CityFirst Bank is led by a dynamic group of professionals with decades of experience in finance and community development. As “stellar stewards” of community capital, they set strategy for the organization’s growth and manage approximately 100 dedicated and valued employees between Wahshington, DC and Los Angeles, CA.
Brian E. Argrett
President &
Chief Executive OfficerCloseBrian 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 the founder and managing partner of 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. Before joining the Fulcrum entities, Mr. Argrett was an attorney with the Pircher, Nichols & Meeks real estate law firm 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. He has been an elder at the Knox Presbyterian Church.
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 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 the Board of the Expanding Black Business Credit Initiative.
Mr. Argrett served as a director of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta's board of directors from 2016 through December 2021, during which time he served as Vice Chair of the Board, Chair of its Enterprise Risk and Operations Committee, and member of its Finance and Audit and Compliance Committees.
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, mission, and executive management experience qualify him to serve as a member of the Board.
Zack Ibrahim
CloseZack Ibrahim
Zack Ibrahim is the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of City First Bank. He is responsible for the bank's financial strategy and planning across the enterprise and leads its finance, strategic planning, corporate accounting, investor relations, data strategy, and treasury functions.
Zack has over 20 years of strategic and financial experience in banking, having served in several essential leadership. Before joining City First Bank in April 2024, Zack was Head of Corporate Finance for Texas Capital Bank, where he led all aspects of financial management, including financial planning and analysis, strategic planning, balance sheet management, pricing, and enterprise-wide expense containment initiatives. He also served as a key senior leadership team member who developed strategies to drive growth, improve efficiency, and navigate the current economic and operating environment.
Zack previously held various financial roles at Truist, M&T Bank, Regions, Northern Trust, and TIAA. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Alabama and his master’s degree in business administration from the University of Tennessee.
Sonja Sanders Wells
Executive Vice President &
East Commercial Regional ExecutiveCloseSonja Sanders Wells
Sonja Sanders Wells is the Executive Vice President and East Commercial Regional Executive for City First Bank. She has over three decades of experience in commercial lending with a track record of achieving exceptional results. She oversees the bank’s $400 million East Coast loan portfolio. She is an expert in customizing commercial credit facilities specific to client needs and industry segments, including leverage and leverage source loans in NMTC transactions.
Sonja is a member of the Executive Management team and is responsible for the strategic direction of the East Coast Commercial Banking Group. She is the bank’s brand ambassador and maintains relationships with industry influencers and key community and strategic partners to expand and enhance City First Bank’s reputation in the marketplace.
City First is a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) founded in Washington, DC, twenty-five years ago to serve low to moderate-income communities in Washington, DC, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, and Pennsylvania in direct response to the systemic disinvestment in our most vulnerable communities. City First has deployed over $1.3 billion in mission-critical capital to Affordable Housing Developers and Investors, Nonprofits, Charter Schools, Community Facilities, and Small Businesses. City First collaborates with a community of local leaders, a dedicated network of CDFIs, B-Corps, and a Global Alliance of Banks whose values align with sustainable frontline solutions to support our communities' financial health, well-being, and equitable prosperity.
Prior to joining City First Bank, Sonja was a Vice President and Senior Relationship Manager at M&T. In her Commercial Banking and Real Estate career, Sonja was a Shopping Center Leasing Executive for the Taubman Company in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and a Marketing Executive for the Rouse Company in Columbia, Maryland.
Sonja is a member of the DC Chamber of Commerce, Jubilee Baltimore, Inc. (Vice President), the African American Real Estate Professionals, the Neighborhood Impact Investment Fund, the Southeast Community Development Corporation, DC Wildflower Public Charter School (Treasurer), and FSC First’s Board of Directors. Sonja is active in several professional and community organizations throughout DC, Maryland, and Virginia and represents the bank on the DC Bankers Association Advocacy Committee.
Sonja is the Immediate Past Chair of the Board of Directors for the Baltimore City Community College Foundation and was formerly the Vice President of the Butcher’s Hill Neighborhood Association’s Executive Board, member of the loan committee for Maryland's Department of Housing and Community Development's Neighborhood Business Works program, the United Way of Central Maryland’s Marketing Committee, Howard County Hospital’s Marketing Committee, the Columbia Association’s Marketing Committee, and numerous other philanthropic and community organizations.
Sonja is a graduate of Boise State University with extensive certifications, training, and experience in Commercial Banking and Real Estate, Marketing, Retail Management, and Buying.
Sonja and her husband of 28 years reside in the District of Columbia. Her husband, Ernest N. Wells, Jr., is the Branch Engineer for the Strategic Systems Program for the U.S. Department of the Navy in Washington, DC.
Liz Sur
General Counsel &
Chief Risk OfficerCloseLiz Sur
Prior to joining City First Bank, Ms. Sur was most recently a Managing Director and Regulatory Intelligence executive at Wells Fargo Bank, responsible for identifying regulatory issues, developing sustainable solutions for those issues, and managing and reporting progress in resolving various regulatory matters. Previously, she was Managing Director and Head of Regulatory Relations for the Americas for Barclays Bank from 2018 to 2022, where she maintained and strengthened the bank’s relationships with prudential and securities regulators, assisted the bank in managing risk in conformity with board and supervisory expectations, managed regulatory exams and commitment tracking on behalf of the bank, and developed strategies for dealing with future regulatory matters.
Ms. Sur’s experience also includes developing an independent credit risk review function and managing underwriting and credit approval teams for PNC Bank, as well as four years as a partner in a private legal practice, where she provided legal advice and guidance on various transactional and regulatory matters and borrower relationships for clients in the financial services industry.
She is admitted to the Bar in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and has been active in a variety of community activities, including the Chester County Medical Reserve Corps, and the Foster-to-Adopt program with the Chester County department of Children, Youth, and Families. Ms. Sur has also served on the Advisory Board to the Drueding Center, a transitional housing organization run by the Sisters of the Holy Redeemer in Philadelphia, and Calcutta House, an organization that provides housing and other highly supportive services for people living with AIDS in the Philadelphia region. She has served on various other Boards and in volunteer roles during her career, including with Reinvestment Fund for over 20 years, most recently serving as co-Chair of the Community Facilities Loan Committee and as the Board Vice Chair, where she was a member of the Executive, Audit, and Governance Committees.
Brian F. Wagner
Senior Vice President,
Chief Human Resources OfficerCloseBrian F. Wagner
Brian F. Wagner currently serves as Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer, drawing on his extensive banking background of some 15 years, primarily leading Human Resources functions in large commercial banking organizations.
As a senior certified HR professional, Mr. Wagner has more than 20 years of practice in the areas of strategic human capital planning, employee relations, talent and performance management, corporate staffing & sourcing, organizational development, and employee experience. He has created and improved multiple processes involving new-hire orientation, talent selection & assessment utilization, instilling coaching cultures with modeled behaviors, training and development, recognition platforms, total rewards programs, employee engagement, and retention strategies.
Prior to joining City First Bank in July 2021, Mr. Wagner spent 14 years with BB&T (now Truist), BBVA USA (now PNC), and most recently, EagleBank Corp. He has served as Regional Employment Manager in Texas to build brand, culture, and HR presence and as a Senior Talent & HR Advisor, customizing leadership solutions for executive leaders throughout the U.S.
Mr. Wagner commits his profession to the theory and application of organizational behavior, the values of a dynamic culture, and how aligning employee personal values to the organization's values is critical for success and long-term profitability. He is responsible for the leadership and oversight of all HR plans, policies, procedures, and strategies to support the achievement of the bank’s overall strategic business objectives, leading as a strategic business consultant to the senior leadership team and across all lines of business regarding key organizational and management issues or challenges.
He functions as the mergers and acquisition lead in project planning (pre and post-acquisition), partnering with ideal team members to raise any due diligence HR-related compliance issues, finance, legal, and other aspects of the integration to execution. Additionally, he develops, designs, and administers compensation and comprehensive benefit plans based on corporate compensation philosophy. He utilizes strategic talent acquisition and retention plans to meet the organization's human capital needs, leveraging skills-based hiring and assessments.
He earned his MBA and B.S. in Business Management and Human Resources from the University of South Carolina. Mr. Wagner is a certified senior professional in human resources and HRCI and is certified in human resources management.
LaShanya Washington
Executive Vice President, Chief Credit Officer
CloseLaShanya Washington
LaShanya Washington is the Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer for City First Bank, N.A. She has over two decades of experience in commercial banking with a track record of executing change management processes to drive increased performance. In her current role, LaShanya manages the ongoing credit analysis of the banks diverse loan portfolio. In addition, she oversees the loan approval process for the commercial and wholesale lending divisions. As the head of the Credit Administration department, Ms. Washington is also responsible for reporting & analytics, portfolio management, CECL implementation and stress testing the portfolio.
Prior to her current role, Ms. Washington was the Vice President, Credit Risk Manager for City First Bank. As the Credit Risk Manager, Ms. Washington oversaw board reporting, credit risk, reporting and managed a portfolio of complex deals including NMTC, PACE and Charter Schools. Prior to joining City First Bank, Ms. Washington spent her career in commercial banking in various capacities including managing loan accounting, loan operations and post booking review for community and regional banks headquartered in the Washington DC metro area.
Ms. Washington is a graduate of Columbia Union College with dual degrees in Business Administration and Healthcare Administration. She holds a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Maryland. In addition, she holds a Project Management Certification with a concentration in Risk Management from George Washington University.
Ms. Washington is a member of the Charter Schools Development Corporation (CSDC) Board. She is actively involved in her community, volunteering for several non-profits, and supporting local athletic teams by coaching and officiating events. Ms. Washington and her husband live in Charles County, Maryland.
Cynthia Newell
Senior Vice President, Chief of Staff
CloseCynthia Newell
Cynthia Newell is Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff at City First Bank. She oversees the bank’s strategy execution, mission-aligned funding aggregation, impact management, marketing and communications, corporate strategic partnerships, and enterprise risk management functions. She co-led the bank’s merger of equals integration to support City First Bank in becoming the largest Black-led Minority Depository Institution in the country. She led the bank to become certified as a BCorp and change its incorporation to public benefit corporation status, making Broadway Financial Corporation one of two publicly traded financial services companies with that mission lock. She led the bank’s receipt of $150MM in Emergency Capital Investment Program (ECIP) Funding and over $5 million in funding from the CDFI Fund.
Prior to City First Bank, she spent over 7 years advising actors across the inclusive financial markets’ ecosystem. While a Manager at Deloitte, she incubated, managed, and championed the development of Deloitte’s Social Finance go-to-market strategy, building internal and external relationships with public and private sector clients. Her efforts led to a flagship win to build an Impact Investing Infrastructure Fund for the UN. She also worked for a boutique private equity fund that invested in East and West Africa microfinance institutions. She has traveled and consulted with financial institutions and regulators in the U.S., Uganda, Malawi, Zambia, Bolivia, Senegal, Nigeria, and Bermuda through her access to finance consulting work.
She has nuanced knowledge of CDFIs. She has worked as a consultant with over 100 community development loan funds, banks, credit unions, and venture capital funds to enhance their ability to invest in underserved markets. She has provided guidance to various clients on how to expand partnerships with CDFIs and other financial inclusion organizations, including the Ford Foundation, the SEIU, and the United States Postal Service, to name a few. Ms. Newell has also worked with many other shapers of inclusive markets, including the Ford Foundation, the United Nations, the Gates Foundation, the World Bank, USAID, and the African Development Bank.
Ruth McCloud
Executive Vice President &
Chief Operating OfficerCloseRuth McCloud
Ruth McCloud, Executive Vice President, has been Chief Operating Officer since 2021. Prior to her promotion, she was EVP and chief Retail Officer of Broadway Federal Bank. As COO, Ms. McCloud oversees all the company's daily operations, including IT, digital banking, sales, service, and facilities. Before joining the Bank, Ms. McCloud held a number of Sales and Service roles with First Federal and OneWest Bank.
John Tellenbach
Executive Vice President & Western Commercial Regional Executive
CloseJohn Tellenbach
John Tellenbach is the Executive Vice President, Western Commercial Regional Executive, for City First Bank, based in Los Angeles. John has over thirty years of experience in the banking industry, with over twenty years dedicated to leadership functions in Commercial Lending.
Most recently, he was the Chief Credit Officer at Malaga Bank in Southern California for over seven years. Prior to Malaga, John served in leadership roles such as Chief Banking Officer at Sunwest Bank, Group Manager at Comerica Bank, Chief Lending Officer at First Private Bank & Trust, and more. In John’s leadership role, overseeing all commercial lending efforts in California, he is committed to growing our commercial lending channel, which will work together to meet the needs of the communities City First Bank serves.
Born and raised in Southern California, John moved his family to the Palos Verdes Peninsula over two decades ago and has worked in the greater Los Angeles area ever since. He has been married to his high school sweetheart for over thirty years and is a father to two amazing sons.
Elise Adams
Chief Accounting Officer &
Senior Vice PresidentCloseElise Adams
Elise Adams currently serves as Senior Vice President and chief Accounting Officer and has over 20 years of banking experience. In her current role, she is primarily responsible for managing financial reporting, internal controls, and accounting functions. Ms. Adams has 15 years of practical accounting experience in financial reporting, financial analysis, enhancing internal controls, streamlining processes, and mergers and acquisitions.
Prior to joining City First Bank, Ms. Adams was Chief Accounting Officer and Corporate Controller at EagleBank. Before being at EagleBank, she was with Capital Bank, N.A., as the Treasurer and spent most of her career with Old Line Bank, her last position there as Chief Financial Officer.
Ms. Adams graduated from the University of Maryland University College with a B.S. in Accounting and minors in Business Management and Human Resources. She also completed ABA’s Stonier Graduate School of Banking and the Wharton Leadership Program.
Ms. Adams volunteers for non-profit organizations within her community to support those with disabilities.