Joseph J. Thomas
President & CEO of Bay Bank, F.S.B.
Joseph J. Thomas, CFA, is President and CEO of Bay Bank.
Mr. Thomas, a founding shareholder of Bay Bancorp, was formerly Managing Director of Hovde Private Equity Advisors, a private equity company focused on financial service company investments and community banks. Mr. Thomas serves on the board of several bank holding companies including H Bancorp, a multi-bank investment holding company and successor entity to Hovde Private Equity Advisors, and FirstAtlantic Financial Holdings, Inc., a community bank based in Jacksonville, Florida.
Mr. Thomas has a distinguished career in corporate finance and investment management. Mr. Thomas spent 20 years with the Wachovia Corporation, where he served as Managing Director and Head of Financial Institutions Investment Banking for Wachovia Securities, Executive Vice President and Head of Global Corporate Finance, Group Executive and Head of Debt Capital Markets, among other corporate finance, capital markets and investment management positions. In these roles, he was responsible for merger and acquisitions, equity capital markets, private equity, fixed income and corporate banking activities with U.S. banks, asset management firms, insurance companies, and specialty finance clients. He was also responsible for investment management and transaction execution of Wachovia’s loan syndications, securitization, leasing, and debt private placement businesses.
Mr. Thomas holds a Masters of Business Administration degree from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Virginia. In addition, he is a Chartered Financial Analyst and a National Association of Corporate Directors Governance Fellow. He is a member of the Lending Committee of Independent Community Bankers of America, serves as a Trustee of the Saint Stephens and Saint Agnes School Foundation and is an Emeritus Trustee of the College of Arts and Sciences Foundation at the University of Virginia.