Exchange Bank promotes Mary Leonard-Wilson to Chief Credit Officer

By Edlyn Cardoza

Exchange Bank recently announced that Mary Leonard-Wilson, SVP, senior credit officer has been promoted to Exchange Bank’s Executive Committee as SVP, chief credit officer, reporting directly to Troy Sanderson, president, and CEO. Mary has over 20 years of community banking and executive experience and has been fulfilling this role on an interim basis since May of this year.

“Mary and I have been peers in community banking in Northern California for many, many years,” said Troy Sanderson, president, and chief executive officer. “Her reputation was beyond reproach back then, and that reputation has only been surpassed by my actual experience working with her here at Exchange Bank. We are very lucky to have her in this role and on our team.”

Before joining Exchange Bank, Ms. Leonard-Wilson served in lending and credit capacities with several independent community banks in the San Francisco Bay Area. Before that, she held a wide range of positions managing teams of lenders in New York, Chicago, and New Jersey, with a focus on commercial loan origination and loan portfolio management. She also participated in due diligence and integration teams for a number of bank mergers.

In 1994, Ms. Leonard-Wilson relocated to Napa Valley where she joined National Bank of the Redwoods (NBR) as head of Commercial Lending, assuming additional responsibilities as senior loan officer and chief credit officer until the bank’s merger with Westamerica Bank in 2005. In 2006, Ms. Leonard-Wilson co-founded Presidio Bank with the former NBR CEO and served as its chief credit officer, growing the bank to over $900 million in assets and over $700 million in loans before merging with Heritage Bank of Commerce in October 2019.

Ms. Leonard-Wilson holds a bachelor’s degree from Colgate University in English. She has lived in Calistoga since 1994 and has been active in the community, serving in leadership and board capacities for several community and non-profit organizations, including the Santa Rosa Metro Chamber of Commerce and Western Bankers Association’s Lenders Conference Task Force.