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It’s rare to meet individuals like Irvin Ashford in person. The New York City native and University of Texas graduate will tell you that his role as VP of public affairs for Comerica Bank is just one of many. Ashford is a British American Project fellow and will be spending two weeks in November in the U.K., with some of the other young, brilliant business minds of the U.S. He is also an adjunct professor of business at Paul Quinn College.

At Comerica, where he has worked for the past seven years, Ashford leads a team in the Community Reinvestment Act unit. Ashford and his staff are charged with helping Comerica focus on meeting the diverse needs of the citizens and the communities the bank serves.

“Comerica’s vision is that we are in business to help people be successful,” says Ashford, who holds both a master’s degree in public affairs and an MBA. “As part of that vision, it’s my mission to bring ideas to the table that create opportunities for Comerica to reach out to the community. How often do individuals of low- to moderate-income communities get to meet a banker? In many of our communities that opportunity to interact with a financial expert is few and far between. We are committed to helping bridge or shorten that gap.”

For an all-world businessmen it would be hard not get cocky, but someone with Ashford’s intelligence knows better. “I’m a real believer in ‘walk softly and carry a big stick.’ I’m not going to be the guy you see at every event,” he says. “I don’t want the microphone to get up on stage and tell people what I’ve done. I do what I do and at the end of the day, like grandma said, ‘The proof is in the pudding.’ ” - gavin p. godfrey

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