Chairman
Atlantic Capital Bank
Mr. Deriso is the Chairman and a Director of Atlantic Capital Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ) and Atlantic Capital Bank in Atlanta, a position he has held since their founding in October 2006. He served as their Executive Chairman from October 2006 to June 2013 and has served as the Non-Executive Chairman since June 2013. Atlantic Capital Bank opened in May 2007 with capital in excess of $125 million, the largest capital raise for a de novo bank in U.S. history.
He is a graduate of Emory College and Emory University Law School. He is currently an emeritus member of the Board of Trustees of Emory University, where he has served as a Trustee since 2002. He was the Chairman of Campaign Emory from 2005-2012, which was successful in raising $1.697 Billion, the largest capital campaign in Georgia’s history. In 2013 he received the Emory Medal. In 2017 he was recognized by Emory Law School in its centennial celebration as one of the Emory Law 100.
He practiced law in Albany, Georgia from 1972 to January 1991, when he left his law practice to become the President and CEO of Security Bank, a Synovus bank, where he served from 1991 to 1997. He served as a Director of Security Bank from 1980 until 2006 and served as Chairman from 1997-2006. From 1997 to February 2005, Mr. Deriso served as Vice Chairman of Synovus Financial Corp. (NYSE), a diversified financial services company, in Columbus, Georgia. He served as a member of the board of directors of Synovus.
Mr. Deriso is a past Chairman of the Board of the Georgia Bankers Association. He served on the Board of Directors of Post Properties, a NYSE REIT, from 2004 through 2016. He was an original board member in 1999 of the Board of Directors of the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority and has served as its Chairman since 2001. In 2013 he became a member of the Board of Curators of the Georgia Historical Society and served as Chairman of the Board in 2018 and 2019. He currently is serving on the Board of the Task Force for Global Health.
He is currently on the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, and served as the Chairman in 2019. In 2011 he was listed in Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 100 Most Influential Atlantans. He was recognized as a Most Admired CEO by Atlanta Business Chronicle in 2017.
He was a founding member of the Rotary Club of Dougherty County, Georgia in 1987 and served as its President 1988-1989. In 2008 he became a member of the Rotary Club of Atlanta and served as its President 2015-16. From 2015-2017 he served as Vice-Chairman of the Host Organizing Committee of the Rotary International Convention which was held in Atlanta in June 2017. He is a Paul Harris Fellow, a Will Watt Fellow, and has received the Service Above Self Award. He was recognized by the Rotary Club of Atlanta with the Ivan Allen Club Service Award and the Marion Collier Ross Leadership Award for exhibiting the highest moral and ethical leadership.
He is married to the former Judy Holman of Albany. In 2017 he and Judy celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. They are the parents of three sons, and their sons and daughters-in-law have made them the proud grandparents of ten grandchildren. They maintain a home in Albany, Georgia as well as Atlanta.