With over 26 years of experience, Krista Snelling serves as President and Chief Executive Officer and as a member of the Board of Directors of West Coast Community Bank. Ms. Snelling joined the Bank in March 2021.

Ms. Snelling currently serves as the Immediate Past Chair of the California Bankers Association. Additionally, she serves on the Board of the Monterey Bay Economic Partnership, the Finance Committee of the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County, and the Executive Advisory Council of the University of the Pacific Eberhardt School of Business, where she is a frequent guest lecturer. She is a member of the Cabrillo College Foundation President's Circle and Rotary Club of Santa Cruz.

Ms. Snelling graduated from the University of the Pacific with a Bachelor of Science degree with a double major in Mathematics and Economics. She also holds a Master of Arts degree in Economics from the University of California, Davis and is a California Certified Public Accountant (inactive).

Ms. Snelling was named in American Banker Magazine's Most Powerful Women in Banking Watch List for 2024, for the second year. Additionally, Ms. Snelling and members of the Bank's executive team received American Banker Magazine's Most Powerful Women in Banking Top Teams Award for 2023. Ms. Snelling was recognized by the Silicon Valley Business Journal in 2023, making their Power 100 List, and in 2022 as a Woman of Influence. In 2020, she was named as a Sacramento Business Journal Woman Who Means Business and was awarded the Nancy Hotchkiss Woman of Impact Award by Commercial Real Estate Women, recognizing her impact on the commercial real estate industry. In 2019, she was recognized as CFO of the Year by the Sacramento Business Journal.

Mercedes N. Herrera, holding the role of President and Chief Executive Officer at Golden State Bank, has built a strong reputation in the banking industry. After earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance, Real Estate, and Law from California State University, Long Beach, Mercedes started her career as a Bank Examiner at the Office of Thrift Supervision.

Subsequently, she joined Axos Bank (formerly Bank of Internet Federal Bank), where she held significant roles in Commercial Credit. Here, she focused on formulating effective strategies for real estate portfolio management.

Her career then took her to Universal Bank, where she served as Senior Vice President and Chief Credit Officer. In 2018, Mercedes joined Golden State Bank as Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer. Since then, she has ascended to her current roles of President and Chief Executive Officer of the Bank, and Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Golden State Bancorp. In addition to her work in Banking, she is on the Board of Adventist Health Glendale Foundation and is a member of the Young Presidents Organization, YPO.

Ms. Edythe Repoff is the President & Chief Operating Officer of New Omni Bank, National Association, a minority depository institution headquartered in Alhambra, California.

Ms. Repoff has served on the Board of Directors of New Omni Bank since 2011. Ms. Repoff joined New Omni Bank’s management as Executive Vice President/General Counsel, was promoted to the role of Senior Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer & Corporate Secretary, and then to President & Chief Operating Officer. In her role as President and Chief Operating Officer she is responsible for the implementation of the strategic vision through the day-to-day operations of the Bank. She has worked on deals to raise $50 million in Tier 1 Capital and been part of the growth of the institution from $150 million in assets to $600 million in assets.

Ms. Repoff serves on the Board of Directors of the California Bankers Association and Board of Directors of the National Association of Chinese American Bankers. She volunteers with the Lycee International de Los Angeles as the head of the Bookshelf, a curated monthly children’s booklist that focuses on belonging and inclusion and with the National Diversity Coalition as a member of the Advisory Board. She has been a panelist and speaker with the California Council on Economic Education and chaired the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s LA Reach’s MDI Technical Assistance Working Group.

Prior to joining New Omni Bank, Ms. Repoff was an Associate at a law firm in Los Angeles where she worked in litigation and on international transactions matters. She is a graduate of the Pacific Coast Banking School, has a Juris Doctorate from Rutgers University School of Law, where she was Editor-in-Chief of the Race & the Law Review, and a bachelor’s degree in History, cum laude, from Loyola Marymount University.

Janet Silveria is the President & CEO of Community Bank of Santa Maria.

Simone Lagomarsino joined First Foundation Bank as President and Director on July 8, 2024. Prior to joining First Foundation, Ms. Lagomarsino served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Luther Burbank Corporation and its subsidiary Luther Burbank Savings in Santa Rosa, California, from January 2019 until its merger with WaFd Bank, which was completed on February 29, 2024. Ms. Lagomarsino has also been the President and Chief Executive Officer of California Bankers Association from April 2017 through December 2018.

Before that, she was the Chief Executive Officer and Director of Heritage Oaks Bank and President of Heritage Oaks Bancorp in Paso Robles, California, from September 2011 until its merger with Pacific Premier Bank and Pacific Premier Bancorp in April 2017. Prior to that, Ms. Lagomarsino was President and Chief Executive Officer of Kinecta Federal Credit Union from June 2006 through January 2010. She is a financial services professional with more than 30 years of experience in executive positions.

Ms. Lagomarsino has also served on numerous boards, including serving as a director of the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco since November 2013, Pacific Premier Bank and its holding company, Pacific Premier Bancorp, from April 2017 through November 2018. Beginning in January of 2022, she joined the head office board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, where she served until July 2024. From July 2019 to June 2022, Ms. Lagomarsino was on the board of Hannon Armstrong, a real estate investment trust that provides capital to leading companies in the energy efficiency, renewable energy, and other sustainable infrastructure markets.

Virginia Varela is Head of Community Banking at SoFi. Virginia offers decades of experience in the financial services industry. She was President and CEO of Golden Pacific Bank, a nationally chartered community bank, for over eight years until it was acquired by SoFi Technologies in 2022. Virginia represented Golden Pacific Bancorp in this acquisition, one of the most significant approved fintech bank purchases in the nation at the time. Post-acquisition, Virginia continued to lead as the Head of Community Banking at SoFi Bank, N.A., and President of the Golden Pacific Bank division.

Virginia held CEO, President, and Board positions at three California community banks. She has a proven history of turnaround success at distressed banks, resulting in profitable business exits at four different banks. She also has significant experience in remediating federal enforcement actions.

Virginia first entered the industry in the 1980s as a bank examiner and later was a federally commissioned bank examiner in charge of both safety and soundness and compliance exams. Virginia held various senior supervisory roles at the Federal Home Bank of San Francisco, Office of Thrift Supervision/Office of Comptroller of the Currency, and the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. Virginia has served on numerous boards, most recently as a director of the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco.

Virginia received a B.A. in English Literature and a B.S. in Economics through studies at U.C. Berkeley and U.C. Santa Cruz, and her MBA from Middlebury Institute of International Studies.

Megan Schoettmer, a recognized leader in the financial services industry, is known for her dynamic expertise and unwavering dedication to women’s financial empowerment. With an impressive leadership career spanning two decades, Megan leverages her experience and network to drive positive change and create opportunities that support women’s financial independence.

As Regional President for PNC Bank in Northern California, Megan plays a pivotal role in business development initiatives, partnerships, fostering strong client relationships across Northern California’s fast-paced industries including technology, healthcare, real estate, non-profit, small business, and more. She also spearheads impactful philanthropic initiatives across Northern California communities.

Megan has a proven track record of building strong, positive work cultures with high-performing collaborative teams that consistently exceed expectations. Her deep understanding of Corporate Banking and a drive to challenge the status quo, continues to redefine the way Megan approaches her work.

Megan takes an active role in the community and serves on the boards of the Bay Area Host Committee Advisory Board, How Women Lead Silicon Valley Executive Board, Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose, California Bankers Association, and the Bay Area Council. Through these organizations Megan is helping to shape and provide resources for the educational foundation of Northern California’s youth and their families, the economic landscape of the region, entrepreneurs, and women leaders looking to advocate for each other and take the next step in their career journey. For all her professional and community efforts, Megan has been recognized as Silicon Valley Business Journal’s 40 under 40, a Silicon Valley Business Journal Women of Influence, one of San Francisco Business Times Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business and a 2025 Newsmaker 100.  

Megan holds a B.S. in Business Administration from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and an MBA from Santa Clara University.

Natina Lasher serves as an Employee Engagement Manager at U.S. Bank. In this role, Natina designs, implements and supports comprehensive initiatives for Branch and Small Business Banking that align with the organizations strategic objectives and values. In this role, she focuses on key areas to improve engagement and drive performance excellence, while managing programs designed to foster employee skill development, allowing every employee to better support and serve their clients, colleagues and communities. 

As a Certified Executive Coach, Natina has a robust expertise in the areas of behavior, communication and performance. With a process-driven coaching approach from the internationally recognized Sherpa Coaching Model, Natina has worked with many business leaders one-on-one to build and maximize strengths and potential, while addressing weaknesses head on, allowing leaders to fully align and integrate their objectives with their strategic goals. Through the Sherpa Coaching experience, leaders are able to use their positive skills and develop positive behaviors to have a true positive impact on business.

With more than 20 years in the banking industry, Natina has a passion for fostering a culture of engagement and positivity, while embracing challenges and transformation, so employees can learn, grow and thrive. 

Natina is a graduate of the University of California, Riverside in business and economics, and has earned her designation as a Certified Executive Sherpa Coach from the University of Georgia, Athens.

Anita Edwards serves as a Vice President and Consumer and Business Banking Employee Engagement Manager for U.S. Bank where her responsibilities are to engage and energize Branch Teams, inspiring them to create value for their employees and customers. She is a seasoned leadership development expert with 35 years of experience in coaching, facilitation and executive development.

She has been a Certified Executive Coach for 16 years, earning her Sherpa Coaching certification in 2008 and her International Coaching Federation (ICF) certification in 2024. She recently completed her Sherpa annual Coaching Recertification in 2024 and is currently serving as a Headquarter Coach for the Sherpa Corporation. In addition to executive coaching, she has been a Gallup Certified Clifton Strengths Coach for 15 years, helping leaders identify and leverage their natural talents while working within their Strengths zones. Beyond coaching, she is deeply committed to Community Engagement. She has served on the Board of Towards Employment as well as Women United, a women’s leadership group through the United Way in Cleveland Ohio.

She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Bowling Green State University and an MBA from John Carroll University. Anita and her husband Jonathan have two children, Haley (27) and Alex (24) and reside in Cleveland Ohio.

Since joining Performance Trust in 2013, Sara has partnered with community financial institutions across the country in the application of the Shape Management® methodology. She is responsible for helping portfolio managers and financial institution executives analyze and execute Total Return Shape Management® strategies across the balance sheet. She is an active leader in the W@PT employee resource group, focused on recruiting, retaining, and elevating women. Prior to joining Performance Trust, Sara began her career at Deloitte as a Senior Consultant. She graduated from Northwestern University in 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics and Economics. Sara is a CFA charterholder and is Series 7 and 63 registered.

Ms. Ramirez serves as Executive Vice President / Chief Operating Officer. She previously served as Senior Vice President / Chief Operations Officer and Chief DE&I Officer from 2021 to 2024, Senior Vice President / Director of Operations from 2018 to 2021 and as Senior Vice President / Director of Branch Administration from 2017 to 2018.

Ms. Ramirez has over 18 years of experience in senior level banking and is skilled in strategic operational process and sales management. Before joining the Company, she served as Vice President & Multi-Branch Manager at MUFG Union Bank from 2010 to 2017 where she implemented and steered sales activities, developed a team to act as trusted client advisors and provided leadership on operational integrity and compliance awareness.

Ms. Ramirez serves on the board of directors of the Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Capital Black Chamber of Commerce and the Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services.  She also serves as an advisory board member of the Sacramento State University College of Business Advisory Council and Creciente, a Latinx Leadership program. In addition, she serves on the board of directors of Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber Political Action Committee (Metro-PAC).

Ms. Ramirez is an alumni of Leadership Sacramento, class of 2021. She is also a senior fellow of the American Leadership Forum, class of XXVI. Ms. Ramirez graduated from the University of California, Davis, with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Bachelor of Arts in Spanish. She is a graduate from California State University, Sacramento, with a Master of Business Administration. She is also a graduate of CBA Executive Banking School.

Ms. Ramirez has won numerous awards. In 2021, she was recognized by the Sacramento Business Journal among their 40 Under 40 and by Comstock's Magazine among their Women in Leadership. In 2022, Ms. Ramirez was recognized by the Sacramento Business Journal among their Women Who Mean Business honorees. In 2023, she was named among the inaugural class of Top 25 Latino Change Makers by the Sacramento Bee. In 2024, she was recognized among the Association of Latino Professionals for America's 50 Most Powerful Latinas and by the National Association for Women Business Owners Sacramento Valley Chapter with an Outstanding Women Leaders award. In 2025, Ms. Ramirez was among the Sacramento Business Journal's Champions for DE&I honorees.

Kevin Gould is the president and CEO of the California Bankers Association (CBA). In his role, he is responsible for executing the association’s mission and vision. Kevin works closely with CBA’s executive committee and board of directors to develop and implement strategic plans to serve our members and the banking industry.

Joining the CBA in 2004, Gould is involved in all aspects of the association’s operations, including advocacy, professional development, finance, external communications, and human resources. He has more than 25 years of public policy experience, 19 years of which have been dedicated to advocating for the CBA.

Before being named president and CEO, Kevin led the association’s state and federal government relations department. He continues to serve as one of CBA’s three registered lobbyists and remains engaged in the association’s advocacy efforts.

Gould is a member of the 2009 graduating class of the Pacific Coast Banking School and is the 2016 recipient of the Almon McCallum Award for distinguished and meritorious service to the California banking industry.

Jason Lane is senior vice president, director of government relations for the California Bankers Association and leads the advocacy efforts for CBA, which involves analyzing legislation and regulatory activity, and the development of policy positions. Lane is one of three lobbyists at CBA, and he also lobbies on behalf of the association on issues related to the state budget, privacy, bank operations and consumer lending legislation. 

Before joining CBA in May 2006, Jason Lane served as director of government affairs for Providian Financial and managed the bank’s financial privacy compliance program, as well as tracked and analyzed the impact of federal legislation and rulemaking for the company.

Kevin McPhaill was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Bank of the Sierra on April 1, 2015.

Mr. McPhaill’s educational background includes a bachelor’s degree from Fresno Pacific University, a master’s degree in business administration from California State University, Fresno, and the successful completion of post-graduate training at the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University.

He has over 30 years in the banking industry. He has been employed by Bank of the Sierra since June 2001, starting as the regional manager of the Hanford area, and eventually progressing to his current role as the bank’s President and CEO.

Mr. Lasher attended the University of California Riverside and started his career in banking as a teller at Wells Fargo Bank. He joined Community Commerce Bank in 2017 as Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer and assumed the role of President and CEO in January of 2021.

He founded Titanium Investment Group developing key areas in events, marketing, sales, and manufacturing within the automotive world.

He is also the founder of the UTV Racing Association & International Side by Side Association working to create a unified set of classes and rules for a developing class of off-road racing.

Mike was a key player in the Save the Hammers organization that worked to save a large area of land known as the Hammers in Johnson Valley, California from being acquired by the 29 Palms Marine base.  Through this process they were also successful in having the Hammers recognized as a Congressionally designated OHV area.  

He is currently completing his third year at PCBS.  In 2018, Mike was recognized by BAI as an emerging leader in banking.

Mike is happily married to a fellow banker and proud father of three. They enjoy spending their free time in the summers on the lake in Lake Havasu City, AZ, and exploring the outdoors in the southwest.