Deb Barnes in

Deb Barnes

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VP US Consumer Services Data Office at American Express
📍 San Antonio, Texas, United States

Deb Barnes is a senior executive and the VP of the US Consumer Services Data Office at American Express, with over 20 years of experience in financial services. Holding a Ph. D. from UT Dallas, she specializes in AI and data transformation, having previously served as Chief Data Officer at USAA. Colleagues describe her as visionary, strategic, and intelligent.

As a proud alumna of UT Dallas, Deb is a lifelong advocate for advancing data and AI education. She actively bridges the gap between academic innovation and industry application by serving as an Advisory Board Member on the universitys AI Council, where she helps shape AI research and curriculum.

Unique fact: Deb founded a firm to serve as a fractional Chief Data & AI Officer for community and regional banks.

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Experience
9 Years
Current Role
VP US Consumer Services Data Office
Job Level
Senior
Location
San Antonio, Texas, United States
Personality Overview

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Priorities

Topics Deb cares about

AI in Banking
Built and scaled the first AI/ML organization at USAA, delivering over $50M in business value through use cases like fraud detection and sentiment analysis.
Data Governance
Focuses on strengthening data foundations and modernizing governance. She has experience closing numerous regulatory issues and significantly reducing data compliance costs.
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Career

Work history

11-2025
VP US Consumer Services Data Office
American Express
10-2025
Advisory Board Member, AI Council
Naveen Jindal School of Management, UT Dallas
4-2025 - 11-2025
Founder & Fractional Chief Data & AI Officer
Stellara Strategy
5-2021 - 4-2025
Chief Data Officer - Consumer Banking
USAA
6-2019 - 5-2021
Head of Bank Data Science (AI/ML), Data Strategy and Data Compliance
USAA
In the press

Media appearances

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Education
2002 - 2007
Ph.D.
Naveen Jindal School of Management, UT Dallas
8-2002 - 7-2004
Master of Science - MS
Naveen Jindal School of Management, UT Dallas
Social presence
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Behavioral profile

DISC profile (public)

DISC behavioral profile

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