Muriel Garr
Financial Expert, Media Personality,
Community Development Professional
Muriel Garr:
A Woman Who Lives Beyond the Bling
Muriel Garr is the Senior Vice President and Regional Community Development Manager for SunTrust Bank, Greater Washington/Maryland. In this capacity she is responsible for overseeing the Bank's community development programs for the greater Washington market, managing the implementation of the strategic direction of the Bank's initiatives focusing on the sustainable economic development of low and moderate income communities. Ms. Garr serves as the Bank's primary liaison within the company regarding community development issues, communicating with influential leaders and groups, then interprets and evaluates market needs and determines SunTrust's role in servicing those needs.
A 30-year veteran of the financial services industry, Muriel chairs the Bank’s Greater Washington/Maryland Inclusion Council and serves on numerous boards and committees of organizations focused on financial empowerment, homeownership, community and economic development. Ms. Garr was a past President of the Metropolitan Washington Bankers Group, a membership organization comprised of community development officers from financial institutions in the Washington metropolitan area. Under her leadership the Group founded the Northern Virginia Affordable Housing Alliance, a nonprofit advocacy group comprised of financial institutions, community based organizations, government agencies and other stakeholders concerned about the production and preservation of affordable housing in Northern Virginia.
In addition to her industry efforts, Muriel is the host of “Beyond The Bling - Financial Wisdom For Women” a weekly 30‐minute talk show airing on H.U.R. Voices Sirius XM Channel 141. Designed to provide women with the resources they need to build wealth, “Beyond the Bling” is a quick moving, witty, discussion highlighting the financial triumphs and challenges women face.
A 2007 graduate of the Harvard Senior Executives in State and Local Government program, Ms. Garr is the mother of two children. Her son is an Ervin Scholars graduate from Washington University in St. Louis. Her daughter is a graduate from Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, NC.