Christa steele

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Christa Steele has led $500M - $1B organizations with proven success improving business results of under-performing teams. She brings the ability to develop long-term strategies as well as focus on tactical execution, and extensive experience managing complex organizations and situations.

National Association of Corporate Directors Summit

Moderated By: Ryan McManus

Co-Panelist: Igor Jablokov

2023 NACD DIRECTORSHIP 100 HONOREE

The 2023 NACD Directorship 100 recognizes leading corporate directors and governance advocates in several categories, including attorneys, audit and risk professionals, board advisors, compensation experts, governance advisors, investors, media, policy advisors, recruiters, and regulators and rule makers.

Silicon Valley Bank Failure

Moderated By: Eileen Schloss

Inteview with Boyden Int'l U.S. Chairman Jeff Hodge

Economic Slowdown: What does it mean for C-suite executives and Board Members with governance expert Christa Steele.

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board experience and corporate leadership

Christa is a well-known speaker and thought leader in digital transformation competencies keeping pace with the latest technological advancements and threats, identifying transformation needs and creating a roadmap to ensure ongoing progress. Christa offers 25 years’ experience in recurring revenue model (RMR), general management, operations and risk oversight with a collaborative management style enabling cross-functional teamwork and business results.

A trusted financial and governance expert, Christa has served twice as CEO, and on twelve boards, serving as Board Chair, and Chair of Audit, and Compensation Committees. Christa is well versed in ESG strategies that address the environmental, social and governance reporting needs of organizations.

In early 2022, Christa was appointed interim CEO for Balco Holdings, Inc. Christa was responsible for all day-to-day financial, regulatory, operational, legal and risk oversight for the companies until the successful division and dissolution of holding company assets at year end 2022. Previously, she was an Independent Board Director since 2020. Balco was the holding company for Bay Alarm, Bay Alarm Medical, and Balco Properties companies, with revenues of $290+ million, over 1200 employees and family owned for over 75 years. Prior, Christa was President and CEO of Mechanics Bank from 2013-2015 where she led the improvement of core earnings 43% in a single calendar year, doubled the banks stock price in less than two years, and successfully led its sale for a premium in 2015.

Christa was honored in 2023 as one of the Top 100 Board Directors in the U.S. by the National Association of Corporate Directors, twice named by the San Francisco Business Times, as one of “The Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business" in 2022 and 2015 and as a “North America Top 50 Private Directors to Watch” in 2019 by Private Company Director Magazine.

Current board roles:

Audit Committee of Lantronix, Inc., a global Industrial and Enterprise Internet of Things (IoT) provider of solutions that target high-growth applications in specific vertical markets, including Smart Grid, Intelligent Transportation, Smart Cities and AI Data Centers., headquartered in Irvine, CA;

Audit, Finance and Risk Committees of The Doctors Company, the largest physician owned medical malpractice insurer in the U.S. headquartered in Napa, CA.; Velocity HoldCo LLC owner of Velocity Risk Underwriters LLC, Velocity Specialty Insurance Company, and Velocity Claims LLC headquartered in Nashville, TN and an Oaktree Capital portfolio company. Velocity is an underwriter and insurer of Catastrophic Risks - Hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, fire, and similar perils in the U.S.;

Audit Committee and Compensation Committee Chair of Tanimura & Antle, a large private, family-owned California agricultural food grower headquartered in Salinas.

Prior board experience:

Board Director, Board Vice Chairman for the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) in Northern California, Finance Committee Chair and Interim CEO of Balco Holdings, Board Chair, Audit Committee Chair, Compensation Committee Chair, and Special Investigations Committee Chair at Recology, an ESOP company and integrated resource/waste collection company headquartered in San Francisco, Brainchip Holdings (ASX: BRN), the world’s first producer of neuromorphic IP and coined the next semiconductor disruptor for AI edge, headquartered in Australia with operations in California; OFG Bancorp, (NYSE; OFG), a $10 billion a retail and commercial bank with operations in Puerto Rico and the U.S Virgin Islands; Sasser Family Holdings, an international rail company based in Chicago; FIG Partners, an Atlanta, Georgia based boutique investment bank which was sold to Janney Montgomery Scott in 2019; and as Inside Director for Mechanics Bank (OTC), a $3.5 billion asset bank based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

MBA from University of Southern CA (USC)
BA from California State University Sacramento (CSUS)
Stanford Directors' College
Pacific Coast Banking School
NACD Board Leadership Fellow
Carnegie Mellon CERT Certification in Cyber Security Oversight

Christa steele

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National Association of Corporate Directors Summit

2023 NACD DIRECTORSHIP 100 HONOREE

Silicon Valley Bank Failure

Inteview with Boyden Int'l U.S. Chairman Jeff Hodge

Economic Slowdown: What does it mean for C-suite executives and Board Members with governance expert Christa Steele.

board experience and corporate leadership

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