Everyone at City First shares a deep commitment to our mission, and brings a depth of community banking and finance experience. They are dedicated members of the community as demonstrated by countless volunteer efforts and board memberships at area nonprofits. Members of our team are not only the best in class for banking, but also best in class for our community.
Brian E. Argrett
CloseBrian E. Argrett
Brian E. Argrett has been Director and Chief Executive Officer of City First Bank since 2011 Effective April 1, 2023, he became Chair of the Company and the Bank.
Formerly, Mr. Argrett was founder and managing partner of both Fulcrum Capital Group, an investment manager, and Fulcrum Capital Partners, L.P., an institutionally-backed private equity limited partnership. He also served as President, Chief Executive Officer, and director of Fulcrum Venture Capital Corporation, a federally licensed and regulated Small Business Investment Company. Prior to joining the Fulcrum entities, Mr. Argrett was an attorney with the real estate law firm of Pircher, Nichols & Meeks in Los Angeles, California. Mr. Argrett has served as chair, been a member, or held observer rights on numerous Fulcrum portfolio company boards, as well as having served on the boards of directors of other financial industry companies. Mr. Argrett was a presidential appointee to the Community Development Advisory Board of the U.S. Treasury Department under the Obama administration. Mr. Argrett has held leadership positions at the National Association of Investment Companies and the National Conference for Community and Justice and has been an elder at the Knox Presbyterian Church.
Currently, Mr. Argrett serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of City First Enterprises, a CDFI Loan Fund. Mr. Argrett is a recent appointee to the Board of IntraFi Network, and he also serves on the Board of the California Bankers Association. Mr. Argrett is a past Chairman and continues to serve on the Board of Directors of the Community Development Bankers Association. He also serves as a member of the Global Alliance on Banking on Values, and is a member of the Board of the Expanding Black Business Credit Initiative.
Mr. Argrett served as a director of the Board of Directors of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta from 2016 through December of 2021, during which time he served as the Vice Chair of the Board, Chair of its Enterprise Risk and Operations Committee, as well as a member of its Finance Committee and its Audit and Compliance Committee.
Mr. Argrett is a member of The Economic Club of Washington, D.C., the Federal City Council, and the Leadership Greater Washington Class of 2014. In addition, Mr. Argrett is a 2014 recipient of the Washington Business Journal Minority Business Leader Award. Mr. Argrett holds J.D. and M.B.A. degrees from the University of California, Berkeley, and a bachelor’s degree from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia.
Mr. Argrett’s extensive experience in the financial services and banking industries, public and private company board experience, knowledge and experience in the Washington D.C. and Southern California markets, and knowledge of the Bank’s business, history, organization, and mission, and executive management experience qualify him to serve as a member of the Board.
Wayne-Kent A. Bradshaw
Vice Chair
Chair, Risk and Compliance CommitteeCloseWayne-Kent A. Bradshaw
Wayne-Kent A. Bradshaw was President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company and Broadway Federal until the Merger of the Company with CFBanc, whereupon he became Chair of the Board of the Company and City First Bank, National Association. He relinquished his position as Chair of the Company in March 2023 and became Vice Chair effective April 1, 2023. Mr. Bradshaw joined the Company in February of 2009 as President and Chief Operating Officer and was appointed Chief Executive Officer in January 2012. He was elected to serve as a director of both the Company and Broadway Federal in September 2012. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Bradshaw was the Regional President for Community and External Affairs of Washington Mutual Bank from 2003 to 2009. He was President and Chief Executive Officer of Los Angeles-based Family Savings Bank from 1989 until 2002 and Chief Deputy Superintendent for the California State Banking Department from 1981 to 1983. Mr. Bradshaw has served on many community and educational boards. He most recently served on the boards of directors of California State University Northridge, Northridge Hospital Medical Center, California Community Reinvestment Corporation, and the Western Bankers Association. He currently serves on the boards of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco - Los Angeles Branch and Louisville High School.
Mr. Bradshaw has over 52 years of experience in financial management and banking. He has the proven ability to plan and implement programs that optimize opportunities to accelerate profitable growth in highly competitive environments. Mr. Bradshaw has extensive experience in community banking, commercial banking, and as a bank regulator, and his knowledge and experience qualify him to serve on the Board and as its Vice Chair.
Marie C. Johns
Lead Independent Director
Chair, Corporate Governance CommitteeCloseMarie C. Johns
Marie C. Johns has over 30 years’ experience as a leader in business, civic, and government service. Ms. Johns focuses on community service in the areas of education and economic development. She served as President of Verizon Washington and was nominated by President Barack Obama to serve as Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, (“SBA”). In 2011, under Ms. Johns’ leadership and initiatives, the SBA lent more than $30 billion to more than 60,000 small businesses, a record in the history of the SBA. Over 10 years ago, Ms. Johns founded L&L Consulting, LLC (now PPC-Leftwich LLC), a business development, organizational effectiveness and public policy consulting practice, which is based in Washington, D.C. and where she continues to serve as CEO Ms. Johns has served on several boards of directors, including the Federal City Council, the Economic Club of Washington, D.C., the Washington, D.C. Chamber of Commerce, WLR Foods (a poultry producer), Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic Region, Hager Sharp (a communications and marketing firm), Document Systems Inc. (a document imaging and storage firm) and Harvest Bank of Maryland. Ms. Johns is a Trustee of Howard University where she chairs the Student Life Committee and serves as vice chair of the Governance Committee. Ms. Johns is a member of the Greater Washington, D.C. Business Hall of Fame, one of the Greater Washington Board of Trade’s “Leaders of the Year” and the recipient of over 100 awards from different organizations for her community service. Ms. Johns received her B.S. and M.P.A. degrees from the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University where she currently serves as a member of the Dean’s Council and she formerly served as a Board member for the Tobias Center for Leadership Excellence. Prior to the completion of the Merger, Ms. Johns, served as a Director since 2014, and as Chair of the Board of CFBanc since 2018. She was appointed to be the Lead Independent Director of the Company in 2021.
Ms. Johns has over 30 years executive management experience in the public and corporate sectors. She has served on a variety of private company and not-for-profit boards and her expertise in governance, regulatory issues, business development, and the Washington D.C. market qualify her to serve on our board of directors as our Lead Independent Director.
Robert C. Davidson, Jr.
Chair, Compensation and Benefits Committee
CloseRobert C. Davidson, Jr.
Robert C. Davidson, Jr. served, until his retirement in 2007, in the position of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Surface Protection Industries, a paint and specialty coatings manufacturing company he founded in 1978, that became one of the leading African American-owned manufacturing companies in the United States and the largest in California. Previously, from 1972 to 1974, he co-founded and served as Vice President of Urban National Corporation, a private venture capital corporation that was focused specifically on investing in minority-controlled businesses. Mr. Davidson currently also serves on the boards of directors of Smithsonian American Art Museum (Chairman-Elect), Diversity Advisory Board at Toyota Motor North America, Morehouse College (Chairman Emeritus), Art Center College of Design (Chairman Emeritus), Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, (Lifetime Member) and the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business Advisory Council.
Mr. Davidson has extensive entrepreneurial experience in developing and managing small and medium-sized businesses. He has hands-on experience in marketing and sales, human resources and strategic planning and implementation. He has a long history with, and extensive knowledge of the Company and of the markets and communities in which the Company operates. We believe that this history, knowledge, and overall experience qualify him to serve on the Board.
Mary Ann Donovan
CloseMary Ann “Annie” Donovan
Mary Ann Donovan has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Raza Development Fund, a Latino-led and focused Community Development Financial Institution, since May 31, 2022. Prior positions held by Ms. Donovan include Chief Operating Officer of Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Director of the United States Department of the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions (“CDFI”) Fund, CEO of CoMetrics, Inc. (a social enterprise that provides affordable business intelligence tools to small businesses and nonprofit entities), Senior Policy Advisor to the White House from 2012-2013, working collaboratively with the Office of Social Innovation and the Council on Environmental Quality, and Chief Operating Officer of Capital Impact Partners, a certified CDFI. Ms. Donovan has been a thought leader and a board member of many of the highest performing organizations in the community development sector. Ms. Donovan has been a Senior Fellow at the Center for Community Investment. She has published papers and articles for the National Academy for Public Administration, the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, Forbes, the Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship, and the Milken Review. Ms. Donovan has a B.A. degree in Economics from Allegheny College and an M.B.A. degree in Finance from the University of Maryland. Prior to the completion of the Merger, Ms. Donovan was a director of CFBanc, and was appointed to be a director of the Company upon completion of the Merger.
Ms. Donovan’s operational experience, federal government public service, and community development knowledge and expertise, as well has her experience with corporate governance, marketing, and business development matters, all qualify her to serve on the Board.
John M. Driver
CloseJohn M. Driver
John M. Driver is a technology entrepreneur and innovator with leadership experience in large, public and privately-held multinational companies and early-stage startups. He has a foundation in software marketing & sales and direct experience in new product launches for first-to-market categories. Navigating complexity, delivering innovation, and creating new opportunities within the IoT (Internet-of-Things) market are hallmarks of his career. As CEO, he currently leads Lynx Technology, a digital media technology company he founded through a management buyout of the multinational Connected Home operations of PacketVideo, a subsidiary of NTT DoCoMo. Previously, Mr. Driver served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Marketing Officer of PacketVideo, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of JoynIn and in senior marketing leadership roles for Serena Software and Sun Microsystems.
Mr. Driver is currently an Independent Director at Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE: VTLE). Additionally, he serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Fleet Science Center in San Diego and is a former Board Member of the San Diego YMCA Overnight Camps. He is actively involved with Stanford University, serving as former Chair of the Stanford Associates Board of Governors, a guest lecturer for Stanford’s Department of Management Science and Engineering, is the former President of the Stanford Multicultural Alumni Club of San Diego and a recipient of the Stanford Governor’s Award in recognition of exemplary and long-standing volunteer service. He is NACD Directorship CertifiedTM and earned the NACD Certificate in Cybersecurity Oversight. Mr. Driver earned a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University and a Master of Business Administration from The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.
Mr. Driver has expertise in corporate governance, strategy, finance, acquisitions, international operations; enterprise, consumer, and mobile application software; enterprise computer systems & services, Internet-of-Things, global sales & marketing strategy, developing and patenting award-winning technologies, and corporate governance. Mr. Driver’s knowledge and experience qualifies him to serve on the Board.
William A. Longbrake, Ph.D
CloseWilliam A. Longbrake, Ph.D
William A. Longbrake has served as an Executive in Residence at the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland since June of 2009 where he participates in the Center for Financial Policy and writes a monthly economic newsletter for “Brain Trust.” Dr. Longbrake is active in numerous academic, business, and community service organizations, particularly those involving issues surrounding affordable housing and education. He is a current director of City First Enterprises. Dr. Longbrake is a former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the College of Wooster, a residential four-year liberal arts college, and a former Chairman of the Board of HOPE LoanPort, a not-for-profit organization that provided a data management and communications web portal to housing counselors and home mortgage servicers. Dr. Longbrake is a director of the Washington State Investment Board, a director of the Boeing Employees Credit Union, President of the Seattle First Foundation, and a member of the Mortgage Markets Committee of the American Bankers Association. Dr. Longbrake was a Director of First Financial Northwest, a community bank located in Renton, Washington, from 2008-2010; a Director of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle from 2002-2010; and a Director of the Washington Financial League from 2002-2010. He taught courses in business administration and finance at the University of Maryland and Seattle University. In 2007 Dr. Longbrake received the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year award from the Robert H. Smith School of Business of the University of Maryland. Dr. Longbrake began his career in Washington, D.C. where he served in various government positions, including Acting Senior Deputy Comptroller for Policy and Senior Deputy Comptroller for Resource Management for the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and financial economist, chief financial officer, and deputy to the Chairman of the FDIC. He earned his B.A. degree in Economics from the College of Wooster and earned his master’s degree in Monetary Economics and his M.B.A. degree from the University of Wisconsin. He received his Ph.D. degree in finance from the University of Maryland. Prior to the completion of the Merger, Dr. Longbrake was a director of CFBanc, and was appointed to be a director of the Company upon completion of the Merger.
Dr. Longbrake has extensive experience in finance and investments, macroeconomics and monetary policy, risk management, housing, and public policy. His extensive experience in accounting, banking, community development, and corporate governance experience, along with his regulatory, finance, and capital markets experience with both public and private companies qualify him to serve as a member of the Board.
David J. McGrady
Chair, Directors Loan Committee
CloseDavid J. McGrady
David J. McGrady is a consultant specializing in community development issues and is a nationally recognized expert on the New Markets Tax Credit program. He has been a key advisor on more than 30 successful New Markets Tax Credit applications, with allocations totaling more than $1.7 billion, and has assisted those recipients in developing and implementing capitalization and deployment plans in their respective markets. He also advises banks, investors, foundations, municipalities and CDFIs, on a range of issues, including corporate structure and governance, capitalization, market and risk assessment, product development, underwriting loans and investments, portfolio management, and tax credit programs. Mr. McGrady was Director of Commercial Programs for the Center for Community Self-Help in Durham, North Carolina. Under his leadership, the Center for Community Self-Help originated over 1,300 higher risk business loans totaling more than $80 million. He is also a director of City First Enterprises, which is the bank holding company of our Company, chair of City First Enterprises’ Directors Loan Committee and a member of Calvert Impact Capital’s Investment Committee. Mr. McGrady received his bachelor’s degree from King University and law degree from Harvard. Prior to the completion of the Merger, Mr. McGrady, served as a Director on the Board of CFBanc since 1998, and was appointed to be a director of the Company upon completion of the Merger.
Mr. McGrady’s experience in corporate governance and community development matters and legal expertise, as well as his background in finance and the real estate, mortgage, and tax credit industries, qualify him to serve as a member of the Board.
Dutch C. Ross III
Chair, Internal Asset Review Committee
CloseDutch C. Ross III
Dutch C. Ross III is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Economic Resources Corporation (“ERC”), a non-profit corporation with a mission of promoting economic development and job creation in underserved communities. Mr. Ross served in that capacity from 1996 until his retirement in August 2020. Prior to joining ERC, Mr. Ross held a variety of managerial, financial, and planning positions in the corporate headquarters, divisional, and subsidiary operations of Atlantic Richfield Company (“ARCO”) from January 1975 to December 1995. From 1971 to 1975, Mr. Ross was employed in financial analysis positions with The Wickes Corporation. Mr. Ross has been active in a number of community organizations in the Los Angeles area that are devoted to building stronger communities and has served on the board of directors of several such organizations, including Genesis L.A. Economic Growth Corporation, where he currently serves on the Audit and Finance Committees. He has served on the Board since 2016.
Mr. Ross received his B.S. degree in Industrial Economics and a Masters in Industrial Management from Purdue University.
Mr. Ross is a financial executive with over 45 years of managerial experience with Fortune 500 companies and non-profit economic development organizations and has extensive knowledge of the Company. Mr. Ross’ knowledge and experience qualifies him to serve on the Board.