Home About Us Management Team Management Team Our Senior Management Team is comprised of knowledgeable banking professionals who strive to provide the best experience and solutions possible. Our executives are dedicated to our clients and they work closely with them to deliver customized solutions to meet their needs. We strive to create personal relationships with our clients, and work hard to earn their trust. We invite you to meet our team: The Team Don Cole Chief Executive Officer Don Cole is the Chief Executive Officer of Congressional Bank. From 2012 to 2018, Don served as Chief Financial Officer of Alliance Partners. From 2009 to 2011, Don served as Chief Financial Officer of CapitalSource. From 2003 to 2009, Don served in various senior management positions at CapitalSource including Chief Operations Officer, Chief Accounting Officer, and Chief Information Officer. Don received his BS and MBA from the State University of New York at Buffalo and his law degree from the University of Virginia. Lori Bettinger Co-President of Alliance Partners Prior to joining Alliance Partners (a Subsidiary of Congressional Bank), Lori served as the Director of the TARP Capital Purchase Program at the Department of the Treasury, focusing on the implementation, investing, and restructuring cycles of the $205 billion portfolio. From 2004-2008, she was a financial economist with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Trading and Markets. Lori received her M.A. from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and her B.A. from Yale University. Kenneth Elias President of Speciality Lending Division Kenny Elias joined Congressional Bank in 2011 and now serves as the President of the Specialty Lending Division where he oversees lender finance and specialty real estate groups. Kenny previously founded various national specialty lending business units at the bank, including the cash flow and leveraged finance division, lender finance, and specialty real estate businesses. He also previously served as Chief Lending officer of the Bank and oversaw the banks community lending efforts from 2017-2019. Prior to Congressional Bank, Kenny served various roles in leveraged finance, private equity, and accounting. Most recently he was with Blackstreet Capital where he sourced, underwrote, and managed control equity buyouts of underperforming companies. Prior thereto, Kenny was a Director of Portfolio Management for Leveraged Finance at Capitalsource Bank where he managed several billion dollars of performing and non-performing loans throughout his tenure. His previous experience includes roles with Allied Capital Corporation (now part of Ares Capital) and regional CPA firm Watkins Meegan LLC. Kenny is a CPA and received his MBA from the Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland. He also earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Delaware. Amy Heller President, Healthcare Lending Amy Heller joined Congressional Bank as the SVP – Healthcare Lending in 2013. Prior to Congressional Bank, Amy was most recently Managing Director of the Healthcare Credit Group at CapitalSource Bank where her responsibilities included originating, structuring, underwriting and negotiating asset-based, leveraged and real estate loan transactions within the healthcare industry. Her previous experience includes a variety of roles within CapitalSource, Heller Financial and its predecessor, Healthcare Financial Partners where she managed various portfolios of loans, including complex restructuring transactions. Amy graduated from The George Washington University, cum laude, with a degree in Business, concentrating in Finance. Vince Twomey Co-President of Alliance Partners Prior to joining Alliance Partners (a Subsidiary of Congressional Bank), Vince served as a Managing Director for CapitalSource from 2006 to 2010. From 2000 to 2006, Vince held various positions at CapitalSource including Chief Underwriting Officer and Senior Investment Officer. From 1996 to 2000, Vince was with Fleet Capital Corporation, and its predecessor company Barclays Business Credit, where he was a Senior Vice President responsible for Underwriting and Field Examination for the Northeast Region. From 1990 to 1996, Vince held a number of underwriting can credit positions at Fleet Capital. Vince received his undergraduate degree in accounting from St. Joseph’s University and is a Certified Public Accountant. Craig Underhill President of Community Banking Division In January of 2020, Craig Underhill accepted the position of President of the Community Banking Division, a newly created position. Prior to joining Congressional Bank, Underhill served as President and Chief Executive Officer for Freedom Bank of Virginia where he tripled the bank’s asset size during his 8-year tenure. Additionally, Craig has held leadership positions with Potomac Bank, Allfirst Bank, Central Fidelity, and Dominion Bank over a 30 plus year career in banking. – Anne Balcer Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Internal Auditor Anne Balcer joined Congressional Bank in April 2013. She previously served as Maryland’s Deputy Commissioner of Financial Regulation as an appointee of the O’Malley-Brown Administration. Before her career in public service, Anne was the Director of the Foreclosure Prevention Division of St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center, Inc. in Baltimore City. Anne has testified before Congress, the TARP Oversight Committee and in state and local legislatures on consumer protection, foreclosure and fair housing. She was honored with the American Association of Residential Mortgage Regulators Distinguished Service Award in August 2012 and was named the Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition’s 2012 Consumer Advocate of the Year. She was also honored as one of the Daily Record 2012 Leadership in Law recipients. She received her J.D., magna cum laude, with honors, from the University of Baltimore School of Law and her B.A. from Randolph Macon College. Patience Gaskill Executive Vice President, Deposits Patience Gaskill joined Congressional Bank in 2012. She manages the Deposit Sales team including the Business Development Officers and the staff at the bank’s branches. Prior to Congressional Bank, Patience was Senior Vice President, Retail Administration for Suntrust Bank where she managed sales and operations for 14 branches in Washington, DC. She was with Suntrust Bank for 12 years prior to joining Congressional. Patience graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Maryland Smith School of Business. Eartha Morris Executive Vice President, Chief Operations Officer Eartha Morris rejoined Congressional Bank in 2019 with 30 plus years of demonstrated success in leading and managing financial institutions specializing in the areas of Bank Operations, Information Technology, Risk and Project Management, Process Reengineering, and Change Leadership. Prior to rejoining Congressional Bank, she served in similar roles with EagleBank, South State Bank, Congressional Bank, Provident Bank of Maryland and Riggs Bank. Eartha holds a BS degree in Business Administration and an MBA from the University of Maryland University College. James Peterson Executive Vice President, Chief Credit Officer Jim Peterson joined Congressional Bank as Senior Vice President & Chief Operating Officer in 2013 and was named Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer in 2014. Prior to Congressional Bank, Jim was with CapitalSource for 11 years, most recently as the Senior Vice President and Director of Credit & Credit Policy where his responsibilities included: credit policies and procedures, credit approvals, regulatory relations, and managing a loan administration department. His previous experience includes business development, underwriting, and relationship management during 17 years with Bank of America in various commercial lending roles. Jim graduated from the College of William & Mary with a degree in Economics. John Protzman Executive Vice President, Chief Technology Officer John Protzman joined Congressional Bank as the Chief Technology Officer in 2018. Before Congressional Bank, John was the Head of IT for AlliancePartners starting in 2012 and he served as Manager and Director of Network Operations at CapitalSource starting in 2002. Prior to that John was President and CEO of Streams Consulting, a Microsoft Certified Solutions Provider, which provided IT and consulting services to regional government and commercial firms from 1997 to 2001. John received his BSEE from Vanderbilt University in 1979 and his MSEE from Johns Hopkins in 1985. John holds numerous certifications, including being a CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional), CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker), and an EnCE (EnCase Certified Examiner) for computer systems and network forensics examination. John began his career in 1979 working as an electrical engineer developing computer system interfaces and other related electronics for military aircraft and ship simulators including systems for electronic warfare, radar, and sonar systems. James Robertson Senior Vice President, Human Resources James Robertson joined Congressional Bank as Senior Vice President of Human Resources in 2016. Prior to Congressional Bank, James was the Vice President of Human Resources for World Duty Free Group, headquartered in London, England and with Seneca One Finance in Bethesda. His previous experience includes roles as Vice President of Human Resources as well as Operations, Organizational Development and Talent Management. James graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and received his MBA from The George Washington University in Washington DC. Mark Wendel Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer Mark Wendel joined Congressional Bank in 2017 and has over 30 years of financial services industry experience in the areas of internal and regulatory financial reporting, asset-liability management, treasury management, mergers and acquisitions and strategic planning. Prior to joining Congressional, he served over 10 years as the CFO of a $4 billion asset sized institution, Cardinal Bank of Mclean VA. Mark graduated from Rhodes College of Memphis with a degree in Accounting and received his MBA in Finance from the Fogelman College of Business and Economics, University of Memphis. Any of our leaders can be reached at 301-299-8810 Email disclosure: Your privacy is very important to us. We would like to advise you that Internet email is not secure. When you send an email, please do not submit any information that you consider confidential. We recommend you do not include your social security or account number or other specific identifying information. Mailboxes are actively monitored Monday – Friday (9am – 5pm). All branches will be closed on Thanksgiving Day – Thursday, November 25, 2021. As always you can bank online, on our app, at any of our ATM’s, or by using telephone banking at 855-354-9933. Safe and Secure Disclosures and Notices Cybersecurity & Risk Lost or Stolen Cards Contact Us 4445 Willard Ave Suite 1000 Chevy Chase, MD 20815 301-299-8810 Find a Branch About Us Our Company Management Team Careers News LinkedIn Banking On The Go Get It On Google Play Download on The App Store © Copyright 2021 Congressional Bank. All Rights Reserved. Equal Housing Lender. Member FDIC.