Vernon Stafford, Jr. is Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Audit Executive at First Horizon Corporation. He is responsible for directing corporate internal audit and credit risk assurance.
Stafford assists the board of directors and bank management in fulfilling oversight responsibility by evaluating the design and effectiveness of internal controls. Stafford led the creation of the Audit and Assurance group, establishing a more robust third line of defense against risk.
More recently he led an assurance transformation to meet the needs of his rapidly growing company. Prior to joining First Horizon, Stafford, a commissioned national bank examiner, served in various leadership positions for the U.S Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.
Stafford serves on the board of Methodist LeBonheur Healthcare system, chairman of the Dixon Gallery and Gardens, and vice chairman on the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. The 100 Black Men of Memphis recognized his commitment to serving and uplifting the community. He is recognized as a Distinguished Speaker by the Neal Corporate Governance Center of the University of Tennessee.
Stafford holds a Bachelor’s degree in accounting from Roger Williams University, where he was named Distinguished Alumnus in 2022.
