Directors Forum

Jeffrey J. Wishner is a Managing Director in the San Francisco office at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods. Mr. Wishner has 25 years of experience advising West Coast banks, thrifts and financial institutions on mergers and acquisitions and capital raising transactions.

Michele Andujo Gil is Managing Partner and majority equity owner with more than 25 years of recruiting and management experience at the Los Angeles-based Chrisman & Company, a national executive search consultancy to financial and related industries. She leads the firm’s board of directors practice as well as searches for senior/executive management positions including C-level positions for prominent clients in banking and financial services.

Jeff has practiced public accounting since 1988 and has served as the lead audit partner for numerous financial institutions and SEC reporting companies. He was previously a partner at a regional accounting firm specializing in providing services to financial institutions and served in the internal audit department of an $18 billion dollar institution where he led the bank’s implementation of FDICIA.

Mr. Smith is the President and a member of the Board of Directors of the Memphis-based law firm of Gerrish Smith Tuck, PC, and its affiliated bank consulting firm, Gerrish Smith Tuck Consultants, LLC. Mr. Smith’s legal and consulting practice places special emphasis on bank mergers and acquisitions, financial analysis, acquisition and ownership planning for boards of directors, strategic planning for boards of directors, regulatory matters, bank holding company formations and use, securities law concerns, new bank formations, S-corporations, going private transactions, trust preferred securities and other matters of importance to banks and financial institutions.

Chris Grant is a senior risk specialist at the San Francisco Fed. He supports the Fed’s mission to promote the safety and soundness of the U.S. banking system by assessing the potential effects of regional economic conditions on banking risk in the western states. Prior to working at the Fed, Chris rated local government debt as an analyst at S&P Global Ratings, and before that he worked on international economic and financial policy at the U.S. Treasury. He holds master’s degrees in public administration and international relations from the Maxwell School of Syracuse University.

Kevin Gould joined the California Bankers Association (CBA) in 2004, bringing with him more than seven years of legislative experience. In his role as executive vice president and director of state government relations, he oversees the management and operation of CBA’s state and federal government relations department and also serves as one of CBA’s three registered lobbyists. Gould’s advocacy responsibilities and issues focus mainly in the areas of bank operations, commercial lending, residential property lending, and wealth and asset management issues.

Jason Lane is vice president and deputy director of government relations for the California Bankers Association and manages California state tax policy for the association, which involves analyzing legislation and regulatory activity, and the development of policy positions for the association. Lane is one of three lobbyists at CBA and, in addition to his primary focus on taxation, he also lobbies on behalf of the association on issues related to the state budget, and consumer lending legislation. Lane has significant expertise in handling legislative issues including taxation, data security, identity theft, and housing.

Mr. Cook is a principal of Aldrich & Bonnefin, PLC, and has been with the firm since 2011. Mr. Cook manages the firm’s Corporate Practice Group which includes commercial lending and corporate securities law. Mr. Cook regularly advises financial institutions and their boards of directors on various matters, including corporate governance issues, commercial lending matters, contracts and bank regulatory matters. He frequently speaks at events in the financial industry, including Bankers’ Compliance Group® events. Mr. Cook is a member of the State Bar of California and the Orange County Bar Association. He led the OCBA’s Banking & Lending Section as its Chair for 2018, having previously served as its Vice-Chair and Treasurer.