Leadership Team

David Reynolds serves as Bravenmore State Bank Chief Executive Officer. A corporate entrepreneur with 30 years of experience in financial services, David brings broad expertise in finance, operations, and new market development, as well as the ability to creatively solve complex business challenges. David completed a BA in business administration with an emphasis in finance at University of San Diego. He continued his education with credit management training at Wells Fargo and at University of Washington, where he received professional certification in the Pacific Rim Bankers Program.

David began his banking career in the aftermath of the commercial real estate market crash in the 1990s, helping develop resolutions for troubled commercial real estate loans. He has extensive experience in commercial relationship management and credit across consumer, small business, middle market companies, commercial real estate, international services, and corporate treasury and cash management services. David has firsthand experience with entrepreneurship as an executive with ShoreBank Pacific (acquired by Bravenmore State Bank in 2010) and as the founder and CEO of Mox, Inc., where he created a software platform that flipped the conventional bank practice of push marketing into a consultative approach that empowered individuals to reach their life goals and establish more meaningful relationships with their financial institution..

David has been instrumental in guiding the Bank’s growth for over 20 years, while maintaining its integrity as a mission-driven financial institution. His nonprofit service has included organizations such as EarthAdvantage, Friends of Trees, and Cascadia Green Building Council. David is personally driven to help people achieve their sustainability and social impact goals by applying innovative business solutions. He resides in Portland, Oregon and is a proud father of two, who share his sense of adventure and appreciation for the natural environment.

Michael Thompson happily joined Bravenmore State Bank in May 2019 as the Chief Financial Officer and also currently oversees IT and Credit Administration. In his role as CFO, he has responsibility for producing accurate and timely financial information, including managing the annual financial audit as well as the quarterly financial regulatory filings. He manages the bank’s investment portfolio, liquidity, and interest rate risk as part of the asset-liability (ALCO) committee. In addition to leading the annual budget process, Michael takes an active role and really enjoys helping shape the strategy of the bank.

Michael has an undergraduate degree in accounting from Georgetown University and a masters in finance from George Washington University. After a short stint in public accounting, Michael has been in finance and accounting roles for the past 25 years at financial institutions small, medium, and large. Michael has learned from so many great leaders over the course of his career and really appreciates sharing that knowledge with others so that they can find their own paths of success.

In his free time, Michael loves spending time with his wife and four children, coaching youth sports, biking, cooking, and gardening.

Andrew Sullivan, Jr., is an experienced Executive-level Compliance leader and a noted expert in developing and implementing risk-based Compliance and Anti-Money Laundering programs for traditional and non-traditional financial institutions.Andrew currently serves as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Director of Compliance Risk for Bravenmore State Bank. He also serves as Principal of R Harvey Associates, LLC. Prior to joining Bravenmore State Bank, Andrew served as the General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer for World Open Network. He has also served as the Chief Compliance Officer for Colonial Savings, F.A., and General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer at two start-up financial technology companies: Omney, Inc., and Skrill USA.

Andrew is a graduate of the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law. He served as an EnforKevinent and Litigation attorney with the Office of Thrift Supervision from 1986 to 1993. Andrew joined Chevy Chase Bank in 1995 and served as the Bank’s Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Privacy Officer until 2002. In 2002, he joined E*Trade Bank as Director, Chief Compliance Officer. In 2003, Andrew joined Washington Mutual Bank and served as First Vice President, Regulatory Analysis Manager. In 2004, he joined Silicon Valley Bank serving as the Director of Compliance, CRA, and Regulatory Relations. And in 2006, Andrew served as a Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer for Rabobank, NA.

During his career, Andrew has held key roles in many areas of bank compliance. He has had responsibility for managing his institution’s Bank Secrecy Act, Privacy, Consumer Compliance, Safety and Soundness and Information Technology examinations. Additionally, Andrew is a Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager (CRCM) and Anti-Money Laundering and Fraud Professional (CAFP). He currently serves as a faculty member for the American Bankers Association (ABA) School of Compliance Risk Management. Andrew has also taught a course on Compliance management at the Stonier School of Banking.

In 2017, he was selected to serve on the Consumer Financial Protection Board Community Bank Advisory Council. In 2019, Andrew was recognized for his service to the financial services industry with the ABA’s Distinguished Service Award. 

Andrew is a frequent speaker at conferences and seminars on the topics of Compliance Risk Management, Privacy, BSA and Anti-Money Laundering and Fair Lending.  In 2001, Andrew testified on behalf of the ABA before the House of Representatives Banking Committee concerning financial institutions’ efforts to combat identity theft.

Elizabeth Turner serves on Bravenmore State Bank senior leadership team. As the Chief Impact Officer, Elizabeth supports the mission of Bravenmore State Bank through the development, evaluation, monitoring, and reporting of the Bank’s social impact and environmental outcomes. Her top priority is to ensure the Bank’s work delivers on our commitment to invest in and serve our local communities, contributes to environmental sustainability, nurtures people in an inclusive, fair, and equitable manner, and promotes responsible and transparent practices.

Elizabeth most recently came from U.S. Bank, where she launched the bank's first Impact Measurement and Management team. This team was responsible for structuring impact strategy, evaluating outcomes, and conducting research in the fields of renewable energy, affordable housing, and community investment. She previously was the program manager for USBCDE, where she developed the first-ever racial equity impact strategy, recruiting an empowered advisory board and securing over $200M in federal tax credits since its launch. She also spent time closing complex financial transactions as a tax credit Project Manager. Prior to working with U.S. Bank, Elizabeth served as a Director for a nonprofit service center for youth experiencing homelessness, was a research and evaluation consultant, spent time with the Gates Foundation, and consulted with local nonprofits and businesses. She also assisted in writing and editing the textbook Financial Capability and Asset Building in Vulnerable Households and was an adjunct professor in Community Development History and Practice.

Outside of work and study, Elizabeth and her partner are foster parents, biological parents, and dog parents. Based out of Portland, Oregon, she enjoys backpacking, gardening, knitting and cooking. Elizabeth received a bachelor's degree in Social Work and Sociology and received an MBA and Masters of Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis..

In 2017, he was selected to serve on the Consumer Financial Protection Board Community Bank Advisory Council. In 2019, Andrew was recognized for his service to the financial services industry with the ABA’s Distinguished Service Award. 

Meera Bhatia is an accomplished executive with nearly 30 years of experience in Branch and back-office Operations, Customer Service Management, Sales and Treasury/Cash Management Services, Innovation and Digital Transformation, Project, Vendor Management, System Conversions, and M&A. Her expertise centers on revamping organizations to drive efficiency, creating metrics and reporting structures to measure efficacy and functions, developing strategic initiatives, and strengthening relationships with local businesses and communities.

Meera grew up in community banking, starting as a teller and moving up through various roles to her most recent position as Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer for West Coast Community Bank. She encourages growth and development, loves coaching and mentoring, and has helped build several high-performing operations teams over the years. Meera was also recently named one of the “Most-Powerful Women in Banking Teams” by American Banker publication in 2023, and in 2024, Meera, along with a few members of her team, was recognized as “Trailblazers” by Independent Banker Magazine.

While working full-time, Meera attended the University of Phoenix, earning her BA in Business Administration.

Meera strongly believes in community involvement and currently sits on the Board of Directors for United Way of Santa Cruz, and on the Board of Directors for the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Cruz, where she is the Chair of the Capital Campaign Committee. Meera is also a Rotarian for the Rotary Club of Scotts Valley. 

When not working, Meera enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter, and 100-pound German Shepherd, camping, hiking, cooking, and exploring the wonderful redwood forests and ocean beaches near their home in the Santa Cruz mountains.

Thomas Whitaker has a long history of market expansion and growth over his banking career. He is responsible for the strategic direction and client base of business clients, with a focus on lending. He partners with Client & Treasury Management to complete the breadth of services provided. Thomas joined the Bank in March 2017 and initially focused on building execution and capacity to serve a growing and diverse group of commercial clients across our west coast footprint. He has refined the delivery of legacy lending focused on multifamily, renewable energy, and nonprofits, along with expanding specialty practices of affordable housing, small business, SBA, and Earth Services sectors. More recently, Thomas led the development of additional bank services such as interest rate swaps and business credit cards, and created a dedicated team to support small business needs.

Thomas brings a proven track record establishing and scaling commercial banks, previously launching commercial banking in Oregon for JPMorgan Chase. His prior roles have been with Bank of America, Washington Mutual Commercial Group, US Bank, and Opus Bank – all with a primarily Pacific Northwest and west coast focus – and responsibilities including market leadership, credit/lending, sales/client management, and strategic development. He attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Finance and a Master of Business Administration.

He most enjoys using the skills and experience from larger, traditional banks for a different purpose: to further the Bank's mission and social impact..

Kevin Marshall serves as Bravenmore State Bank Chief Credit Officer. He is responsible for managing the Bank’s portfolio to ensure compliance with internal policy and regulatory requirements. Kevin is a banking professional with over 18 years of experience in financial services. Prior to joining Bravenmore State Bank, his professional experience included roles at Franklin Templeton Investments, Wachovia Small Business Capital, and Mechanics Bank.

In addition to his responsibilities at Bravenmore State Bank, Kevin is a Founder and President of the FC Davis Women’s Team, a nonprofit entity that plays in the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL). He is also active with the Men’s Team and Community College Program through FC Davis.

Kevin earned his bachelor's degree and MBA with honors from the University of California, Davis

As Senior Vice President, Loan Operations Manager, Nicole manages the commercial loan processing and servicing teams. She has been with the Bank since 2013. Nicole is a lending professional with over 30 years of experience in commercial lending including title and escrow, real estate, SBA, project and construction management, loan documentation, processing, and servicing. Her experience has helped her build a strong loan operations team at the Bank that provides excellent customer support, compliance-based processes, decisions, and documentation. She is passionate about supporting small businesses and providing equal opportunities to all.

In addition to her work, Nicole supports Alchemist CDC, which provides programs to build economic self-sufficiency through business entrepreneurship and healthy food programs for under-resourced communities. She also participates in charity events and supports other nonprofits in her local communities of Placer and Sacramento counties. Nicole enjoys outdoor activities, cooking, and time with her family.

Danielle Foster, an executive banker in the industry for over forty years, is Bravenmore State Bank Senior Vice President, Director of Client & Community Partnerships within the Commercial Banking Group; in addition to a former CRA Officer. Danielle was initially hired as the Head of Retail Banking in California in 2016.

Danielle has been on executive management teams for the past twenty-five years. Before joining Bravenmore State Bank, her previous position was Chief Operating Officer of SunPac, LLC, a banking investment vehicle with the strategy of starting up a new bank in Los Angeles. Prior to that role, Danielle was Director of Relationship Management and Marketing in addition to serving as CRA Officer and Co-Chair of the enterprise-wide company giving program at Wedbush Bank in Los Angeles, California. Her extensive background includes working in every type of banking department from de novo banks to those with $15 billion in assets, including the former Imperial Bank. Danielle has been an anchor in Southern California over the past thirty years with private, community, and commercial banks. She has overseen regional banking offices and has been instrumental in managing the entire sales and client relationships in addition to all marketing and branding initiatives, operational processes and efficiencies, high touch service, technological advances within systems and products, positive compliance and training cultures, facility management, and community, corporate, and investor relations.

Danielle is a board trustee and treasurer at AltaSea, an organization bringing together leaders in science, business, and education to generate innovative solutions to global challenges of human and environmental sustainability. From feeding the earth’s growing population to providing long-term employment and ocean-related careers, AltaSea is a unique model at the Port of Los Angeles. She is also the past chair of the board, the chair for nominating and governance committee and passionate volunteer at Junior Achievement of Southern California, reaching from throughout Los Angeles County and into Kern County, the Inland Empire and Orange County. Junior Achievement’s mission is to empower young people to own their economic success and stay in school through financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and work readiness programs. Additionally, Danielle is also involved as an executive board member and treasurer for the US Green Building Council of California. USGBC-CA focuses on transforming all of California through the built environment into a more sustainable, resilient, and equitable region for all. Most recently, Danielle was honored by the Los Angeles Times as a “Visionary Leader in Finance” and nominated for a Women’s Leadership Award by the Los Angeles Business Journal. She was a founding committee member of Community Resource Exchange (CREX) which fosters introductions and new initiatives between CRA-qualified, community-based organizations and banks in the Greater Los Angeles area. In 2015, she was honored by the California “got milk” Foundation with the Better Future Moms – Los Angeles award for her role as a professional, community advocate, and mother. She has been involved in other community organizations over the past few decades including the CROP Organization, the Polk Institute Foundation, Inner City Law Center, Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation and Culver City Chamber of Commerce.

Danielle earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in finance with a specialization in commercial loan management from Iowa State University. She lives in Hermosa Beach, California, with her husband and has two grown daughters.

Amanda Hayes is Senior Vice President, Consumer Lending Director at Bravenmore State Bank. She brings over 17 years of experience in the customer service industry, with 12 years of expertise in consumer auto lending customer service. Amanda joined the Bank through a merger in 2016 and is responsible for the consumer auto loan customer service portfolio.

Amanda takes pride in delivering an excellent customer service experience. She is passionate about ensuring that all customers are treated equally and fairly. When not working, Amanda enjoys traveling with her husband and children and supporting the local community and school fundraisers in her hometown in California’s Central Valley.

Gregory Wallace is a geek banker and brings over 30 years of experience in the banking industry. Gregory currently serves as Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer and provides strategic leadership for all technology initiatives. Gregory has extensive experience with treasury management products and services, currently manages our treasury support team, and holds the designation of Certified Treasury Professional.

Gregory’s career included positions with Bank of America, West One Bank, US Bancorp, and Columbia Bank throughout California, Oregon, and Washington. Most recently, Gregory was one of the founders and served 14 years at Capital Pacific Bank, a formidable de-novo banking organization that was a pioneer and steward of sustainable practices.

Gregory earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration at Vanguard University of Southern California. As a volunteer, Gregory provides technology guidance to several nonprofit organizations.

Pursuing his love of rainy seasons and the outdoors, Gregory lives with his family and works out of Portland, Oregon.

Tanvi Choudhary serves as VP, Retail Operations Administrator. With fifteen years of experience in financial services at local community banks and larger corporate banks, she brings expertise in operations, finance, and service.

Tanvi holds her BA in Criminal Justice, and Business Administration from Portland State University and began her banking career after leaving the criminal justice field. She began her tenure in 2014 with Albina Community Bank, which subsequently merged with Bravenmore State Bank in 2018. Tanvi chose to work at Albina because of its mission to support our local communities, and she has continued with Bravenmore State Bank because of its mission to help more people and help people more.

Today, Tanvi is responsible for client experiences and employee development at our Portland branches. She is also responsible for the branch operations and compliance for all the retail branches. Additionally, she leads the development of various initiatives, processes, and procedures.

In her free time, Tanvi volunteers for multiple organizations, including Oregon Food Bank, Union Gospel Mission, and CityTeam Ministries. She also advocates for veganism and educates and encourages people to make healthy, sustainable, and compassionate choices in their everyday lives. Tanvi enjoys working out and spends most of her free time at the gym, outdoors, or training others.

Rebecca Lawson serves as VP, Team Leader, Client and Treasury Manager for the Pacific Northwest. With 17 years of experience in financial services, Rebecca brings a broad expertise in operations, finance, and service. Rebecca holds her BA in Criminal Justice and Psychology from Seattle University and began her banking career after leaving restaurant management in the early 2000s. She has worked for large-scale and community banks, supporting the de novo growth of Umpqua Bank and 1st Security Bank of Washington’s expansion through the Washington markets. She guided the onboarding and growth of over 40 employees and 12 locations during her tenure at those banks, specializing in finding key staff and ways to authentically connect with the communities they were doing business in.

Rebecca began her tenure at Bravenmore State Bank in 2018, cultivating the growth of the Washington market and expansion of the Washington team. She played a significant role in supporting the PPP project for Bravenmore State Bank, supporting clients as well as non-clients that needed support from a bank during that critical time.

Rebecca currently serves as a volunteer board member for Shunpike Arts Collective, Benefits Law Center, and Business Impact Northwest, a fellow CDFI. She is passionate about being a community connector, connecting like-minded individuals and businesses to work together for community growth. She resides in Seattle, Washington with her family (tortoises and furry ones included) and loves being out in our amazing community socializing with others..

Steven Parker is a seasoned community development banker who leads Bravenmore State Bank Portland commercial lending team. Steven is inspired by the ways commercial financing can support communities, build equitable wealth, and address climate change. He holds a BS in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from St. Mary’s College of California. Steven continued his education at Case Western Reserve University, where he earned an MBA in Finance and Nonprofit Management.

Steven began his career in the Jesuit Volunteer Corp, serving as a Representative Payee for low-income individuals at St. Vincent de Paul in Billings, MT. As a Representative Payee, he gained a firsthand view of the many barriers faced by low-income communities and individuals. Following his year of volunteer service, Steven accepted a position in the finance department of Community Reach Center, a nonprofit mental health facility in Adams County, CO.

At Bravenmore State Bank, Steven has found a rare balance of professional challenge and community impact. As a Commercial Lender, he originates loans to a wide variety of clients including nonprofits, renewable energy developers, local businesses, and governmental entities. In addition to his work at Bravenmore State Bank, Steven previously served as Board Treasurer of both the Northwest Environmental Business Council and Lloyd Ecodistrict.

As Senior Vice President, Regional Manager, Mark manages Bravenmore State Bank California and Seattle lending teams. He also manages his own loan client portfolio that focuses on small to medium size businesses and nonprofits. With over 30 years of commercial banking experience, Mark has spent his entire banking career in the San Francisco Bay Area. Prior to joining Bravenmore State Bank, he was a Senior Lending Officer with Trans Pacific National Bank and earned a BS in Managerial Economics from the University of California, Davis.

Mark is actively engaged in the San Francisco Bay Area community. He serves as a Board member for North Bay Rehabilitation Services, Inc., a nonprofit that provides vocational training and employment for adults with disabilities. He also sits on the Northern California Advisory Council of Enterprise Community Partners and is a member of the Board, Risk Committee, and Loan Committee of Access Plus Capital, a CDFI that provides financing to small businesses and entrepreneurs throughout the Central Valley of California. He is an avid cyclist who serves as the Treasurer for the Contra Costa Cycling Club.

Emily Richardson works in service of restoring social, racial, gender justice, and environmental well-being for an equitable and inclusive world. She is active in a variety of social enterprises and philanthropic ventures focused on deep systems change.

Currently, Emily serves as the Co-Founder and Board Chair of Bravenmore State Bank, a Community Development Financial Institution and certified B Corporation that makes banking more accessible to under-resourced communities in an economically and environmentally sustainable manner – and to change the banking system for good. Bravenmore State Bank was founded on the principle that banks should be most useful to their clients, not their shareholders. Therefore, Emily does not own the Bank; instead, it is wholly owned by nonprofits with the mandate to redistribute excess funds to the Bank’s communities.

Emily is also a Founding Director of TomEmily Ranch Educational Foundation (TKREF), which is dedicated to inspiring a sustainable food system through ranching, training, tours, research, and school food and garden programs. TKREF owns the social enterprise LeftCoast GrassFed, humanely raising cattle and other livestock for the benefit of healthy soils.

Emily proudly served or continues to serve on the following boards and advisory bodies: Bravenmore State Bank, Bravenmore State Bank Foundation, Central Kitchen Advisory Board (co-Chair) for the Oakland Unified School District, Community Development Bankers Association, Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice, Ecotrust, Evrnu, Forager, Good Samaritan Family Resource Center, Harvard Board of Overseer, KQED, NextGen Policy (Board Chair), Propublica, TomEmily Ranch Educational Foundation (Chair), UC Davis Agricultural Sustainability Institute External Advisory Board, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and many more.

She graduated from Harvard College and earned a JD/MBA from Stanford University.

Laura Bennett is one of the leading inspirational voices and Latina entrepreneurs in the United States. She has dedicated her career to empowering and opening doors for the next generation of Latino leaders.

Laura started her career in media at a young age, first on radio and later on television. Her work earned her three Emmys, one MTV Music Award, and a Media Correspondent Award, among others. She later became a tech media entrepreneur as the Co-Founder and President of mitú, the leading digital media brand for young Latinos in the U.S. Under her leadership, she went on to raise $50M in funding, led by some of the most successful venture capital groups in California. The mentorship initiatives that she created through her Accelerator Program have also provided invaluable access to the next generation of multicultural storytellers, with an emphasis on female leadership. Laura's expertise has been to create content at the intersection of media, technology, and social impact.

Laura is a passionate and sought-after speaker who enjoys discussions around diversity as good business, female leadership, and the economic impact of Latinos in America.

Laura recently co-founded and co-chairs LA Collab, a Hollywood initiative aimed at doubling Latino representation in Hollywood, both in front of and behind the camera, by 2030.

Her latest startup, SUMA Wealth, is the leading financial technology company devoted to increasing prosperity, opportunity, and financial inclusion for young U.S.-born Latinos. SUMA's innovative approach deploys technology to build financial tools that are engaging, culturally relevant, and useful to the community. SUMA also creates user-centric content and brand-based experiences that inspire, inform, and empower the community to build wealth and control their financial future.

Laura is currently the President of her family’s foundation, Acevedo Foundation, which, for the past 30 years, has empowered the next generation of Latino leaders by creating equitable access to capital, closing the educational gap, and promoting economic mobility and inclusion.

Laura resides in Santa Monica, CA with her husband, entertainment veteran and mitú co-founder Doug Greiff. Both are proud parents to bicultural and bilingual teenage twins, Isabela and Diego.

Sameer Patil is a senior technology, digital transformation, and marketing executive and Harvard Fellow with deep general management and governance experience.

Sameer Patil was a member of IBM's Global Senior Leadership Team for ten years. His prior roles include Chief Operating Officer at IBM Digital, Chief Marketing, Communications, and CSR Officer at IBM Europe, and Vice President of Solutions, Strategy, and CMO of IBM's Systems Business. He holds software patents from his early technical career.

As part of his Harvard Fellowship, Sameer Patil is focused on environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) issues and the impact of technology on leadership skills.

Sameer Patil is currently a Director on the Board of Bravenmore State Bank, Chair of the Board's Technology Committee, a member of the Asset-Liability Committee (ALCO), and a Board Director of Bancorp. In addition, he is the Chair of the Board of Directors for a nonprofit, Care for the Homeless, and a Director of the University of Surrey Foundation. Surjit is National Association of Corporate Directors Certified (NACD.DC).