Chief financial officer, 2 accounting staffers leaving Commencement Bank, memo says
In an email sent to staff this week, Tacoma-based Commencement Bank has announced the planned departure of its chief financial officer and two accounting/finance team members.
A screenshot of the email was shared with The News Tribune. The staffwide email, from Commencement CEO John Manolides, announced that Chief Financial Officer Tom Dhamers, senior accountant Charlene Pearl and accounting assistant Alicia Bulldis had “voluntarily decided to leave the bank to pursue new opportunities.”
The email stated that the three had been with Commencement since its merger with Thurston First in 2016. Dhamers’ time with Thurston First dated back to 2007, with Pearl joining the next year and Bulldis in 2015.
The email also stated their last day would be Friday, July 5, and that newly hired Charlie Sonneborn would step into Dhamers’ role as interim CFO during the search for a new CFO.
A senior accounting temp also has been brought on board “to help ensure we have the proper resources in place,” the email stated, noting that the bank had been working on a transition plan “over the past few weeks,” including cross-training staff.
Manolides also thanked Dhamers, Pearl and Bulldis for their “hard work, dedication and years of service” to the bank.
The News Tribune reached out to representatives for Commencement, who declined to offer comment, as well as Manolides.
Manolides became CEO of Commencement after the Dec. 31, 2019 retirement of CEO Hal Russell. Russell co-founded the bank in 2006 with Manolides, who served as president and chief operating officer before moving into the top position.
The bank last year saw the departures of other senior staff members — its senior vice president of operations and cash management, and its former senior vice president head of retail banking. An assistant vice president for commercial loans also departed last year.
Manolides, in response to questions over reasons for the latest departures and of the officials last year, simply stated via email to The News Tribune that “Commencement Bank does not comment on personnel matters.”
In its first-quarter earnings ending March 31, Commencement Bancorp on May 9 reported that “Total assets ended the quarter at $590 million with no significant variation to report.”
Commencement in April made news with the announcement of a planned move to its new Tacoma headquarters at 1313 Broadway. The bank has branch locations in Enumclaw, Olympia, Auburn and Gig Harbor.
