McDermott + Bull has successfully placed Charissa Sopoaga as Senior Vice President, Retail Operations at Farmers and Merchants Bank of Central California (F&M Bank). In this role, Charissa will offer strategic direction encompassing capacity planning, consistency, support, training and development, risk assessment, and operational excellence throughout F&M Bank’s 32-branch network, enhancing client relationships and upholding exceptional quality.

Charissa brings over 25 years of retail and central operations leadership experience within financial services. She joined F&M Bank from Santa Cruz County Bank, where she served as Senior Vice President, Director of Operations. Previously, she served in branch and retail operations roles with Rabobank and built the foundation of her career in banking and branch management with Wells Fargo. 

Founded in 1916, F&M Bank is a locally owned and operated community bank which proudly serves California through 32 convenient locations. The company operates in the mid-Central Valley of California – including the counties of Sacramento, San Joaquin, Solano, Stanislaus, and Merced – and the eastern region of the San Francisco Bay Area – including the counties of Alameda, Napa, and Contra Costa. F&M Bank is financially strong, with over $5.4 billion in assets, and is consistently recognized as one of the nation’s safest banks by national bank rating firms.

This executive search was completed by McDermott + Bull President Brandon Biegenzahn, Senior Executive Recruiter Rachel Loye, and Research Associate Aaron Bennett.