Mr. Baron was appointed by the Board as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company and the Bank and as a director of the Company and the Bank effective as of April 13, 2026. Prior to joining the Company and the Bank, Mr. Baron served as President, Commercial & Community Bank of Banc of California since 2023, where he led the commercial and community banking platform across central and southern California and Colorado, overseeing deposit and loan portfolios in excess of $10 billion and a network of 68 branches. Before that role, Mr. Baron served as President of the Los Angeles Region at Pacific Western Bank from 2020 to 2023, and as Managing Director of Tax-Exempt Lending at that institution from 2017 to 2020, where he led the bank s financing activities for municipalities, nonprofits, and affordable housing. Earlier in his career, Mr. Baron served as Managing Director of Public Finance for the Western U.S. at MUFG Union Bank / BTMU Securities (2013 2017) and held two Managing Director roles at U.S. Bank (2009 2014), including Head of the Education & Nonprofits Division, where he oversaw a national team and a portfolio of approximately $4 billion. He has also held senior positions at Bank of New York Mellon, Allied Irish Bank, Union Bank of California, Sumitomo Bank, and National Westminster Bank. Mr. Baron holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles. Mr. Baron s more than 25 years of senior leadership experience in commercial banking, public finance, and community development lending, including his management of multi-billion-dollar loan and deposit portfolios and his extensive executive experience leading large regional banking operations, provides the Board with valuable expertise in financial services, credit risk, and capital markets, as well as deep knowledge of California s commercial real estate and middle market lending sectors and a demonstrated ability to build and manage high-performing teams.