Gerald Nies
CHAIRMAN
Gerald Nies retired after 42 years in the insurance business. He was President and Chief Executive Officer of Nies Insurance Agency from 1985-2011 and then was Executive Vice President after selling the business to Brown & Brown, Inc. Currently, he is the owner of a small investment property management company. He attended Western Washington University and became a Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter.
Mr. Nies is a past Board member of the Washington Independent Agents Association and past President of the National Agent Advisory Council for Safeco Insurance. He also served as one of the five Clark County Emergency Medical Services Administrative Board members, elected Council Member for the City of Battle Ground and Fire Chief for the City of Battle Ground. Mr. Nies' diverse career has afforded him expertise in managing financial and operational aspects of business, as well as customer relations.
Bess Wills
VICE CHAIRPERSON
Bess Wills is General Manager/Co-Owner of Gresham Ford in Gresham, Oregon and is responsible for all matters of the day-to-day operation. She has over 25 years of experience in fiscal and corporate administration and management of businesses, including having managed a group of auto dealerships in Southern California.
She is active with many business and community organizations and has received statewide recognition for her work with local charities. Ms. Wills' career has given her strong leadership experience and knowledge of owning and operating a long-established business.
Bradley Carlson
Bradley Carlson is President and General Manager of Evergreen Memorial Gardens Cemetery, Funeral Chapel and Crematory, a position he has held since 1995. A graduate of Washington State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Advertising, Mr. Carlson spent over 10 years in the computer industry as a sales person and sales manager before joining the family business in 1987. He is a past Chair of the Board for the Association of Washington Business, which is a statewide business lobbying group with over 8,000 members.
He is also past President of the Washington Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association, as well as serving for 11 years on the Washington State Funeral Directors, Embalmers and Cemetery Board as appointed by the Governor. His expertise in community banking and finance, as well as his knowledge & and business and personal contacts in the local market, make him a valuable resource to the Board.
Patricia Eby
Patricia Eby is the former president and sole shareholder of the certified public accounting firm Peterson & Associates P.S. in Vancouver, Washington. Ms. Eby is a graduate of Walla Walla College with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a Certified Public Accountant since 1974. Ms. Eby obtained her law degree from Lewis and Clark College School of Law and has been a member of the Washington State Bar Association since 1985.
Ms. Eby has a long history of local community service involving organizations such as: Rotary, Clark College Foundation, Free Clinic of SW Washington, as well as an appointment with the Professional Advisory Council for the Community Foundation of SW Washington.
Jon Girod
Jon Girod is the owner, builder and developer of Quail Homes and related companies in Vancouver, Washington. Since 1989, he has built over 3,000 homes and developed more than 2,000 lots, with a primary focus on housing for empty nesters and multi-generational lifestyles. A past President of the Building Industry Association, Girod holds an accounting degree from Linfield University. He also is the founder of Careers in Construction Northwest, a nonprofit that embeds Skilled Trade Centers on high school campuses, offering industry-relevant curriculum and networking opportunities to help students enter or advance in the skilled trades upon graduation.
Stacey Graham
Stacey Graham is the Chief Strategist at What's Next? Strategies, where she develops marketing, branding, fundraising, capital campaign, business and strategic plans for clients across the country. Her banking experience began in 2005 as Executive Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer at First Independent Bank. In 2012, she spent a year with Sterling Savings Bank as Senior Vice President & Integration Executive.
Stacey spent 14 years in Atlanta and was the managing partner of Warren Clark and Graham advertising and marketing agency. She was a senior executive at United Way of the Columbia She also held the position of President at the Humane Society for Southwest Washington for nearly eight years. She served on the boards of The Historic Trust, Clark County YWCA, Nonprofit Network, H-RoC, Northwest Pilot Project and Regional Arts & Culture Council.
Valerie Moreno
Valerie Moreno is the Chief Information Officer and Chief Information Security Officer at Reed College. Valerie has over 33 years of IT industry experience in both corporate and higher education institutions. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Network and Communications Management and has held leadership roles for both local organizations as well as national companies - Clark College, Portland Community College, Northwestern University, AT&T and Qwest. In her current role as the CIO/CISO at Reed College, Moreno is responsible for delivering IT enterprise services.
Ms. Moreno Has served on the boards of directors of Centro Cultural, a nonprofit serving the Latino community of Portland, as well as the Chicago Women in Trades and Girls in the Game organizations. She also has prior connections to the PCC Foundation, Youth Job Center and the Hispanic Bell Management Association.
Nicole Sherman
Nicole Sherman joined Riverview Bank as Chief Executive Officer and President in July of 2024. She is regarded as a catalyst for financial innovation and recognized as a brilliant change agent and unwavering positive force in the industry. Nicole has over 25 years of experience at Chief and Executive leadership levels of organizations such as Columbia Bank, Numerica Credit Union, AmericanWest Bank, and Zions Bank. She has also led 11 successful mergers and acquisitions throughout her career.
Nicole is a “leader builder” throughout organizations and does so by her actions, work ethic, high standards and dedicated coaching and mentoring of others. As a visionary and an architect of momentum, Nicole leverages past accomplishments to fuel future innovation. Her “live on purpose, lead with intention” philosophy and dedication inspire others to see their greatness and bring that level of engagement each day.
Nicole is a Board Director for Riverview Bancorp, Inc. and is passionate about her community currently serving on the Board of Directors for Greater Vancouver Chamber and Oregon Banker’s Association. Since 2003, she has been a top-rated instructor at Pacific Coast Banking Graduate School (PCBS) at the University of Washington, Foster School of Business and was named 2023 Instructor of the Year.
Kourosh Zamani
Kourosh Zamani is co-founder of Laurel, a venture-backed technology company that pioneered the use of AI for time capture and analysis in professional services. Laurel serves leading law, accounting, and consulting firms globally and has raised more than $150 million in funding. Prior to Laurel, Zamani served as Vice President of Business Development at Bailard, Inc., an investment management firm based in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he focused on client relationships and strategic growth initiatives. Zamani graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a Bachelor of Science, Business administration and holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business.