Drinal Foster
SVP, Technology Workforce Engagement Leader
Wells Fargo
Drinal (Dra-Nell) Foster is a Senior Vice President in Wealth & Investment Management Technology and is responsible for driving global forward-leaning employee engagement and employee experience strategies for building a high-performance workforce, anchored in diversity, equity & inclusion (DE&I).
A 28-year Wells Fargo veteran, Drinal started her financial services career at the company on the frontline as a teller. Throughout her career, she has led various business functions and geographically disbursed teams across the globe. She brings 20 years of advanced leadership experience in the fields of Human Resources, DE&I and Treasury Management.
Drinal is active in a variety of professional and non-profit organizations. She’s a board member of Wells Fargo’s Black & African American Connection Enterprise Leadership Team. Here she serves as a Regional Chair with over 1,200 members. In addition, she is a member of Wells Fargo’s Public Affairs Council for Minnesota and has responsibilities in charitable giving.
Drinal is a founding board member of Twin Cities Black Affinity Network Development Day (TC BANDD) which is a cross-sector of employee resource network (ERN) leaders from Fortune 200 organizations committed to professional development. She’s also a member of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport’s Traveler Advisory Committee offering insights on customer travel experiences.
Since 2016, she has mentored high school students with Girls Taking Action™ at Patrick Henry High School in North Minneapolis. She’s serves on the executive committee for the Cookie Cart and for the Minnesota Black Chamber of Commerce boards of directors. Drinal is also a member of the Board of Trustees for the Science Museum of Minnesota.
In 2023, the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal named Drinal as an influential business leader and gave her top honors with the distinguished Women in Business award. They also recognized her as one of the “Top Black Leaders” in the Twin Cities market. She has been honored with the “Celebrating The Sistas” community leadership award for outstanding achievements. In 2020, she was recognized as a Minnesota Civic Leader by the Citizens League and selected as a 2019 Minnesota Young American Leader Program in partnership with Harvard Business School & the University of Minnesota. In 2018, Drinal received Wells Fargo’s coveted Diversity Champion Award for her unwavering commitment to DE&I. She is also a three-time Wells Fargo Sales & Service award winner (the top 1% of all company employees).
Internally & externally, Drinal speaks about Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, career mobility and financial literacy.
Drinal holds a degree in Organizational Leadership and Communication from Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, Minnesota. She is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), has credentials as a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and is a Certified Professional (SHRM-CP).
A native of Seattle, Washington, Drinal currently resides in Minneapolis. She has interest in traveling, interior design, mindfulness and the arts.