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Who We Are

Who We Are

Genesis Bank is a California-chartered commercial bank organized by a group of highly experienced and successful bankers and business professionals.

Our Focus

We focus on serving the banking needs of small to mid-sized businesses, the owners of such businesses, business professionals, and owners and investors of income-producing properties (including multi-family and commercial real estate), located primarily in Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties.

Our products, services, and solutions include traditional commercial business, Small Business Administration (SBA), income property, and owner-occupied commercial real estate loan and deposit products, as well as treasury management services and solutions. We also provide fiduciary banking, escrow, and section 1031 exchange services to serve the banking needs of our clients.

At Genesis Bank, you have a dedicated team of bankers who you know and who all know you and your business. Consolidating your accounts at Genesis allows you to build long-term, valuable, trusting relationships. 
 


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Community Impact

To learn more about Genesis Bank’s impact in the community, please check out the Genesis Bank Institute for Entrepreneurship (“GBIE”) and the Genesis For Good Foundation.

LEARN ABOUT THE GBIE LEARN ABOUT GENESIS FOR GOOD


Leadership

Executive Team

Stephen H. Gordon

Founding Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Gordon is the Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of Genesis Bank. Mr. Gordon has over 35 years of financial industry experience, including serving as Founding Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and President of Opus Bank; Founding Chairman and CEO of Commercial Capital Bank and its savings and loan holding company, Commercial Capital Bancorp, Inc; as well as Chairman and CEO of Fremont Investment and Loan and its holding company, Fremont General Corporation. Additionally, Mr. Gordon served as a Partner at Sandler O’Neill + Partners, L.P., a New York based investment banking firm.

Jennifer Simmons

President and Chief Operating Officer

Ms. Simmons is responsible for overseeing the operations, day-to-day administration, and business development processes of Genesis Bank. Ms. Simmons is a 32-year banking veteran, having most recently served as Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer of Opus Bank. Prior to joining Opus Bank, Ms. Simmons held senior leadership positions at Union Bank, Wachovia, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America.

Jeff Worden

EVP, Chief Credit Officer

Mr. Worden is responsible for the overall credit quality of the loan portfolio, administrative and operational matters pertaining to lending, and loan servicing and processing for Genesis Bank. Mr. Worden has over 15 years of banking and credit experience, including having previously served as Senior Vice President, Deputy Chief Credit Officer at Genesis Bank. Prior to joining Genesis Bank, Mr. Worden was Senior Vice President, Head of Credit Products at Opus Bank with prior banking experience also including positions at City National Bank and Union Bank.

William Han

EVP, Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Han is responsible for Genesis Bank’s finance functions, including financial planning and analysis, asset-liability and treasury management, accounting, and financial reporting. Mr. Han is a CPA with 18 years of banking industry accounting and finance experience, most recently serving as Senior Vice President – Finance and Deputy Chief Financial Officer of Opus Bank. Prior to joining Opus Bank, Mr. Han was a senior manager at KPMG LLP, working as an auditor in the banking and financial services practice.

Andres Gallardo

EVP, Chief Legal and Risk Officer

Mr. Gallardo is responsible for overseeing Genesis Bank’s legal, internal controls and regulatory compliance, and audit and risk assessment processes. Mr. Gallardo has over 18 years of banking experience, most recently serving as Senior Vice President – Deputy General Counsel at Opus Bank, as well as General Counsel of PENSCO Trust Company, a subsidiary of Opus Bank. Mr. Gallardo’s prior banking experience includes positions held at Silvergate Bank, U.S. Bank, and San Diego National Bank. Mr. Gallardo holds FINRA Series 63 and 79 Licenses and is an active member of the State Bar of California.

Board of Directors

Stephen H. Gordon

Founding Chairman

Mr. Gordon is the Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of Genesis Bank. Mr. Gordon has over 35 years of financial industry experience, including serving as Founding Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and President of Opus Bank; Founding Chairman and CEO of Commercial Capital Bank and its savings and loan holding company, Commercial Capital Bancorp, Inc; as well as Chairman and CEO of Fremont Investment and Loan and its holding company, Fremont General Corporation. Additionally, Mr. Gordon served as a Partner at Sandler O’Neill + Partners, L.P., a New York based investment banking firm.

Jennifer Simmons

Vice Chair

Ms. Simmons is responsible for overseeing the operations, day-to-day administration, and business development processes of Genesis Bank. Ms. Simmons is a 32-year banking veteran, having most recently served as Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer of Opus Bank. Prior to joining Opus Bank, Ms. Simmons held senior leadership positions at Union Bank, Wachovia, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America.

Marsie Alford

Director

Ms. Alford has more than 25 years of accounting and finance experience and currently serves as Chief Financial Officer of the Jewish Federation & Family Services of Orange County (JFFS). Prior to joining JFFS, Ms. Alford served as an accounting and finance consultant, advising manufacturing, healthcare, E-commerce, real estate, aerospace, retail, investment, legal, and non-profit businesses with annual revenues ranging from $5M to $15B. Ms. Alford previously held executive finance positions for several nonprofits, including Make-a-Wish Foundation of Los Angeles, Southern California Alcohol and Drug Rehabilitation, and East Bronx Daycare Center, Inc., in New York, where she directed the accounting, finance, human resources, operations, fiscal reporting activities, internal control processes, asset management, and policies and procedures at those organizations.

Warren J. Kessler

Director

Mr. Kessler has been a practicing lawyer since June 1973. He currently is a Partner in the law firm of Greenberg Glusker, LLP where he represents institutions, large real estate portfolio owners, corporations, private businesses, and high-net-worth individuals in connection with tax structuring of complex real estate transactions as well as the restructuring of partnerships, limited liability companies, and corporations that own large parcels of real estate. Prior to joining Greenberg Glusker, LLP, Mr. Kessler was a Partner at DLA Piper, LLP (US), a global law firm, and previously spent 30 years at his own law firm, Kessler & Kessler, A Law Corporation. Mr. Kessler is involved in numerous charitable and pro bono activities, most notably having served as General Counsel to, and currently serving as a trustee of, Wilshire Boulevard Temple. He is a representative on the Cornell University Development Fund for his class. He is also a former Chair and Director of California Housing Partnership Corporation.

Tam Nguyen

Director

Tam Nguyen is a second-generation owner of Advance Beauty College, a nationally recognized institution that has graduated over 50,000 professionals in its 38-year history. A committed community leader, Tam serves on the boards of Genesis Bank, the Orange County Transportation Authority, MemorialCare Orange County Hospitals, and the Orange County Community Foundation. He is also Chair of the Small Business Diversity Network and Chair Emeritus of the Cal State Fullerton Philanthropic Foundation. Tam co-founded Nailing It For America, a volunteer-led initiative that provided over $30 million in PPE and 80,000 meals to healthcare workers and underserved communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Born in Vietnam and raised in Southern California, Tam is a proud graduate of both UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton. He holds an MBA and a medical degree. Tam’s greatest joy is family life. He and his wife Christine are the proud parents of three children who inspire their ongoing commitment to service and community. 

Ruben A. Smith

Director

Ruben A. Smith is the Partner-in-Charge of the Orange County offices of Frost Brown Todd, following its merger with AlvaradoSmith, a leading business law firm that Mr. Smith co-founded in 1993 and where he served as Managing Shareholder. With over 40 years of legal experience, Mr. Smith advises clients on corporate, transactional, and regulatory matters across industries including banking, infrastructure, energy, and real estate. He is a founding member of the Hispanic Education Endowment Fund and currently serves as Chair of the Latino Food Industry Association. Mr. Smith has held leadership roles with organizations such as the Orange County Business Council, UCI Foundation, St. Joseph’s Hospital, and the Orange County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. He earned his B.S. in Public Affairs and M.P.A. in Inter-Governmental Management from the University of Southern California, and his J.D. from Yale Law School. Mr. Smith is an active member of the State Bar of California.
 

 

Sandor Valner

Director

Mr. Valner is the founder and CEO of Network Bankers, a Los Angeles based tech-enabled investment bank he founded in 2020 to provide services to a global network of 30,000 CEOs and accredited investors. Prior to Network Bankers, he was a founder/leader of two investment banking platforms and a private equity real estate investment management group. Through these companies, he has led more than $20 billion in capital raising, mergers and acquisitions, and real estate investment transactions. Mr. Valner also held positions as a partner at Walton Street Capital and CEO of VALOR, a boutique investment bank focused on real estate and financial restructuring. Additionally, Mr. Valner worked at Credit Suisse First Boston in their global privatizations group in New York, where he became the CEO of the bank’s Mexico operations. Mr. Valner’s current board activities include Leadership Council of UCLA´s Depression Grand Challenge, YPO´s Alliance to End Homelessness, Progresemos, IngeniousIO, and FIHO.

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