JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM) announced today that it has appointed former U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean as Chair of its Midwest business. In this role, Bean will be the firm’s Senior Executive across its businesses and functions in the region – focusing on building and strengthening the firm’s business and brand in the Midwest United States.

Most recently, Bean was President and CEO of the Executives Club of Chicago, a 100-year-old business forum of CEOs and senior executives of local companies. Previously, she served three terms as a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from the 8th District of Illinois and was a leader on the House Financial Services and Small Business Committees.

Jamie Dimon, Chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase, said: “Melissa is a proven business and civic leader with deep roots in the Midwest, which makes her exceptionally well-suited to help us continue to serve customers, businesses and communities in this very important region.”

Doug Petno, CEO of the company’s Commercial Banking business, added, “We’ve been serving the Midwest region for more than 150 years and we are fortunate to have a leader join us with strong ties to the local business community, government officials and residents. Melissa’s perseverance, hard work and integrity will be a perfect complement to our executives and bankers.”

Among her other responsibilities, Bean will help recruit top talent in the region, oversee the firm’s charitable contribution budget, coordinate public affairs initiatives, maintain strategic partnerships, and continue important relationships with regional elected officials.

Before Congress, Bean managed and consulted high tech organizations for more than 20 years. In 1995, she founded SRI, which specialized in sales channel optimization to Fortune 1000 high tech clients. Prior to that, she managed sales organizations at Dataflex, SynOptics, Motorola/UDS, and Arrow Electronics.

Bean is a member of The Chicago Network, The Chicago Club, and The University Club of Chicago, and is Vice Chair of the Board for One Million Degrees (formerly the Illinois Education Foundation). She regularly keynotes at business and academic conferences and is on the World Business Chicago Steering Committee for Economic Growth and Jobs, started by Mayor Emanuel.

She received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa, from Roosevelt University.

About JPMorgan Chase

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) is a leading global financial services firm with assets of $2.5 trillion and operations worldwide. The Firm is a leader in investment banking, financial services for consumers and small businesses, commercial banking, financial transaction processing, and asset management. A component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, JPMorgan Chase & Co. serves millions of consumers in the United States and many of the world's most prominent corporate, institutional and government clients under its J.P. Morgan and Chase brands. Information about JPMorgan Chase & Co. is available at www.jpmorganchase.com.