank and Eastern Bank Corporation in 2001. He has more than 30 years of banking experience as a commercial lender, trust officer and planning and financial manager. During his leadership at Eastern, Mr. Holbrook served as the Federal Advisor Council representative for the First Federal Reserve District, meeting quarterly to discuss business and financial conditions with the Federal Reserve Board of Governors in Washington, D.C. Mr. Holbrook also served on the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, and on the executive committee of the Boston Chamber of Commerce. He is also the former chair of the Massachusetts Bankers Association. He received his undergraduate degree from Yale University and his MBA from Harvard Business School.

Richard C. Bane has served as a director of Eastern Bank since 2001 and as a trustee of its predecessor holding company, Eastern Bank Corporation, since 1996. He is the Executive Chairman of Bane Care Management LLC, which operates skilled nursing facilities and assisted living facilities in Massachusetts, where he was employed from 1984 through February 2023. Mr. Bane formerly served as Chairman of the Massachusetts Senior Care Association, the state’s largest professional provider group. He lectures frequently on many aspects of senior care services and postacute care and is considered one of New England’s senior care industry leaders. Mr. Bane is also involved in a wide range of corporate and community service activities, and he is a board member of Carney Hospital in Dorchester, MA. Mr. Bane holds an A.B. in Economics from Dartmouth College, and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Salem State University.

Luis Borgen has served as a director of Eastern Bank and a trustee of its predecessor holding company, Eastern Bank Corporation, since 2016. From September 2019 through April 2022, he was Chief Financial Officer for athenahealth, Inc., a leading SaaS provider of healthcare software that automates and manages revenue cycle management and electronic health records for physician practices and health systems. Prior to that, he was Chief Financial Officer for Vistaprint, an e- commerce company that produces marketing products for small businesses. Previously, he served as Chief Financial Officer for two publicly traded companies: DAVIDsTEA (from 2012-2017) and DaVita Inc. (from 2010-2012). Beginning in 1997, Mr. Borgen served in increasing roles of responsibility at Staples, Inc., leading to his appointment as Senior Vice President, Finance for the U.S. Retail business. He has served on the Boards of Directors of Carter’s, Inc., since November 2021 and Synopsys, Inc., since May 2022. Mr. Borgen served in the U.S. Air Force from 1992 to 1997 and attained the rank of Captain. He holds a B.S. in Management from the United States Air Force Academy, an M.S. in Finance from Boston College and an MBA with Honors from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Joseph T. Chung has served as a director of Eastern Bank and trustee of its predecessor holding company, Eastern Bank Corporation, since 2014. He is co-founder and chief executive officer of Kinto, a care coaching platform for family caregivers looking after loved ones with Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias, where he has served since 2019. He is also co-founder and Managing Director of Redstar Ventures, an innovative venture foundry developing a series of new companies through a topdown, market driven process, positions he has held since 2010. Prior to Kinto and Redstar, Mr. Chung was chairman and chief executive officer of Allurent and co-founder, Chairman and Chief Technology Officer of Art Technology Group, a publicly traded, global enterprise software company. Mr. Chung holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and he conducted his graduate work at MIT’s Media Lab. He is a Venture Partner at the Media Lab’s E14 Fund.

Bari A. Harlam has served as a director of Eastern Bank and a trustee of its predecessor holding company, Eastern Bank Corporation, since 2014. Ms. Harlam is the co-founder of Trouble, LLC, a position she has held since April 2020, and currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Aterian, Inc., Champion Petfoods, LP, OneWater Marine, Inc., and Rite Aid Corporation. From April 2018 to March 2020, Ms. Harlam served as the Chief Marketing Officer for Hudson's Bay Company. Prior to that, she served as the Executive Vice President of Membership, Marketing, and Analytics for BJ's Wholesale Club, beginning in 2012. Before that, she was Chief Marketing Officer at Swipely, a technology startup and served as Senior Vice President of Marketing for CVS Health Corporation. Ms. Harlam serves on the Board of Trustees of the Eastern Bank Foundation. Ms. Harlam has also served on the faculties of The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University's Graduate School of Business, and the University of Rhode Island. She received her B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, The Wharton School of Business. Her work has been published in a variety of journals including Marketing Science, Journal of Marketing Research, and the Journal of Business Research.

Marisa J. Harney has served as a director of Eastern Bankshares, Inc., since October 2023. She most recently served as Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer of First Citizens BancShares, Inc. and its bank subsidiary First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company (collectively, “First Citizens”) from January 2022 through March 2023. She previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer of CIT Group Inc. and CIT Bank, N.A. (“CIT”), from 2018 through January 2022, when CIT merged with First Citizens, and as CIT’s Chief Credit Officer prior to that. Her 42 years of banking experience also includes roles as Chief Risk Officer of GE Capital Americas and Head of Corporate Credit Risk of the Americas for Bank of America, as well as senior credit risk positions with Credit Suisse First Boston, JPMorgan Chase & Co., and Bankers Trust Company. She holds an MBA from the New York University Stern School of Business and a bachelor’s degree in finance from Fordham University.

Diane S. Hessan has served as a director of Eastern Bank and a trustee of its predecessor holding company, Eastern Bank Corporation, since 2016. She currently serves as chief executive officer of Salient Ventures, an investment and advisory company with a portfolio of angel investments focused on technology companies, a position she has held since November 2016. Previously, she was chief executive officer of Startup Institute, which is dedicated to helping people transform their careers to succeed in the innovation economy. She is also Chairman of C Space, where she was Founder and chief executive officer for 14 years. C Space (formerly Communispace) is a market research company, which builds online communities to help marketers generate consumer insights. Ms. Hessan also serves on the boards of Tufts University, MassChallenge, Panera, Brightcove, DP Cap Acquisition Corp I, The Schlesinger Group and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Ms. Hessan received her MBA from Harvard Business School and her B.A. in Economics and English from Tufts University. She has also received Honorary Doctorate degrees from Bentley University and the New England College of Business.

Peter K. Markell has served as a director of Eastern Bank and a trustee of its predecessor holding company, Eastern Bank Corporation, since 2006. He has been Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Lifespan Health Systems since January 2023. Until March 2021, he served as Executive Vice President of Administration and Finance, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer for Mass General Brigham, which he had joined in 1999. Prior to that, he was a partner at Ernst & Young LLP. A Certified Public Accountant, Mr. Markell is a Boston College graduate with a B.A. in Accounting and Finance and serves on the Boston College Board of Trustees, where he has served as both Chairman of the Board and Chairman of the Finance Committee. Mr. Markell also currently serves on the Board of Directors of Huron Consulting Group Inc., where he is a member of its Audit and Technology and Information Security Committees, and CodaMetrix, a medical coding software platform.

Leon A. Palandjian has served as a director of Eastern Bankshares, Inc. since July 2024. Dr. Palandjian is the Chief Risk Officer of Intercontinental Real Estate Corporation, a national real estate investment, development and management firm headquartered in Boston, MA. His investment experience spans venture capital and private and public equity in the life sciences and real estate sectors. Dr. Palandjian served as a Director of Cambridge Bancorp and Cambridge Trust from 2006 - 2024, and was Lead Director from 2014 until January 2017. He served as a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Mount Auburn Hospital between 2003 – 2020, and currently serves on the Advisory Board of the McCance Center for Brain Health at Mass General Brigham Hospital. He received a B.A. degree from Harvard College, and an M.D. degree from Harvard Medical School. He is a CFA Charterholder. 

Cathleen A. Schmidt has served as a director of Eastern Bankshares, Inc. since July 2024. Ms. Schmidt has extensive leadership experience in banking and professional services. She most recently served as Chief Executive Officer at McLane Middleton, the largest full-service business law firm headquartered in Manchester, New Hampshire with offices in Massachusetts. Ms. Schmidt previously served as the President and CEO of Citizens Bank New Hampshire/Vermont. In addition, she held positions at M&T Bank in upstate New York and began her career at Old Stone Bank in Providence, Rhode Island. She has a passion for the community, and has served as Chair of the Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire, Chair of Granite United Way Board of Directors, and Chair of the New Hampshire Business Committee for the Arts. She served as a Director of Cambridge Bancorp and Cambridge Trust from 2016 - 2024. Ms. Schmidt received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Boston College, and completed Executive Education coursework at Harvard Business School.

Linda M. Williams has served as a director of Eastern Bankshares, Inc. since October 2023. She most recently served as Chief Risk and Audit Officer and Senior Vice President for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (“BCBS”), with oversight of strategic enterprise risk management, internal audit, and information security, from January 2017 through January 2024. She previously served as Senior Vice President and Chief Underwriter for BCBS starting in 2010 after joining the company in 2008. Prior to that, she served as a Senior Consultant with Medwise Partners, a health insurance company consulting firm, and held underwriting leadership roles for Magellan Behavioral Health and Aetna, Inc. She has been a member of the Board of Directors of SmileDirectClub since June 2022, and she serves on its Audit Committee. She also serves on the Board of Directors of Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries and as Trustee and Treasurer for the Robert F. Kennedy Children’s Action Corps. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Johns Hopkins University.

Andy S. Zelleke has served as a director of Eastern Bankshares, Inc. since July 2024. Dr. Zelleke has three decades of experience in corporate governance, leadership and management, negotiation and law. He serves as the MBA Class of 1962 Senior Lecturer of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, a role he has held since 2011, after previously serving on the faculty at the Harvard Kennedy School and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He was also previously Project Director and Steering Committee Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences’ Corporate Responsibility Project, and Co-Director of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership. Dr. Zelleke co-edited Restoring Trust in American Business (MIT Press), in addition to authoring articles and cases on corporate governance and international affairs. He is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Early in his career, he practiced corporate law and taught at the UCLA School of Law. He served on the boards of Cambridge Bancorp and Cambridge Trust from 2022 - 2024. Dr. Zelleke received A.B., A.M., J.D. and Ph.D. degrees from Harvard University.