Maria is an organizer and member of the leadership team of First Women’s Bank in the role of Executive Vice President, Chief Risk Officer and Chief Technology Officer. She has responsibility for risk management, technology, infrastructure and operations. First Women’s Bank opened July 2021, is based in Chicago and is the first denovo bank in the State of Illinois in 13+ years. First Women’s Bank is the only women-founded, women owned and women led commercial bank in the US with a focus on the women’s economy. Maria is a graduate of Loyola University of Chicago and a CPA. Maria has over 30 years of experience in banking and public accounting. She started her career in public accounting having spent 5 years in the financial institutions practice of Laventhol and Horwath. She has significant experience in audit, risk management, financial reporting, operations, regulatory compliance, IT, information security and mortgage banking. Prior to joining First Women’s Bank, Maria served as the Chief Audit Executive of MB Financial Bank and was a member of MB’s Bank Executive Management Committee. She was also the Executive Sponsor of MB’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Prior to MB, Maria was Group Senior Vice President, member of the Executive Management Committee and Chair of the Risk Management Committee of Cole Taylor Bank. Maria currently serves as a member of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago’s Community Depository Institutions Advisory Council and various other professional organizations including the Chicago Finance Exchange.