Angel Birch

Angel Birch, SVP and Director of Learning and Leadership Development at Seacoast Bank, helps the organization navigate growth, transformation, and AI adoption through culture, leadership, and continuous learning. She leads internal communications, talent development and associate readiness, equipping associates with information, tools and resources to support business goals, serve customers and strengthen culture.

A Career Built at the Intersection of People and Business

Birch began her banking career at Bank of America, where she spent 13 years, starting in the Consumer Bank as a Personal Banker and progressing through a series of learning and leadership development roles. More than half of that tenure was spent as a Leadership Development Client Manager, partnering across lines of business to design solutions tied to customer and financial outcomes. She later served as Leadership and Colleague Development Manager at Sage before joining Seacoast.

Birch holds a Master of Science in Human Resource Development from Villanova University and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park. She is also a DFSS Six Sigma Green Belt, MBTI certified, and holds a Leadership and Performance Coaching Certification from Brown University. Together, these experiences and her background in organizational development, talent management, and change management shaped her belief that the most effective development strategies are grounded in business realities, reinforced by leaders, and deeply connected to organizational culture.

Turning a Major Conversion into a Readiness Success

That philosophy became especially visible during Seacoast’s Citizens First Bank conversion, which closed in July. The transaction added approximately 400 associates, increasing Seacoast’s workforce by about 24 percent, from roughly 1,600 to approximately 2,000 FTE. Birch’s teams provided learning, communications and readiness support for incoming and existing associates.

“ Technology can enhance the experience, but people make it exceptional. Readiness turns that belief into action by connecting culture, capability and change at enterprise scale. “

Beyond training, they helped people understand what was changing and why, supplied resources and prepared associates to serve customers confidently during significant organizational change. The conversion showed the value of treating readiness as a coordinated enterprise discipline rather than a final step before launch.

Learning That Meets People Where They Are

Across Seacoast, Birch combines varied, relevant development with associate ownership. Experiences include self-paced digital learning, live virtual sessions, in-person workshops, coaching and peer-to-peer support. Every new associate receives a peer coach to help navigate the written and unwritten aspects of the organization and their role.

Microlearning and just-in-time resources support learning in the flow of work, while scenarios connect skills to customer moments: leaders coach and support associateowned development.

Preparing People to Work Responsibly with AI

Birch applies the same human-centered discipline to artificial intelligence. In a regulated industry, Seacoast is approaching AI readiness and adoption intentionally, pairing clear guardrails with learning and communication. Early efforts focus on awareness, risk considerations and relevant use cases to reduce uncertainty and build confidence.

Next, Seacoast is expanding fluency so associates can identify responsible opportunities to make work easier, improve efficiency and strengthen output quality. Successful adoption, for Birch, requires informed leaders, capable associates and a culture that encourages curiosity while respecting risk.

Culture and Leadership Make Change Stick

Birch engages senior leaders early as thought partners and co-designers so development priorities reflect business needs. Leaders receive insights into capability opportunities and program impact, while visibly advocating and modeling learning. This shared ownership connects transformation to Seacoast’s mission of helping people improve their lives and build a better community.

As the bank marks its centennial, Birch’s work shows how culture supports growth, innovation and change. Her contributions to the profession and 11 years at Seacoast earned industry recognition, including selection for the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s 2025 BusinessWoman of the Year cohort. Technology can enhance the experience, but people make it exceptional.