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John Bell is a managing director and market executive leading Merrill’s Venture Services Group based in San Francisco, with additional presence in New York and Boston. Bell’s team is dedicated exclusively to the brokerage and custody needs of the private equity and venture capital communities. Previously, Bell was a member of the Bank of America Prime Brokerage leadership team and head of the Americas Account Management group, responsible for managing the financing relationships of the firm’s Global Equities franchise.

Bell has more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. In 2006, he was hired to launch and build the firm’s West Coast prime brokerage offering in San Francisco, where he was responsible for origination sales and relationship management in the western U.S. Prior to joining the bank, Bell held sales and leadership positions with other major investment banks in New York and San Francisco.

In addition, Bell is currently Enterprise Co-chair of Bank of America’s Inter-Generational Network (IGEN), leading a global organization comprised of 24 chapters and more than 16,000 members. IGEN is focused on issues that include raising awareness of generational diversity, attracting and retaining top talent, building an inclusive workplace culture, and providing tools and resources to BofA’s clients and community partners. He also serves on BofA’s LGBT Executive Leadership Council.

In 2017, after previously serving as vice president of the St. Mary’s College of Maryland Foundation, Bell was appointed by Maryland Governor Larry Hogan to the Board of Trustees of the St. Mary’s College of Maryland. Bell is also director emeritus of the Edgewood Center for Children & Families in San Francisco, where he most recently served as chairman of the board. Edgewood was founded in 1851 as a Gold Rush orphanage and now provides for the mental health needs of over 9,000 Bay Area children and families each year. He is also a founding sponsor of the GLBT History Museum in San Francisco, the first of its kind in the U.S.

Bell earned a B.A. in public policy from St. Mary’s College of Maryland, and was awarded an executive education certificate in governing for nonprofit excellence from Harvard Business School.