An amazing opportunity at Regions Bank put a move from Pennsylvania to Alabama on my radar, but one thing stood in the way: my faith.
My wife and I are Jewish, and we were concerned we’d lose the religious community we had surrounding us in Pittsburgh. But upon visiting Birmingham, we found exactly what we needed, and more.
Living in Alabama has allowed me to build meaningful connections in my work, my faith and in public service.
My professional experience centers on artificial intelligence (AI). My team and I serve Regions’ mission of making life better for our customers, associates and communities by making sure our mathematical models perform well.
Working with colleagues who share the same vision, passion and dedication deepens my connection to them and our purpose here in Alabama. Recently, we wrote this article sharing four key ways Regions is leveraging the benefits of AI to better serve consumers while creating exciting new employment opportunities.
AI is part of our growth. And it’s creating new opportunities for prosperous careers both within Regions and throughout Alabama.
My family and I worship at our synagogue in Birmingham every week. I have the pleasure to serve as a member of the Board of Directors of the Levite Jewish Community Center and as a member of the CEO Search Committee for the Birmingham Jewish Federation.
Through worship and service, my faith has grounded me at home in Alabama.
Most recently, I was honored to receive an appointment by Gov. Kay Ivey to serve on the Alabama Commission on Artificial Intelligence and Associated Technologies. I’m humbled to learn from esteemed commissioners and to share my knowledge of artificial intelligence to serve the citizens of Alabama in this important and growing field.
Whether reviewing computer code with my colleagues at Regions, walking with my children to worship at our neighborhood synagogue, or strategizing with fellow commissioners in Montgomery on how to best develop an AI-ready workforce, I’m at home in Alabama every day.

Jacob Kosoff serves as head of Model Risk Management and Validation for Regions Bank. Kosoff and his team work to ensure that mathematical models used at Regions perform well in supporting and enhancing a wide range of functions and services. He also works to develop, coach and mentor talent, with alumni from his team serving in a variety of current roles across the bank.
An original version of this commentary appeared on This is Alabama.