Prominent banker honored for influence in industry and community

TAMPA — Well-known area banker Rita Lowman has been named the Tampa Bay Chamber’s woman of influence for 2021.

Lowman is now president of Tampa-based Pilot Bank and in her career has managed or been part of 22 acquisitions, including the Nations Bank, Barnett Bank deal in 1997.

Last year she was named to the board of directors of the American Bankers Association and is serving as vice chairwoman of the ABA’s Government Relations Council. She’ll take over as chairwoman in 2022, according to a statement. 

“Rita is a 40+ year banker who has blazed trails for the industry throughout her career,” the chamber says in a release.

In addition to her roles on several area banking and business boards and associations, “Rita is passionate about the community and in her role, as chair of Cattle Barons’ Ball and Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, she and her team raised over $4 million for the American Cancer Society.”

The Dottie Berger MacKinnon Woman of Influence Award rewards “a woman whose leadership has made a positive impact in Hillsborough County.”

MacKinnon, of Tampa, was a former Hillsborough County commissioner, an advocate for women and one of the founders of Joshua House and A Kids Place, according to her entry in the Florida Women’s Hall of Fame.

She died in 2013.

The award “pays tribute to an individual who exemplifies outstanding professional values; demonstrates the ability to go above and beyond the normal expectations of a leader; and serves as an inspiration to the community,” the chamber says.