Dorothy Savarese

Dorothy Savarese is executive chair of Cape Cod 5, a position she has held since 2005. She recently stepped down from her position as CEO after 17 years leading the community bank, which has grown to more than $4.6 billion in assets with 550 employees in 26 locations. Savarese first joined the bank in 1993 as a commercial lender following an early career in economic development. In 2021, Savarese was named one of the 25 Most Powerful Women in Banking by American Banker magazine, for the tenth consecutive year. She was appointed by Governor Charlie Baker to the Massachusetts Commission on Clean Heat, the first of its kind in the nation. Savarese currently serves as president of the board of the Cape Cod Climate Change Collaborative, and is an appointed member of the eight-person Barnstable County American Rescue Plan Act Advisory Committee. She is a past president of the Federal Reserve Board’s Community Depository Institutions Advisory Council, and a past chair of the American Bankers Association and the Massachusetts Bankers Association. She also is known for her mentoring and leadership development efforts, and established a nationally recognized college internship program at Cape Cod 5. Savarese, who earned her MBA from Suffolk University, was awarded an honorary degree in 2021. She has served on boards of the Cape Cod Regional Chamber of Commerce, Cape Cod Healthcare, Cape Cod Community College, the Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra, the Regional Employment Board of the Cape and Islands, and the Housing Assistance Corporation.