Haworth College of Business Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award

Rhonda Davenport Johnson, B.B.A.’84, MBA’93
Executive Vice President, National Director, Retail Banking, Comerica Bank

Rhonda Davenport Johnson is the executive vice president, national director, retail banking, for Comerica Bank. A 35-year veteran of Comerica Bank, Davenport Johnson has held positions of increasing scope and responsibility in banking center management retail operations, and consumer and small business lending. She is accountable for the development and leadership of the retail banking center and customer contact center activities nationwide, including customer experience, operational excellence and revenue growth responsibilities. She also oversees more than 400 of Comerica’s banking centers, which employ nearly 2,600 employees and hold over $27 billion in deposits. She has distinguished herself as someone who can align teams with an organizational vision and lead with integrity, devising innovative ways to positively impact staff and customers and emphasizing the importance of collaboration and diversity in achieving success. 

Davenport Johnson is a board member for Vista Maria, which includes the Michigan Abolitionist Project. The two agencies are working together to prevent and end human trafficking in Michigan and serve its survivors. She champions diversity as the executive sponsor of an initiative at Comerica Bank for the South Asian market in Texas, and as a previous chairperson for Comerica’s African American Network and a leader of the company’s Michigan African American Business segmentation team. 

She previously chaired the Hospice of Michigan Foundation Board of Directors and is a former trustee of the Urban League of Detroit and Southeastern Michigan Board of Directors. A calling for Rhonda and her husband Chris is seeking restoration for those victimized by modern-day slavery, raising awareness and educating the public about its affliction on humanity. Throughout her career, Davenport Johnson has mentored scores of employees and shared her inspirational career journey with the next generation of leaders.   

Davenport Johnson holds an MBA and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Western Michigan University. She is also a graduate of the Consumer Bankers Association Executive Banking School. She currently serves on the WMU Foundation Board of Directors and was a prior member of the WMU Alumni Association Board. Throughout her career, Davenport Johnson has been recognized with a multitude of awards including Haworth College of Business Marketing Hall of Fame Award, Diversity Champion for The Community House Race Relations and Diversity Task Force, Michigan Chronicle’s Women of Excellence honoree, Women Worth Watching in Diversity Journal, Top 25 Women of Dallas and the Dale Carnegie Highest Achievement Award.