Washington Trust Bancorp, Inc. Elects Howes to Board of Directors

WESTERLY, R.I., April 25, 2018 -- Washington Trust Bancorp, Inc., (NASDAQ:WASH), the bank holding company for The Washington Trust Company, has announced the election of Constance A. Howes, Esq., past President and CEO of Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, to the respective Boards of Directors of the Corporation and the Bank. Howes serves as a member of the Corporation’s Audit and Compensation Committees.

“We are pleased and honored to have Constance as a member of our Board of Directors,” stated Edward O. Handy III, Washington Trust Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Her extensive legal expertise and broad experience as an executive and leader of various non-profit, industry and government entities, will serve us well.”

Howes has more than 20 years of experience as an executive of two large healthcare organizations, including, most recently as Executive Vice President of Women’s Health for Care New England Health System, the health system comprised of Women & Infants Hospital, Butler Hospital, Kent Hospital, The Providence Center, Care New England Wellness Center and VNA of Care New England. Previously, she served for 11 years as President and Chief Executive Officer of Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island. Prior to working in healthcare, Howes practiced business law in Providence, RI. She is currently an Adjunct Professor at Roger Williams School of Law, teaching Health Law and Policy, and is a Faculty Advisor for the Brown University Executive Master of Healthcare Leadership program.

A dedicated community leader, Howes donates her time and expertise to a number of board affiliations. She previously served on the Board of Trustees of the American Hospital Association - the national policy and advocacy organization that represents and serves all types of hospitals, health care networks, and their patients and communities, and as the Chair of the RI Governor’s Workforce Board - the primary workforce development policy-making body for the State of Rhode Island. She also served on the boards of numerous community organizations including Innovation Providence, the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce, the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council, the Providence College President’s Council, and the Rhode Island Commodores. Howes graduated magna cum laude from Kenyon College and received her J.D. degree from the University of Virginia School Of Law. In 2014, Women & Infants Hospital created the Constance A. Howes Women’s Health Innovation Research Fund in her name, to support research studies that advance women’s health and gender-based research.

ABOUT WASHINGTON TRUST BANCORP, INC.
Washington Trust Bancorp, Inc. is the parent of The Washington Trust Company, with $4.5 billion in assets as of March 31, 2018. Founded in 1800, Washington Trust is the oldest community bank in the nation, the largest state-chartered bank headquartered in Rhode Island and one of the Northeast’s premier financial services companies. Washington Trust offers a full range of financial services, including commercial banking, mortgage banking, personal banking and wealth management and trust services through its offices located in Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts. The Corporation’s common stock trades on NASDAQ under the symbol WASH. Investor information is available on the Corporation’s web site at www.washtrustbancorp.com.

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