Coleman Mover & Shakers – Mel Robertson, Valerie Nussbaum-Harris, and Sarah A. Day

April 15, 2021

Caity Roach
Editor

Coleman Mover & Shakers – Mel Robertson, Valerie Nussbaum-Harris, and Sarah A. Day

Mel Robertson Joins Hope Credit Union as Senior Vice President of Small Business and Consumer Lending

“Mel Robertson brings significant experience working with programs managed by the Small Business Administration,” says Pearl Wicks, COO of HOPE Credit Union. “With the addition of Mr. Robertson’s skills and networks, we look forward to deepening HOPE’s impact among small business owners across our five-state region.”

Prior to joining HOPE, Robertson served as Associate Vice President, Community Development & Community Reinvestment Officer at The First, where he oversaw the bank’s Community Reinvestment Act program, including compliance, outreach, and implementation for the state of Louisiana. 

In his new role at HOPE, Robertson will be responsible for the development and implementation of the credit union’s small business lending strategy. Additionally, he will be responsible for assessing the risk of loan requests and convening the credit committee to present recommendations from the broader team.

Valerie Nussbaum-Harris Appointed Government Guaranteed Lending Executive for Climate First Bank

“I’m ready to work with Climate First Bank to transform traditional banking into a values-based model that didn’t exist before,” says Valarie Nussbaum-Harris, the new Government Guaranteed Lending Executive for Climate First Bank.“I’m especially grateful for the opportunity to serve the community I’ve lived in my whole life. With so many smaller banks being bought up and customer service reduced to dialing a 1-800 number, I look forward to working with Climate First Bank to fill the vacuum in traditional, face-to-face community banking.”

In her new role as EVP, Tampa Bay Region Executive and Government Guaranteed Lending Executive, Nussbaum-Harris will draw on her 32 years of banking experience within the Tampa Bay market and her extensive background in SBA and USDA lending to help local businesses fund their expansions.

Prior to joining Climate First Bank, Nussbaum-Harris held executive positions at various national and community banks, including Bank of America, Regions Bank, SouthTrust Bank, and Freedom Bank. Additionally, Nussbaum-Harris has sat as a board member for the City of St. Petersburg’s Environmental Development Commission, Leadership Tampa Bay, and Leadership Pinellas.

Sarah A. Day Promoted to SVP, Commercial Loan Officer at St. Mary’s Credit Union

Sarah A. Day joined St. Mary’s Credit Union in 2005 as a marketing manager and transitioned to the commercial lending team in 2013, where she specialized in commercial mortgages, vehicle and equipment lending, and commercial lines of credit.

Day’s work on the commercial lending team has been instrumental in making St. Mary’s the top credit union in Massachusetts for SBA lending. In her new role, she will continue to help her team deliver SBA loans to entrepreneurs within the institution’s footprint.

In addition to her career, Day is an advisory board member of the local nonprofit Provision Ministry Inc. based in Westborough, and is part of the Young Professionals Advisory Board of the nonprofit Yamba Malawi based in New York City.