President & CEO
With nearly 30 years of experience, James serves as our President and Chief Executive Officer and is a member of our board of directors. James joined Five Star Bank in 2003. He is deeply connected to the Sacramento community and has chaired several community-based organizations including the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce, Valley Vision and KVIE (the local PBS affiliate). James is the immediate past Chair of California Bankers Association. He is a Private Sector Director with Greater Sacramento Economic Council and a member of the Sacramento State University College of Business Advisory Council. James previously served as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer at National Bank of the Redwoods in Santa Rosa, California. He graduated from San Francisco State University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting. He is also a graduate of Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington where he was class president. In 2020, James was recognized by the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce as the Businessman of the Year and he was named among the Most Admired CEO's of 2020 by the Sacramento Business Journal. He was also recognized with a Vistage Leadership Award in 2021 and is the 2022 UCP Humanitarian of the Year.
