SACRAMENTO – The California Bankers Association (CBA) elected new officers to serve on its 2011-2012 board of directors during CBA’s 120th Annual Convention of Bank Officers and Directors, in Huntington Beach. The officers provide leadership to the association and the members of its staff.

• Chair: Steven Buster, president and CEO, Mechanics Bank, Richmond, Calif.
• Chair-Elect: Mary Allis Curran, EVP of wealth management, Union Bank of California, San Diego, Calif.
• Immediate-Past Chairman: Richard Smith, president and CEO, Tri-Counties Bank, Chico, Calif.
• Treasurer: Felix Fernandez, regional president, Wells Fargo Bank, Sacramento, Calif.
• Vice Chairman at Large: Rick Sanborn, president and CEO, Seacoast Commerce Bank, Chula Vista, Calif.
• Vice Chairman at Large: Tom Beene, president and CEO, Visalia Community Bank, Visalia, Calif.
• Vice Chairman at Large: Tom Meuser, chairman and CEO, El Dorado Savings Bank, Placerville, Calif.
• Vice Chairman at Large: Donald Johnson, president and CEO, American Business Bank, Los Angeles, Calif.

CBA also elected a number of new members to its board of directors:

• Craig Blunden, president and CEO, Provident Savings Bank, Riverside, Calif.
• Christopher Carey, EVP and CEO, City National Bank, Beverly Hills, Calif.
• Tom Dobyns, president and CEO, American Security Bank, Newport Beach, Calif.
• Daniel Doyle, president and CEO, Central Valley Community Bank, Fresno, Calif.
• Julia Gouw, president and COO, East West Bank, Pasadena, Calif.
• Donald Johnson, president and CEO, American Business Bank, Los Angeles, Calif.
• George Leis, president and COO, Pacific Capital Bank, Santa Barbara, Calif.
• David Misch, CEO, The Private Bank of California, Los Angeles, Calif.
• Scott Racusin, president and CEO, Wedbush Bank, Los Angeles, Calif.
• Paul Rodeno, president and CEO, Security Business Bank of San Diego, Carlsbad, Calif.
• Kathie Sowa, western region executive, business banking and market president, Bank of America, Rancho Cordova, Calif.
• Mark Wardlow, EVP and CCO, Umpqua Bank, Portland, Oregon

About the CBA

Established 120 years ago, the California Bankers Association (CBA) is one of the largest state banking trade associations in the country. CBA leads the way in developing relevant educational and legislative solutions to some of California’s more pressing financial and banking issues, including adult financial empowerment, identity theft, financial privacy, and financial elder abuse. CBA’s membership includes nearly 200 of California’s commercial, industrial and community banks and savings associations. For more information, visit www.calbankers.com.