Ellen Fitzsimmons

Board Chair - VCU President Appointee

Chief Legal Officer and Head of Public Affairs, Truist Financial Corporation, Retired

Ellen Fitzsimmons is the retired Chief Legal Officer and Head of Public Affairs of Truist Financial Corporation, serving in that role from 2019 to 2023, after a similar role at SunTrust Banks before its 2019 merger into Truist.

Ms. Fitzsimmons joined CSX Corporation in 1991 and spent 27 years there, most of those as Executive Vice President of Law and Public Affairs, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary, overseeing legal affairs, government relations, corporate communications, security, environmental, audit, and corporate social responsibility functions for the Jacksonville, Florida based transportation company.

She began her legal career with the law firm Hunton & Williams in Richmond, Virginia, after earning a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center and a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech.

Ms. Fitzsimmons has served on the Board of Directors of Missouri-based public utility, Ameren Corporation, since 2009 and currently serves as its Lead Director. She also serves on the boards of Friends of the High Line in New York, the Richmond Ballet, and the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges. Ms. Fitzsimmons previously served on VCU’s Board of Visitors from 2022 to 2026, including as Rector from 2025 to 2026, and on the board of directors of the VCU Health System Authority through June 30, 2026. She also is a former member of the Board of Trustees of Washington and Lee University, and former Chair of The Bolles School.