Seventy-eight Virginia bankers graduated from the Virginia Bankers School of Bank Management (Bank School) in Charlottesville on July 25, 2025. The three-year school is sponsored by the Virginia Bankers Association (VBA).

Mid-Atlantic Bankers Association and VBA President & CEO Bruce Whitehurst commented, “As the flagship of our VBA education and training offerings, Bank School has played a vital role in preparing thousands of Virginia bankers for career advancement since its inception in 1938. Today’s graduates join the approximately 4,600 bankers who are alumni of the School, and these graduates represent the future of the banking industry. We look forward to their continued success and contributions throughout their careers.”

Lisa M. Cuba, MBA, chair of the Virginia Bankers School of Bank Management Board of Trustees and executive vice president, chief risk officer at Forbright Bank, added, “These students have developed a range of skills that will enhance their current performance and qualify them as potential candidates for advancement within their institutions. The connections they have made with other students will also benefit them both personally and professionally for years to come. On behalf of the Trustees, faculty, Fellows and staff, we are all extremely proud of the 78 graduates.”

2025 Class President Ashley Mizelle, senior vice president, director of retail and deposits technology at TowneBank, stated, “My time at the Virginia Bankers School of Bank Management has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my professional life. The investment that each of us has made will pay dividends—not just in our careers, but in the way we serve our teams, our organizations, and our communities. Congratulations to the Class of 2025; it has been an honor to serve as your president.”

Through the use of highly qualified instructors and a challenging curriculum, the Virginia Bankers School of Bank Management is designed to provide a multidimensional banking educational experience. Graduates complete three one-week summer sessions, eight home study problems and participate in a BankExec simulation, which allows them the opportunity to make decisions acting as senior officers of a bank. Graduates broaden their knowledge in all respects of banking, economics, and related subjects.

Virginia Bankers School of Bank Management 2025 Graduates:

• Erica Aikens, National Bank
• Faisal Aliyan, Chain Bridge Bank, NA
• Douglas B. Appleton, First National Bank
• Stephanie Bedow, Oak View National Bank
• Joseph S. Belt, National Bank
• Veronica L. Bocock, Carter Bank
• Sarah A. Borst, Old Point National Bank
• Kenneth W. Braxton III, Bank of Clarke
• Chad Brown, Truist Bank
• Katelyn K. Burner, First Bank & Trust Company
• Laura Lee Cadden, First Bank, Virginia
• Tammy Canada, The Bank of Charlotte County
• Jamie Chamberlain, C&F Bank
• Dawn M. Chappell, TowneBank
• Julia R. Clark, First Bank, Virginia
• Melissa D. Coffey, First Bank & Trust Company
• Rosa Coffey, Bank of Botetourt
• Jeff Collier, C&F Bank
• Melissa L. Conley, First National Bank
• Michelle Davis, TowneBank
• Kimberly Ann Edmonds, Chesapeake Bank
• Fatima Zahra El Hilali, Burke & Herbert Bank
• Stacy Ervin, Powell Valley National Bank
• Thomas Edward Fitzgerald, United Bank
• Ashish Gandhi, Forbright Bank
• Erik Geisert, Bureau of Financial Institutions
• Darryl L. Gibson, Atlantic Union Bank
• Amie S. Harrison, TruPoint Bank
• Lenny X. Hesser, Burke & Herbert Bank
• Ashlea Bowers Hevener, First Bank & Trust Company
• Margaret Andrea Hinkle, United Bank
• Jessica L. Hoskins, C&F Bank
• Amy Denise Hurley, Legacy Bank
• Asma Iqbal, Sandy Spring Bank, a Div of Atlantic Union Bank
• Cherie Ann Jones-McHone, Atlantic Union Bank
• Joni Elizabeth Kibler, Pioneer Bank
• Lynette F. King, Atlantic Union Bank
• Ashley LaFata, Benchmark Community Bank
• Jacquelyn Langland, MainStreet Bank
• Alessandra Daniela Laura Lanzetta, Bank of Clarke
• Eboni Lynne Lee, Benchmark Community Bank
• April T. MacInnis, First Community Bank
• Christopher Mann, TowneBank
• Timothy W. Marshall, First National Bank
• Christina Ivey Martin, TowneBank
• Kyle Edward Martin, Chesapeake Bank
• Cory J. McNett, Southern Bank and Trust Company
• Tammy Lynn McNew, New Peoples Bank Inc.
• Jessica Miller, First Community Bank
• Steven Miller, Carter Bank
• Ashley Mizelle, TowneBank
• Henry Moreno, United Bank
• Cynthia Newell, City First Bank of DC
• Philip Roper Pierce, Shore United Bank, NA
• Jessica Pringle, Primis Bank
• David Raines, TowneBank
• Terrance Rogers, Virginia Small Business Financing Authority
• Juan Pablo Romoleroux, CliftonLarsonAllen LLP
• Jerrica Seay, Bank of Botetourt
• Elena G. Shipina, Burke & Herbert Bank
• Tommy Eric Skeens
• Joe Skibinski, C&F Bank
• Andria B. Smith, First National Bank
• Kacie Starck, Atlantic Union Bank
• Ashley M. Sulick, Chesapeake Bank
• Adam Taylor, First Community Bank
• Lauren Thompson, F.N.B. Corporation
• Gina Valencia, TowneBank
• Rachel Matthews Vladimer, National Capital Bank of Washington
• LaShanya Washington, City First Bank of DC
• Jonathan W. Weiler, TowneBank
• Dr. Lauren Ashley Whited, Atlantic Union Bank
• Donna R. Wilborn, Benchmark Community Bank
• Tiffany C. Wise, National Bank
• Julia Wu, Forbright Bank
• Mirabbos Xamidov, MainStreet Bank
• Nicole S. Young, Benchmark Community Bank
• Paulina Zeludziewicz, Bank of Clarke

About the Virginia Bankers Association

Founded in 1893, the Virginia Bankers Association is the voice of the Commonwealth’s banking industry, which is composed of 110 small, regional and large banks operating 1,826 branches and offices. Together, the Virginia banking industry employs approximately 58,105 people and safeguards $296 billion in deposits. To learn more about the VBA, click here.

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