A senior Westmont college administrator has been appointed to the Rabobank Regional President’s Advisory Council for the Santa Barbara, announced Don Toussaint, regional president for Rabobank, N.A. Doug Jones, vice president for finance at Westmont, joins the 12-member advisory board.
The President’s Advisory Council, made up of distinguished local business and civic leaders, keeps the bank abreast of local issues and economic conditions, and enables the bank to keep a pulse on the South Coast.
��This is an outstanding and well-diversified group of business leaders on the council,” said Toussaint. “With nearly 20 years in the higher education and business worlds, Doug brings a wealth of experience and local knowledge to the council. He has a wonderful perspective on financing for not-for-profit institutions as well as on local events, endeavors and organizations that have an impact on the South Coast. Doug’s input has been particularly valuable as Rabobank is in the process of establishing a public finance group.”
Jones joined the Westmont College administration in 2007 after serving as vice president for finance and administration for Spring Arbor University in Michigan for seven years and as controller at Huntington University in Indiana.
A resident of Santa Barbara, Jones earned a bachelor of science degree from Huntington University and an M.B.A. degree from Indiana University and is a licensed CPA.
Other members of the President’s Council are Ed Heron, president of the Santa Barbara School District Board of Education; Richard Saco, entrepreneur; Dr. Dan Secord, retired OB/GYN; Frank Schipper, president and CEO of Schipper Construction; Karl Willig, president and CEO of Mission Linen Supply; Lynda Lang, president of the Carpinteria Chamber of Commerce; Kevin Burns, president of Sima Property Management; Steve Pappas, owner of Vocational Trends, Inc.; Tim Snider, president of Fess Parker Winery. Trudi Carey, president of The Carey Group; and Jim Haslem, principal with Counsel SB.
The group meets regularly to keep the bank abreast of local issues and economic conditions and provide feedback and input on bank products and services. The group also participates in bank-sponsored community events.
“It’s a pleasure to work with a group of individuals as widely recognized and respected as our council, as they provide the bank with great insight into the community. Rabobank’s business model is designed to enable the regional president to make local decisions on most lending and customer service issues and be actively involved in the community,” Toussaint said.
Rabobank, N.A. is a California community bank that provides personalized service and a full array of quality products to individuals, businesses, and agricultural clients. With 93 retail branches (including five in Santa Barbara and Goleta) and 16 financial service centers, we serve the needs of communities from Sacramento to the Imperial Valley through local decision making and active community involvement by our employees.