The DreamSpring Team
Board Members

Edmond Johnson
Chair
President/CEO, Premier Manufacturing, Inc.
Edmond Johnson is the CEO of Premier Energy Holdings, as well as the president and CEO of Premier Manufacturing, Inc., based in Frederick, Colo. He has grown the company to one of the largest, third-tier, contract manufacturing operations. ColoradoBiz Magazine has recognized Premier Manufacturing as one of the fastest growing companies. Before founding the company, Edmond held various management and middle management positions in manufacturing operations and supply chain management with IBM, AST Computers, US Robotics, 3COM, and Maxtor Corp. In 2015, Edmond joined the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s Denver Branch board of directors. On January 1, 2021, he was appointed chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s board of directors and has served on the head office board since 2019. He is also involved in his community, supporting various scholarship funds and charity programs. He received his master’s degree in business administration marketing from Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta.

Anthony Sharett
Vice Chair
President, Pathward Financial
Anthony Sharett is the president of Pathward Financial. Prior to being appointed to his current role in October 2021, Anthony served as executive vice president, chief legal and compliance officer, corporate secretary since June 2020; and executive vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary since September 2019. Anthony was responsible for the overall strategic leadership and oversight of Pathward Financial’s legal team, enterprise risk, public policy and regulatory affairs, and corporate secretarial functions. Anthony also oversaw compliance; environmental, social, and corporate governance; and community impact initiatives.
Before joining the company, Anthony held legal and business unit leadership positions at Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, including as the legal leader and interim president for Nationwide Bank and president of Nationwide Pet. Earlier in his career, Anthony was a partner at BakerHostetler where he was the national co-leader of the firm’s financial services practice group. He provided litigation, regulatory, and compliance counsel to banking and lending clients. Anthony has been nationally recognized as a champion for diversity, inclusion, and equity and has served in leadership positions for the Leadership Council for Legal Diversity and for the American Bar Association’s consumer financial services’ diversity and inclusion committee.
Anthony is also a community steward as a greater Phoenix leadership member, and he serves on the Arizona Community Foundation audit committee. He is a member of the American College of Consumer Financial Services Lawyers and has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America. Anthony received his undergraduate degree in political science from Ball State University and holds a juris doctor degree from The Ohio State University, Moritz College of Law, where he is a member of the national council.

Yashoda Naidoo
Secretary
President/Owner, Annapurna's World Vegetarian Café
Yashoda Naidoo is the president and founder of Annapurna’s World Vegetarian Café in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, NM. She is also a former DreamSpring client. Since the café’s founding in 2002, Yashoda and the restaurant have received numerous awards, including the 2003 Phoenix Award (sponsored by New York Life and awarded to a new business that overcame significant obstacle), the New Mexico Business Weekly’s Top 50 Women-Owned Businesses, and the Santa Fe Reporter’s Best Vegetarian Award for 10 consecutive years. Albuquerque Business First named Yashoda the Top Performing CEO in 2010, listed her among Women of Influence in 2011, and placed Annapurna’s as a Top 100 Privately-Owned Business. Yashoda received her bachelor’s degree in commerce from the University of Natal in South Africa and received her CPA qualification from the University of South Africa.

Ginny Bayless
Treasurer
Business & Financial Strategist, Community Investor for Impact
Based in Denver, Colorado, Ginny actively supports leaders and organizations that are creating a prosperous, vibrant, and equitable community for all Rocky Mountain residents.
From 2018-2019, Ginny was interim President and CEO of The Denver Foundation. Prior to joining The Foundation,Virginia was consulting Chief Financial Officer for The Boppy Company. She also provided strategic financial planning services to middle-market companies for acquisitions, financings, capital restructurings, and succession planning.
Earlier in her career, Ginny was a partner with The Wallach Company, a Denver-based investment bank, leading mergers and acquisitions for public and private companies. Before joining The Wallach Company, she held various finance positions with Wiland Services, Boettcher and Company, and Bankers Trust Company.
Ginny currently serves on the board of directors of Professional Assist Corporation and is chair of the audit committee. Previously she was chair of the board of trustees of The Denver Foundation. She has also served on the boards of Concepts Direct, Inc., Scholars Unlimited, Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, and Girls Inc. of Metro Denver.

Michelle Aguilar
Director of People & Culture

Betty Arkell
Shareholder, Buchalter
Betty Arkell is a shareholder at Buchalter, with more than 40 years of experience as a corporate and securities lawyer. Her clients include startup, emerging growth, and established companies, as well as venture capital and private equity funds. Betty specializes in corporate finance, mergers, acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, corporate restructurings, and general corporate counseling. She also has experience in the formation of private and public venture capital funds. Betty’s prior employment experience includes Equity Shareholder at Robinson Waters & O’Dorisio, P.C.in Denver, and nearly 10 years in the Venture Capital/Leveraged Buyout Group of Kirkland & Ellis, where she was a partner. In addition to serving on the board of DreamSpring, Betty is involved in numerous community and nonprofit organizations.

Irvin Ashford, Jr.
Managing Director, Head of Fair and Responsible Banking, Charles Schwab
Irvin Ashford, Jr. is the Managing Director, Head of Fair and Responsible Banking for Charles Schwab. In this role, Ashford manages a team with a focus on ensuring compliance of firm operations with standards of fairness and equity, as well as regulatory requirements safeguarding banking customers, including mandates under the Fair Lending Act and consumer protections from Unfair, Deceptive, or Abusive Acts or Practices. He worked with Comerica Bank from 2000-2023, most recently as Chief Community Officer, overseeing community reinvestment nationally. He and his team established the Comerica Money $ense program to teach sound financial principles to audiences that include pre-kindergarten students, seniors, and small businesses. Irvin serves on the board of directors for the Texas Women’s Empowerment Foundation, the Dallas Theater Center, Kym’s Kids, and Focus on Teens. The New York native has also garnered several awards and honors. Among them: Savoy Magazine recognized Irvin as one of its 2020 Most Influential Black Executives in Corporate America; in 2019, the University of Dallas inducted him into the Satish & Yasmin Gupta College of Business Hall of Fame for his contributions to community and economic development initiatives in diverse and underserved communities. In 2016, Irvin became the first two-time winner of the Dallas Business Journal Minority Business Leader Award. He received the Individual Achievement DiversityFirst Award from the Texas Diversity Council, and the Driving Diversity Advocacy Award for Outreach from the Greater Dallas Asian American Chamber of Commerce. The National Association of Black Accountants and the National Black MBA Association also have recognized him for his leadership and support of programs benefiting low- to moderate-income individuals and communities in Dallas.

Marisa Barrera
Chief Impact Officer

Gwendolyn Bonilla
Compliance Officer

Sarah Brown
Philanthropy Database Analyst & Systems Admin

Ashley Carreon
Loan Processor

Luis E Ceja
Senior Loan Officer

Darcie DeFoe
Marketing & Brand Director

Natalie DeGroot
Accounting Manager

Kenia Delgado
Portfolio Quality Officer

Vamsi Devarapalli
Software Developer

Felicia Edmon
Community Lending Officer

Shady Ereifej
Loan Servicing & Accounting Associate

Victor Espinoza
Loan Closer

Jini Francis
Software Developer

Marlon Frazier
Community Lending Officer, Texas

Alma Gallardo
Office Administrator

Brianna Galvan
Loan Closer

Daniel Griego
Portfolio Quality Officer

Gloria Gutierrez
Loan Processor

Anne Haines
President/CEO

Jaquelyn Hernandez
Client Success Manager

Brett Hester
IT Support & Vendor Management Specialist

Jerry John Jacob
Vice President, Engineering

Shaundra Jacobs
Community Engagement Officer

Kashish Jain
Junior Software Developer

Toni Johnson
Lending Team Manager

Amber Kani
Head of Stakeholder Engagement

Lacey Keene
Accountant II

Kyle Klabunde
Senior Loan Officer, Colorado

Vignesh Kudva
Lead - Product and Technology

Alfonso Ramos Landaverde
Community Lending Officer, New Mexico

Amy Lapidus
Senior Loan Officer

Suzette Longfellow
Chief Financial Officer

Francisco Lopez
Chief Operations & Innovation Officer

Marco Macias
Underwriting Lead

Alexa Marban
Community Lending Officer, Nevada

Laura Marrich
Senior Communications Specialist

Jerrie Merritt
Senior Vice President, Community Development Manager, Bank of Nevada
Jerrie E. Merritt serves as senior vice president and division community development manager for Bank of Nevada. Her banking career spans more than 40 years. Jerrie’s responsibilities include the progression and coordination of all economic development programs and projects, community development, as well as liaison responsibilities with state and local agencies, nonprofit development groups, and other participants in the community. She is chair of the board of directors for Work Force Connections and lends her experience and expertise to United Way of Southern Nevada, Communities in Schools, and Valley Hospital Medical Center. She is past board chair for Help of Southern Nevada. Jerrie has also served on the University of Nevada at Las Vegas (UNLV) School of Medicine Community Advisory Board and the UNLV Library Advisory Committee.

Stacy Miller
Executive Assistant

Vimal Nair
Senior Software Developer

Aditya Krishnan Nambiar
Junior Software Developer

Emery Nez-Whitfield
Client Success Specialist

Vân Nguyen
Data Scientist

Jeremy Noil
SBA Lending Specialist

Kim Peone
Founder, Ble’gency

Prathap R
Junior Software Developer

Prajwal Rai
Junior Software Developer

Meghan Rauker
Community Engagement Officer

Bill Ridenour
Attorney of Counsel, Fennemore Craig
William (Bill) Ridenour is an attorney of counsel with Fennemore Craig law firm, specializing in banking, corporate law, real estate, zoning, and litigation, and is a former judge pro tem for Maricopa County Superior Court. Bill has published articles on lender liability, financial institution representation, and foreclosure issues, and is a frequent speaker on real estate and lender-related issues. He has consistently received awards in Best Lawyers in America, America’s Most Honored Lawyers (top 1%), America’s Most Honored Professionals (top 1%), and AV Premier Attorney (both regular and judicial editions).
In March 2014, Gov. Jan Brewer appointed Bill to an eight-year term on the Arizona Board of Regents, which serves as the governing body of Arizona’s public university system and provides policy guidance to Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, the University of Arizona, and their branch campuses. Bill also serves on the boards of numerous non-profits, including Scottsdale Museum of the West, the Heard Museum, Old Tucson Foundation (president), Hope & A Future, Steps of Love, March of Dimes, and StreetLight, among others. Bill serves as general counsel to the Arizona Bankers Association. He received his bachelor of arts degree from the University of Arizona, his master of arts degree from Rutgers University (Eagleton Institute), and his juris doctorate from the University of Arizona.

Alice Rodriguez
Retired Executive, JPMorgan Chase; Co-Owner, Kendall Milagro Inc.
With more than 30 years of extensive banking experience with JPMorgan Chase and its predecessors, Alice applies her financial leadership acumen to several local and national service roles — including acting as Chairwoman of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce — for which she has received many awards and accolades.
As head of the JPMC Community Impact Organization, Alice provided strategic counsel and served an integral leadership role in community engagement initiatives and localization strategy. In this capacity, she collaborated with Corporate Responsibility to bring together the best of business, philanthropy, and policy efforts to drive inclusive economic growth. In her last role with JPMorgan Chase, Alice led the Path Forward Initiative, a $30B commitment to advancing racial equity. Today, she is a co-owner at Kendall Milagro Inc., a boutique home builder with two decades of experience in the Dallas area.

Paula Ronquillo
Underwriting Associate

Felix Ruiz
Credit Risk Manager

Joe Sanchez
Portfolio Quality Officer

Ernest Sankeshwar
Senior Software Developer

Yolanda Segura
Portfolio Quality Officer

Metta Smith
Chief Lending & Client Experience Officer

Analisa Smith
Senior Director of Finance

Ashley Treibel
Senior Marketing Specialist

Bill Tye
Audit Specialist

Ikechi Ukazu
Community Lending Officer, Texas

Yvette Ulibarri
Client Experience Supervisor

Jessica Wilson
Fraud Analyst
Executive Leadership

Marisa Barrera
Chief Impact Officer

Anne Haines
President/CEO

Suzette Longfellow
Chief Financial Officer

Francisco Lopez
Chief Operations & Innovation Officer

Metta Smith
Chief Lending & Client Experience Officer

Edmond Johnson
President/CEO, Premier Manufacturing, Inc.
Edmond Johnson is the CEO of Premier Energy Holdings, as well as the president and CEO of Premier Manufacturing, Inc., based in Frederick, Colo. He has grown the company to one of the largest, third-tier, contract manufacturing operations. ColoradoBiz Magazine has recognized Premier Manufacturing as one of the fastest growing companies. Before founding the company, Edmond held various management and middle management positions in manufacturing operations and supply chain management with IBM, AST Computers, US Robotics, 3COM, and Maxtor Corp. In 2015, Edmond joined the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s Denver Branch board of directors. On January 1, 2021, he was appointed chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s board of directors and has served on the head office board since 2019. He is also involved in his community, supporting various scholarship funds and charity programs. He received his master’s degree in business administration marketing from Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta.

Anthony Sharett
President, Pathward Financial
Anthony Sharett is the president of Pathward Financial. Prior to being appointed to his current role in October 2021, Anthony served as executive vice president, chief legal and compliance officer, corporate secretary since June 2020; and executive vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary since September 2019. Anthony was responsible for the overall strategic leadership and oversight of Pathward Financial’s legal team, enterprise risk, public policy and regulatory affairs, and corporate secretarial functions. Anthony also oversaw compliance; environmental, social, and corporate governance; and community impact initiatives.
Before joining the company, Anthony held legal and business unit leadership positions at Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, including as the legal leader and interim president for Nationwide Bank and president of Nationwide Pet. Earlier in his career, Anthony was a partner at BakerHostetler where he was the national co-leader of the firm’s financial services practice group. He provided litigation, regulatory, and compliance counsel to banking and lending clients. Anthony has been nationally recognized as a champion for diversity, inclusion, and equity and has served in leadership positions for the Leadership Council for Legal Diversity and for the American Bar Association’s consumer financial services’ diversity and inclusion committee.
Anthony is also a community steward as a greater Phoenix leadership member, and he serves on the Arizona Community Foundation audit committee. He is a member of the American College of Consumer Financial Services Lawyers and has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America. Anthony received his undergraduate degree in political science from Ball State University and holds a juris doctor degree from The Ohio State University, Moritz College of Law, where he is a member of the national council.

Yashoda Naidoo
President/Owner, Annapurna's World Vegetarian Café
Yashoda Naidoo is the president and founder of Annapurna’s World Vegetarian Café in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, NM. She is also a former DreamSpring client. Since the café’s founding in 2002, Yashoda and the restaurant have received numerous awards, including the 2003 Phoenix Award (sponsored by New York Life and awarded to a new business that overcame significant obstacle), the New Mexico Business Weekly’s Top 50 Women-Owned Businesses, and the Santa Fe Reporter’s Best Vegetarian Award for 10 consecutive years. Albuquerque Business First named Yashoda the Top Performing CEO in 2010, listed her among Women of Influence in 2011, and placed Annapurna’s as a Top 100 Privately-Owned Business. Yashoda received her bachelor’s degree in commerce from the University of Natal in South Africa and received her CPA qualification from the University of South Africa.

Ginny Bayless
Business & Financial Strategist, Community Investor for Impact
Based in Denver, Colorado, Ginny actively supports leaders and organizations that are creating a prosperous, vibrant, and equitable community for all Rocky Mountain residents.
From 2018-2019, Ginny was interim President and CEO of The Denver Foundation. Prior to joining The Foundation,Virginia was consulting Chief Financial Officer for The Boppy Company. She also provided strategic financial planning services to middle-market companies for acquisitions, financings, capital restructurings, and succession planning.
Earlier in her career, Ginny was a partner with The Wallach Company, a Denver-based investment bank, leading mergers and acquisitions for public and private companies. Before joining The Wallach Company, she held various finance positions with Wiland Services, Boettcher and Company, and Bankers Trust Company.
Ginny currently serves on the board of directors of Professional Assist Corporation and is chair of the audit committee. Previously she was chair of the board of trustees of The Denver Foundation. She has also served on the boards of Concepts Direct, Inc., Scholars Unlimited, Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, and Girls Inc. of Metro Denver.

Michelle Aguilar
Director of People & Culture

Betty Arkell
Shareholder, Buchalter
Betty Arkell is a shareholder at Buchalter, with more than 40 years of experience as a corporate and securities lawyer. Her clients include startup, emerging growth, and established companies, as well as venture capital and private equity funds. Betty specializes in corporate finance, mergers, acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, corporate restructurings, and general corporate counseling. She also has experience in the formation of private and public venture capital funds. Betty’s prior employment experience includes Equity Shareholder at Robinson Waters & O’Dorisio, P.C.in Denver, and nearly 10 years in the Venture Capital/Leveraged Buyout Group of Kirkland & Ellis, where she was a partner. In addition to serving on the board of DreamSpring, Betty is involved in numerous community and nonprofit organizations.

Irvin Ashford, Jr.
Managing Director, Head of Fair and Responsible Banking, Charles Schwab
Irvin Ashford, Jr. is the Managing Director, Head of Fair and Responsible Banking for Charles Schwab. In this role, Ashford manages a team with a focus on ensuring compliance of firm operations with standards of fairness and equity, as well as regulatory requirements safeguarding banking customers, including mandates under the Fair Lending Act and consumer protections from Unfair, Deceptive, or Abusive Acts or Practices. He worked with Comerica Bank from 2000-2023, most recently as Chief Community Officer, overseeing community reinvestment nationally. He and his team established the Comerica Money $ense program to teach sound financial principles to audiences that include pre-kindergarten students, seniors, and small businesses. Irvin serves on the board of directors for the Texas Women’s Empowerment Foundation, the Dallas Theater Center, Kym’s Kids, and Focus on Teens. The New York native has also garnered several awards and honors. Among them: Savoy Magazine recognized Irvin as one of its 2020 Most Influential Black Executives in Corporate America; in 2019, the University of Dallas inducted him into the Satish & Yasmin Gupta College of Business Hall of Fame for his contributions to community and economic development initiatives in diverse and underserved communities. In 2016, Irvin became the first two-time winner of the Dallas Business Journal Minority Business Leader Award. He received the Individual Achievement DiversityFirst Award from the Texas Diversity Council, and the Driving Diversity Advocacy Award for Outreach from the Greater Dallas Asian American Chamber of Commerce. The National Association of Black Accountants and the National Black MBA Association also have recognized him for his leadership and support of programs benefiting low- to moderate-income individuals and communities in Dallas.

Marisa Barrera
Chief Impact Officer

Gwendolyn Bonilla
Compliance Officer

Sarah Brown
Philanthropy Database Analyst & Systems Admin

Ashley Carreon
Loan Processor

Luis E Ceja
Senior Loan Officer

Darcie DeFoe
Marketing & Brand Director

Natalie DeGroot
Accounting Manager

Kenia Delgado
Portfolio Quality Officer

Vamsi Devarapalli
Software Developer

Felicia Edmon
Community Lending Officer

Shady Ereifej
Loan Servicing & Accounting Associate

Victor Espinoza
Loan Closer

Jini Francis
Software Developer

Marlon Frazier
Community Lending Officer, Texas

Alma Gallardo
Office Administrator

Brianna Galvan
Loan Closer

Daniel Griego
Portfolio Quality Officer

Gloria Gutierrez
Loan Processor

Anne Haines
President/CEO

Jaquelyn Hernandez
Client Success Manager

Brett Hester
IT Support & Vendor Management Specialist

Jerry John Jacob
Vice President, Engineering

Shaundra Jacobs
Community Engagement Officer

Kashish Jain
Junior Software Developer

Toni Johnson
Lending Team Manager

Amber Kani
Head of Stakeholder Engagement

Lacey Keene
Accountant II

Kyle Klabunde
Senior Loan Officer, Colorado

Vignesh Kudva
Lead - Product and Technology

Alfonso Ramos Landaverde
Community Lending Officer, New Mexico

Amy Lapidus
Senior Loan Officer

Suzette Longfellow
Chief Financial Officer

Francisco Lopez
Chief Operations & Innovation Officer

Marco Macias
Underwriting Lead

Alexa Marban
Community Lending Officer, Nevada

Laura Marrich
Senior Communications Specialist

Jerrie Merritt
Senior Vice President, Community Development Manager, Bank of Nevada
Jerrie E. Merritt serves as senior vice president and division community development manager for Bank of Nevada. Her banking career spans more than 40 years. Jerrie’s responsibilities include the progression and coordination of all economic development programs and projects, community development, as well as liaison responsibilities with state and local agencies, nonprofit development groups, and other participants in the community. She is chair of the board of directors for Work Force Connections and lends her experience and expertise to United Way of Southern Nevada, Communities in Schools, and Valley Hospital Medical Center. She is past board chair for Help of Southern Nevada. Jerrie has also served on the University of Nevada at Las Vegas (UNLV) School of Medicine Community Advisory Board and the UNLV Library Advisory Committee.

Stacy Miller
Executive Assistant

Vimal Nair
Senior Software Developer

Aditya Krishnan Nambiar
Junior Software Developer

Emery Nez-Whitfield
Client Success Specialist

Vân Nguyen
Data Scientist

Jeremy Noil
SBA Lending Specialist

Kim Peone
Founder, Ble’gency

Prathap R
Junior Software Developer

Prajwal Rai
Junior Software Developer

Meghan Rauker
Community Engagement Officer

Bill Ridenour
Attorney of Counsel, Fennemore Craig
William (Bill) Ridenour is an attorney of counsel with Fennemore Craig law firm, specializing in banking, corporate law, real estate, zoning, and litigation, and is a former judge pro tem for Maricopa County Superior Court. Bill has published articles on lender liability, financial institution representation, and foreclosure issues, and is a frequent speaker on real estate and lender-related issues. He has consistently received awards in Best Lawyers in America, America’s Most Honored Lawyers (top 1%), America’s Most Honored Professionals (top 1%), and AV Premier Attorney (both regular and judicial editions).
In March 2014, Gov. Jan Brewer appointed Bill to an eight-year term on the Arizona Board of Regents, which serves as the governing body of Arizona’s public university system and provides policy guidance to Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, the University of Arizona, and their branch campuses. Bill also serves on the boards of numerous non-profits, including Scottsdale Museum of the West, the Heard Museum, Old Tucson Foundation (president), Hope & A Future, Steps of Love, March of Dimes, and StreetLight, among others. Bill serves as general counsel to the Arizona Bankers Association. He received his bachelor of arts degree from the University of Arizona, his master of arts degree from Rutgers University (Eagleton Institute), and his juris doctorate from the University of Arizona.

Alice Rodriguez
Retired Executive, JPMorgan Chase; Co-Owner, Kendall Milagro Inc.
With more than 30 years of extensive banking experience with JPMorgan Chase and its predecessors, Alice applies her financial leadership acumen to several local and national service roles — including acting as Chairwoman of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce — for which she has received many awards and accolades.
As head of the JPMC Community Impact Organization, Alice provided strategic counsel and served an integral leadership role in community engagement initiatives and localization strategy. In this capacity, she collaborated with Corporate Responsibility to bring together the best of business, philanthropy, and policy efforts to drive inclusive economic growth. In her last role with JPMorgan Chase, Alice led the Path Forward Initiative, a $30B commitment to advancing racial equity. Today, she is a co-owner at Kendall Milagro Inc., a boutique home builder with two decades of experience in the Dallas area.

Paula Ronquillo
Underwriting Associate

Felix Ruiz
Credit Risk Manager

Joe Sanchez
Portfolio Quality Officer

Ernest Sankeshwar
Senior Software Developer

Yolanda Segura
Portfolio Quality Officer

Metta Smith
Chief Lending & Client Experience Officer

Analisa Smith
Senior Director of Finance

Ashley Treibel
Senior Marketing Specialist

Bill Tye
Audit Specialist

Ikechi Ukazu
Community Lending Officer, Texas

Yvette Ulibarri
Client Experience Supervisor

Jessica Wilson
Fraud Analyst
Team members

Michelle Aguilar
Director of People & Culture

Gwendolyn Bonilla
Compliance Officer

Sarah Brown
Philanthropy Database Analyst & Systems Admin

Ashley Carreon
Loan Processor

Luis E Ceja
Senior Loan Officer

Darcie DeFoe
Marketing & Brand Director

Natalie DeGroot
Accounting Manager

Kenia Delgado
Portfolio Quality Officer

Vamsi Devarapalli
Software Developer

Felicia Edmon
Community Lending Officer

Shady Ereifej
Loan Servicing & Accounting Associate

Victor Espinoza
Loan Closer

Jini Francis
Software Developer

Marlon Frazier
Community Lending Officer, Texas

Alma Gallardo
Office Administrator

Brianna Galvan
Loan Closer

Daniel Griego
Portfolio Quality Officer

Gloria Gutierrez
Loan Processor

Jaquelyn Hernandez
Client Success Manager

Brett Hester
IT Support & Vendor Management Specialist

Jerry John Jacob
Vice President, Engineering

Shaundra Jacobs
Community Engagement Officer

Kashish Jain
Junior Software Developer

Toni Johnson
Lending Team Manager

Amber Kani
Head of Stakeholder Engagement

Lacey Keene
Accountant II

Kyle Klabunde
Senior Loan Officer, Colorado

Vignesh Kudva
Lead - Product and Technology

Alfonso Ramos Landaverde
Community Lending Officer, New Mexico

Amy Lapidus
Senior Loan Officer

Marco Macias
Underwriting Lead

Alexa Marban
Community Lending Officer, Nevada

Laura Marrich
Senior Communications Specialist

Stacy Miller
Executive Assistant

Vimal Nair
Senior Software Developer

Aditya Krishnan Nambiar
Junior Software Developer

Emery Nez-Whitfield
Client Success Specialist

Vân Nguyen
Data Scientist

Jeremy Noil
SBA Lending Specialist

Prathap R
Junior Software Developer

Prajwal Rai
Junior Software Developer

Meghan Rauker
Community Engagement Officer

Paula Ronquillo
Underwriting Associate

Felix Ruiz
Credit Risk Manager

Joe Sanchez
Portfolio Quality Officer

Ernest Sankeshwar
Senior Software Developer

Yolanda Segura
Portfolio Quality Officer

Analisa Smith
Senior Director of Finance

Ashley Treibel
Senior Marketing Specialist

Bill Tye
Audit Specialist

Ikechi Ukazu
Community Lending Officer, Texas

Yvette Ulibarri
Client Experience Supervisor

Jessica Wilson
Fraud Analyst

Edmond Johnson
President/CEO, Premier Manufacturing, Inc.
Edmond Johnson is the CEO of Premier Energy Holdings, as well as the president and CEO of Premier Manufacturing, Inc., based in Frederick, Colo. He has grown the company to one of the largest, third-tier, contract manufacturing operations. ColoradoBiz Magazine has recognized Premier Manufacturing as one of the fastest growing companies. Before founding the company, Edmond held various management and middle management positions in manufacturing operations and supply chain management with IBM, AST Computers, US Robotics, 3COM, and Maxtor Corp. In 2015, Edmond joined the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s Denver Branch board of directors. On January 1, 2021, he was appointed chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s board of directors and has served on the head office board since 2019. He is also involved in his community, supporting various scholarship funds and charity programs. He received his master’s degree in business administration marketing from Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta.

Anthony Sharett
President, Pathward Financial
Anthony Sharett is the president of Pathward Financial. Prior to being appointed to his current role in October 2021, Anthony served as executive vice president, chief legal and compliance officer, corporate secretary since June 2020; and executive vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary since September 2019. Anthony was responsible for the overall strategic leadership and oversight of Pathward Financial’s legal team, enterprise risk, public policy and regulatory affairs, and corporate secretarial functions. Anthony also oversaw compliance; environmental, social, and corporate governance; and community impact initiatives.
Before joining the company, Anthony held legal and business unit leadership positions at Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, including as the legal leader and interim president for Nationwide Bank and president of Nationwide Pet. Earlier in his career, Anthony was a partner at BakerHostetler where he was the national co-leader of the firm’s financial services practice group. He provided litigation, regulatory, and compliance counsel to banking and lending clients. Anthony has been nationally recognized as a champion for diversity, inclusion, and equity and has served in leadership positions for the Leadership Council for Legal Diversity and for the American Bar Association’s consumer financial services’ diversity and inclusion committee.
Anthony is also a community steward as a greater Phoenix leadership member, and he serves on the Arizona Community Foundation audit committee. He is a member of the American College of Consumer Financial Services Lawyers and has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America. Anthony received his undergraduate degree in political science from Ball State University and holds a juris doctor degree from The Ohio State University, Moritz College of Law, where he is a member of the national council.

Yashoda Naidoo
President/Owner, Annapurna's World Vegetarian Café
Yashoda Naidoo is the president and founder of Annapurna’s World Vegetarian Café in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, NM. She is also a former DreamSpring client. Since the café’s founding in 2002, Yashoda and the restaurant have received numerous awards, including the 2003 Phoenix Award (sponsored by New York Life and awarded to a new business that overcame significant obstacle), the New Mexico Business Weekly’s Top 50 Women-Owned Businesses, and the Santa Fe Reporter’s Best Vegetarian Award for 10 consecutive years. Albuquerque Business First named Yashoda the Top Performing CEO in 2010, listed her among Women of Influence in 2011, and placed Annapurna’s as a Top 100 Privately-Owned Business. Yashoda received her bachelor’s degree in commerce from the University of Natal in South Africa and received her CPA qualification from the University of South Africa.

Ginny Bayless
Business & Financial Strategist, Community Investor for Impact
Based in Denver, Colorado, Ginny actively supports leaders and organizations that are creating a prosperous, vibrant, and equitable community for all Rocky Mountain residents.
From 2018-2019, Ginny was interim President and CEO of The Denver Foundation. Prior to joining The Foundation,Virginia was consulting Chief Financial Officer for The Boppy Company. She also provided strategic financial planning services to middle-market companies for acquisitions, financings, capital restructurings, and succession planning.
Earlier in her career, Ginny was a partner with The Wallach Company, a Denver-based investment bank, leading mergers and acquisitions for public and private companies. Before joining The Wallach Company, she held various finance positions with Wiland Services, Boettcher and Company, and Bankers Trust Company.
Ginny currently serves on the board of directors of Professional Assist Corporation and is chair of the audit committee. Previously she was chair of the board of trustees of The Denver Foundation. She has also served on the boards of Concepts Direct, Inc., Scholars Unlimited, Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, and Girls Inc. of Metro Denver.

Michelle Aguilar
Director of People & Culture

Betty Arkell
Shareholder, Buchalter
Betty Arkell is a shareholder at Buchalter, with more than 40 years of experience as a corporate and securities lawyer. Her clients include startup, emerging growth, and established companies, as well as venture capital and private equity funds. Betty specializes in corporate finance, mergers, acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, corporate restructurings, and general corporate counseling. She also has experience in the formation of private and public venture capital funds. Betty’s prior employment experience includes Equity Shareholder at Robinson Waters & O’Dorisio, P.C.in Denver, and nearly 10 years in the Venture Capital/Leveraged Buyout Group of Kirkland & Ellis, where she was a partner. In addition to serving on the board of DreamSpring, Betty is involved in numerous community and nonprofit organizations.

Irvin Ashford, Jr.
Managing Director, Head of Fair and Responsible Banking, Charles Schwab
Irvin Ashford, Jr. is the Managing Director, Head of Fair and Responsible Banking for Charles Schwab. In this role, Ashford manages a team with a focus on ensuring compliance of firm operations with standards of fairness and equity, as well as regulatory requirements safeguarding banking customers, including mandates under the Fair Lending Act and consumer protections from Unfair, Deceptive, or Abusive Acts or Practices. He worked with Comerica Bank from 2000-2023, most recently as Chief Community Officer, overseeing community reinvestment nationally. He and his team established the Comerica Money $ense program to teach sound financial principles to audiences that include pre-kindergarten students, seniors, and small businesses. Irvin serves on the board of directors for the Texas Women’s Empowerment Foundation, the Dallas Theater Center, Kym’s Kids, and Focus on Teens. The New York native has also garnered several awards and honors. Among them: Savoy Magazine recognized Irvin as one of its 2020 Most Influential Black Executives in Corporate America; in 2019, the University of Dallas inducted him into the Satish & Yasmin Gupta College of Business Hall of Fame for his contributions to community and economic development initiatives in diverse and underserved communities. In 2016, Irvin became the first two-time winner of the Dallas Business Journal Minority Business Leader Award. He received the Individual Achievement DiversityFirst Award from the Texas Diversity Council, and the Driving Diversity Advocacy Award for Outreach from the Greater Dallas Asian American Chamber of Commerce. The National Association of Black Accountants and the National Black MBA Association also have recognized him for his leadership and support of programs benefiting low- to moderate-income individuals and communities in Dallas.

Marisa Barrera
Chief Impact Officer

Gwendolyn Bonilla
Compliance Officer

Sarah Brown
Philanthropy Database Analyst & Systems Admin

Ashley Carreon
Loan Processor

Luis E Ceja
Senior Loan Officer

Darcie DeFoe
Marketing & Brand Director

Natalie DeGroot
Accounting Manager

Kenia Delgado
Portfolio Quality Officer

Vamsi Devarapalli
Software Developer

Felicia Edmon
Community Lending Officer

Shady Ereifej
Loan Servicing & Accounting Associate

Victor Espinoza
Loan Closer

Jini Francis
Software Developer

Marlon Frazier
Community Lending Officer, Texas

Alma Gallardo
Office Administrator

Brianna Galvan
Loan Closer

Daniel Griego
Portfolio Quality Officer

Gloria Gutierrez
Loan Processor

Anne Haines
President/CEO

Jaquelyn Hernandez
Client Success Manager

Brett Hester
IT Support & Vendor Management Specialist

Jerry John Jacob
Vice President, Engineering

Shaundra Jacobs
Community Engagement Officer

Kashish Jain
Junior Software Developer

Toni Johnson
Lending Team Manager

Amber Kani
Head of Stakeholder Engagement

Lacey Keene
Accountant II

Kyle Klabunde
Senior Loan Officer, Colorado

Vignesh Kudva
Lead - Product and Technology

Alfonso Ramos Landaverde
Community Lending Officer, New Mexico

Amy Lapidus
Senior Loan Officer

Suzette Longfellow
Chief Financial Officer

Francisco Lopez
Chief Operations & Innovation Officer

Marco Macias
Underwriting Lead

Alexa Marban
Community Lending Officer, Nevada

Laura Marrich
Senior Communications Specialist

Jerrie Merritt
Senior Vice President, Community Development Manager, Bank of Nevada
Jerrie E. Merritt serves as senior vice president and division community development manager for Bank of Nevada. Her banking career spans more than 40 years. Jerrie’s responsibilities include the progression and coordination of all economic development programs and projects, community development, as well as liaison responsibilities with state and local agencies, nonprofit development groups, and other participants in the community. She is chair of the board of directors for Work Force Connections and lends her experience and expertise to United Way of Southern Nevada, Communities in Schools, and Valley Hospital Medical Center. She is past board chair for Help of Southern Nevada. Jerrie has also served on the University of Nevada at Las Vegas (UNLV) School of Medicine Community Advisory Board and the UNLV Library Advisory Committee.

Stacy Miller
Executive Assistant

Vimal Nair
Senior Software Developer

Aditya Krishnan Nambiar
Junior Software Developer

Emery Nez-Whitfield
Client Success Specialist

Vân Nguyen
Data Scientist

Jeremy Noil
SBA Lending Specialist

Kim Peone
Founder, Ble’gency

Prathap R
Junior Software Developer

Prajwal Rai
Junior Software Developer

Meghan Rauker
Community Engagement Officer

Bill Ridenour
Attorney of Counsel, Fennemore Craig
William (Bill) Ridenour is an attorney of counsel with Fennemore Craig law firm, specializing in banking, corporate law, real estate, zoning, and litigation, and is a former judge pro tem for Maricopa County Superior Court. Bill has published articles on lender liability, financial institution representation, and foreclosure issues, and is a frequent speaker on real estate and lender-related issues. He has consistently received awards in Best Lawyers in America, America’s Most Honored Lawyers (top 1%), America’s Most Honored Professionals (top 1%), and AV Premier Attorney (both regular and judicial editions).
In March 2014, Gov. Jan Brewer appointed Bill to an eight-year term on the Arizona Board of Regents, which serves as the governing body of Arizona’s public university system and provides policy guidance to Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, the University of Arizona, and their branch campuses. Bill also serves on the boards of numerous non-profits, including Scottsdale Museum of the West, the Heard Museum, Old Tucson Foundation (president), Hope & A Future, Steps of Love, March of Dimes, and StreetLight, among others. Bill serves as general counsel to the Arizona Bankers Association. He received his bachelor of arts degree from the University of Arizona, his master of arts degree from Rutgers University (Eagleton Institute), and his juris doctorate from the University of Arizona.

Alice Rodriguez
Retired Executive, JPMorgan Chase; Co-Owner, Kendall Milagro Inc.
With more than 30 years of extensive banking experience with JPMorgan Chase and its predecessors, Alice applies her financial leadership acumen to several local and national service roles — including acting as Chairwoman of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce — for which she has received many awards and accolades.
As head of the JPMC Community Impact Organization, Alice provided strategic counsel and served an integral leadership role in community engagement initiatives and localization strategy. In this capacity, she collaborated with Corporate Responsibility to bring together the best of business, philanthropy, and policy efforts to drive inclusive economic growth. In her last role with JPMorgan Chase, Alice led the Path Forward Initiative, a $30B commitment to advancing racial equity. Today, she is a co-owner at Kendall Milagro Inc., a boutique home builder with two decades of experience in the Dallas area.

Paula Ronquillo
Underwriting Associate

Felix Ruiz
Credit Risk Manager

Joe Sanchez
Portfolio Quality Officer

Ernest Sankeshwar
Senior Software Developer

Yolanda Segura
Portfolio Quality Officer

Metta Smith
Chief Lending & Client Experience Officer

Analisa Smith
Senior Director of Finance

Ashley Treibel
Senior Marketing Specialist

Bill Tye
Audit Specialist

Ikechi Ukazu
Community Lending Officer, Texas

Yvette Ulibarri
Client Experience Supervisor

Jessica Wilson
Fraud Analyst