Sharena Ali and Isaura Gaeta joined the board of directors at St. Cloud, Minn.-based Stearns Bank N.A.
Ali is president of the insurance company CONNECT, DePere, Wis., which is powered by American Family Insurance. “Stearns Bank’s mission, vision, and values resonate with me,” Ali said. “‘Helping others achieve their greatest ambitions,’ as the mission states, absolutely reaches me.”
Gaeta is the vice president and general manager of security research with Intel Product Assurance and Security Group, Santa Clara, Calif. She said she is especially interested in helping to serve underbanked demographics. “Coming from the Latino community, the fastest growing group of entrepreneurs, I see that the availability of banking solutions is still lagging,” she said. “How do banks reach demographics that have historically been underbanked and provide solutions for their unique situations? I think it’s a tremendous opportunity.”
Stearns Bank President and CEO Kelly Skalicky said Ali and Gaeta’s “leadership and expertise in driving positive, impactful change through innovation will greatly benefit Stearns Bank and our customers, while expanding our capabilities to provide more access to capital to underserved communities throughout the U.S.”