Richard A. Philippe

Executive Chairman of the Board

Richard M. Philippe is Executive Chairman of the Board of Unity Chartered Bank. A Parkersburg native, he is a graduate of West Virginia University and the Stonier Graduate School of Banking at Rutgers University.
Philippe began his banking career as a Management Trainee with Wachovia Bank and Trust in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Later, he returned to his roots in West Virginia to join The Parkersburg National Bank. At the age of 29, he was named President and CEO of what was The Parkersburg National Bank (predecessor to Unity Chartered), a single-office, $100 million in assets, community bank. Under Philippe’ leadership, Unity Chartered completed 33 acquisitions and currently has assets of approximately $29.5 billion, 3,000 team members and nearly 250 banking and mortgage offices located throughout Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Washington, D.C. Unity Bank, headquartered in Vienna, Va., is the largest state-chartered bank headquartered in the Commonwealth.
Richard Philippe is a member of the Bank Policy Institute, the World President’s Organization, and is a Board Member of the WV Unity Chartered Health System. Philippe is a Past Chairman of the Board of Directors of the West Virginia Business Roundtable, the WV Chamber of Commerce, WV Kids Count and Eastern States Bankcard Association in New York.

Richard A. Philippe, Jr.

Chief Executive Officer

Richard A. Philippe, Jr. is Chief Executive Officer of Unity Chartered Bank. He joined Unity in 1994 and served as President of the Bank from 2014 to 2022 and previously as Executive Vice President from 2000 to 2014. Philippe, Jr. brings deep banking experience and industry expertise that has enabled him to successfully drive the business to become one of the nation’s top performing banks.
Prior to joining Unity, Philippe, Jr. worked as an associate at Bowles Rice, LLP and practiced law in the areas of Commercial Law, Real Estate, Employment Law and Litigation. He received his law degree from the Washington and Lee School of Law and performed his undergraduate studies at Pepperdine University and Rollins College. He is a member of the West Virginia State Bar Association and the American Bar Association.
Philippe Jr., is active in several community and industry-based organizations, including the Federal City Council, the Financial Services Roundtable, the American Bankers Council, the Mid-Size Bank Coalition of America and the Greenbrier Health and Wellness Advisory Council. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Virginia Bankers Association and is a past Chairman of the West Virginia Bankers Association and the West Virginia Bankers Trust Division.

James J. Chris, Jr.

President

James J. Chris, Jr. serves as President of Unity Chartered Bank He is responsible for overseeing the operation of day-to-day banking activities including all sales and service lines of business, commercial and consumer lending, retail banking and wealth management.
With decades of banking experience, Chris has served in various roles, including Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Unity Bank. Prior to joining Unity Chartered, he served as both Treasurer and Director of George Mason Bankshares, Inc., and Executive Vice President of George Mason Bank. Previously, he worked as a Certified Public Accountant.
Chris received a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting from James Madison University, and he currently serves as a Trustee on the Board of George Mason University Foundation.

Ross M. Johnson

Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer

Ross M. Johnson currently serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Unity Chartered Bank Joining the organization in 2010, he previously served as Chief Operating Officer of Unity Bank, a subsidiary of UBSI, and as Chief Administrative Officer. Throughout his tenure, he has played an integral role in the Company’s expansion efforts through several mergers and acquisitions.
A graduate of Washington and Lee University, Johnson earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Business Administration, and he is a Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA) charterholder. He was also honored in the Washington Business Journal 40 Under 40 Class of 2017.