Foundation (Chairman), Morehouse College (Chairman Emeritus), Art Center College of Design (Chairman Emeritus), Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (Lifetime Member) and the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business Advisory Council.
Mr. Davidson has extensive entrepreneurial experience in developing and managing small and medium-sized businesses. He has hands-on experience in marketing and sales, human resources and strategic planning and implementation. He has a long history with, and extensive knowledge of the Company and of the markets and communities in which the Company operates. We believe that this history, knowledge and overall experience qualify him to serve on the Board.
Dutch C. Ross III is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Economic Resources Corporation (“ERC”), a non-profit corporation with a mission of promoting economic development and job creation in underserved communities. Mr. Ross served in that capacity from 1996 until his retirement in August, 2020. Prior to joining ERC, Mr. Ross held a variety of managerial, financial and planning positions in the corporate divisional, and subsidiary operations of Atlantic Richfield Company (“ARCO”) from January, 1975 to December, 1995. From 1971 to 1975, Mr. Ross was employed in financial analysis positions with The Wickes Corporation. Mr. Ross has been active in a number of community organizations in the Los Angeles area devoted to building stronger communities and has served on the board of directors of several such organizations, including the Downtown Long Beach YMCA, where he served as Chairman; Genesis L.A. Economic Growth Corporation, where he currently serves on the Audit and Finance Committees; and The Valley Economic Development Center, where he formerly served as a board member, and Chairman of the Finance Committee. He has served on the Board since 2016.
Mr. Ross received his B.S. degree in Industrial Economics and a Masters in Industrial Management from Purdue University.
Mr. Ross is a financial executive with over 45 years of managerial experience with Fortune 500 companies and non-profit economic development organizations and has extensive knowledge of the Company. Mr. Ross’ knowledge and experience qualifies him to serve on the Board.
Jack T. Thompson is the Chief Executive Officer of Pawson Capital Management, an investment firm focused on community banks based in Greenwich, Connecticut. From 2010 to 2018, Mr. Thompson was the Head of Financial Services Investments at Gapstow Capital Partners, an alternative investment firm based in New York City. Prior to joining Gapstow Capital Partners, Mr. Thompson held positions at Deutsche Bank Securities, Goldman Sachs & Co., Novantas, LLC, and Booz Allen & Hamilton. He is a director on the boards of ETHIC Bank in Boston, Massachusetts and Seaside National Bank & Trust, Inc. in Orlando, Florida. He graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in History and he received his M.B.A. with honors from the University of Chicago with concentrations in Finance and Accounting. Mr. Thompson is also a former 1st Lieutenant in the Armor Branch of the U.S. Army Reserve.
Mr. Thompson provides the Board with important experience and insight into the financial services industry, and his background and knowledge of the Company qualify him to serve on the Board. Mr. Thompson is the nominee of CJA Private Equity Financial Restructuring Master Fund I, L.P. (“CJA”), an institutional stockholder that elected to exercise its right to nominate a candidate to the Board of the Company in 2019. In connection with CJA’s purchase of our capital stock in 2013, we agreed to use our reasonable best efforts to cause one person nominated by CJA to be elected to serve on the Board so long as it, together with its affiliates, beneficially owns at least four percent (4%) of our total outstanding capital stock. CJA currently holds over eleven percent (11%) of our total outstanding capital stock.
Brian E. Argrett was Director, President and Chief Executive Officer of CFBanc and its wholly owned banking subsidiary from 2011 until the completion of CFBanc’s Merger with the Company, at which time he became Vice Chair, President and Chief Executive Officer of both the Company and the Bank. Formerly, Mr. Argrett was founder and managing partner of both 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. Prior to joining the Fulcrum entities, Mr. Argrett was an attorney with the real estate law firm of Pircher, Nichols & Meeks 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 and has been an elder