WBA Management
Simone Lagomarsino
President and Chief Executive Officer
In April of 2017, Simone Lagomarsino became the president and CEO of the California Bankers Association (CBA). On January 1, 2018, the CBA and Western Independent Bankers (WIB) merged to form the Western Bankers Association (WBA), and Simone assumed the role as the president and CEO of the WBA. Prior to her current role, Simone served as CEO of Heritage Oaks Bank, and president and CEO of Heritage Oaks Bancorp, headquartered in Paso Robles, California.
Maurine Padden
Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer
Maurine Padden is the chief operating officer for WBA. In that role, she oversees WBA’s advocacy efforts in the legislative, regulatory and legal arenas on behalf of the association’s members in addition to providing operational support to the WBA team. As a member of WBA’s senior management, she contributes to the development and execution of the association’s strategic goals and initiatives. Maurine previously served as the associations’ director of state government affairs and lead lobbyist in the most active state legislature in the country.
Michael Delucchi
Senior Vice President, Executive Director, Professional Development
In his role as senior vice president and executive director, Michael Delucchi brings his diverse bank management and financial industry background to WBA’s professional development division. Experienced in compliance, finance, operations, service, marketing, technology, and lending, his proven ability to provide expert leadership and vision span more than 30 years in the financial services industry.
Kevin Gould
Senior Vice President, Director of Government Relations
Kevin Gould joined the California Bankers Association (CBA) in 2004, bringing with him more than seven years of legislative experience. In his role as senior 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.
Beth Mills
Senior Vice President, Communications
As the senior vice president of communications, Beth Mills is responsible for all internal and external communications for WBA, and serves as the association’s spokesperson. Prior to joining the association in 2008, Beth was appointed by the governor and served as the assistant deputy director of public affairs in the California Department of General Services where she managed all media contacts and served as the department’s spokesperson on the key department issues.
Linda Odell
Vice President, HR/Administration
Linda Odell joined the CBA in 2005, and oversees the human resources and administrative support functions of the office, and manages CBA’s Annual Compensation and Benefits Benchmark Survey. Linda has more than 15 years of human resources experience and more than 25 years of administrative experience. Prior to joining the CBA, Linda worked for the California Restaurant Association (CRA) where she managed human resources efforts, administered employee benefit programs and managed the accounts receivables.
Martha Evensen Opich
Vice President, Association Counsel
Marty Opich joined WBA in March of 2018 after having represented financial institutions for the bulk of her career. Most recently, she was a partner in the boutique law firm Kraft Opich, LLP, with a practice devoted exclusively to representation of commercial lenders. She has also served as in-house counsel to two financial institutions — U.S.
Michael Peterson
Vice President, Strategic Partners
As the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, Michael Peterson oversees the association’s partner strategy to ensure value is being created for member banks and strategic partners. Prior to joining the Western Bankers Association in July 2018, Michael spent 10 years leading teams in sales, brand management and business development. Through that time, Michael partnered closely with multiple state banking associations and banks throughout the country.