The California Bankers Association held its 7th annual Women in Banking Forum May 29 in Huntington Beach where more than 100 bankers from across the state gathered to hear from women banking leaders and executives who shared the stories, advice and experiences that have shaped their careers and lives.

CBA’s EVP and COO, Maurine Padden, and Mary Curran, EVP, Union Bank and past CBA chairman, kicked off the forum with an opening address followed by the keynote delivered by Maura Markus, president and COO, Bank of the West. CBA then welcomed Jan Owen, commissioner of the California Department of Business Oversight, who reviewed and discussed bank performance and exam issues followed by a panel discussion about sponsorship within a bank moderated by Kathleen Brown, partner, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP and included panelists Susan Black, president and CEO of Pinnacle Bank, Cheryl Knight, president and CEO of Santa Clara Valley Bank and Judith Love, president, California market of Comerica Bank.

Susan Sutherland, senior vice president and director of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco then presented a session on the Office of Minority and Women Inclusion, which was established by the Dodd-Frank Act at all regulatory agencies. Connie Merritt, a national speaker and award-winning author delivered a closing keynote address and the forum was immediately followed by a well-attended networking reception where attendees discussed what they had learned and shared their own stories with one another.

The CBA would like to thank all of the speakers, attendees and staff that made this event a great success.