Darren Easton leads BMO’s Inclusive Segments Team, which drives the bank’s strategy across its businesses to meet the unique needs of individuals from different socio-economic groups.
Before joining BMO, Darren was a Managing Director at the Financial Health Network. He advised some of the world’s largest and most innovative financial service institutions and researched new products, services, and operational strategies to improve people’s financial health.
Darren has also served in state government in Wisconsin as the policy advisor for the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority, developing new financial products and services for community and economic development projects and advising the executive director and governor. At the height of the Great Recession, he was the state’s Director of Statewide Competitive Recovery Operations where he oversaw private sector and local government applications for funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
A native of Oxford, Ohio, Darren holds a B.A. in History and a minor in Black World Studies from Miami University. After college, he spent two years in Opelousas, Louisiana as a Teach For America corps member before earning a Master of Public Policy Degree from the University of Michigan. Darren currently lives in Oak Park, Illinois with his wife, Meghan, and their three children. When he’s not hanging out with them, he can usually be found playing pick-up soccer or listening to podcasts while loading the dishwasher. He has coached Scaling Social Innovation at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business and U10 soccer with equal intensity.