Meet the Candidates: Charles Rho & Diane Heyden for NAGGL Board
Meet the Candidates: Charles Rho & Diane Heyden for NAGGL Board
A Coleman Conversation: Charles Rho
In this episode of A Coleman Conversation, Bob Coleman speaks with Charles Rho, President of VelocitySBA and a candidate for the NAGGL Board of Directors. With over 20 years of experience in commercial finance, including a high-level tenure at GE Capital where he managed multibillion dollar leveraged finance transactions, Charles brings a unique blend of large-scale financial expertise and deep passion for small business lending. In this candid discussion, Charles shares his return to SBA lending, the founding of VelocitySBA, and his vision for strengthening the 7(a) program to better serve today’s entrepreneurs.
Topics Covered:
✓ Charles Rho’s rise through GE Capital, from SBA sales to leading $2 billion commercial finance deals, and how a professional shift led him back to the purpose-driven world of SBA lending
✓ Charles’ campaign for the NAGGL Board and his commitment to advocating for all SBA 7(a) lenders, strengthening the program, and expanding access to capital for small business owners
✓ The entrepreneurial founding and growth of VelocitySBA, a top-ranked non-bank SBA lender with a national presence and a focus on speed, service, and efficient execution
✓ A leadership approach centered on customer experience, and how Charles stays engaged with his business development team to ensure VelocitySBA’s borrower-first culture
✓ A call to use the SBA’s vast but underutilized data to improve lending speed, transparency, and efficiency, particularly for underserved, immigrant, and first-generation entrepreneurs
A Coleman Conversation: Diane Heyden
In this episode of A Coleman Conversation, Bob Coleman speaks with Diane Heyden, Senior Vice President and Director of SBA Lending at West Coast Community Bank. Diane brings over 30 years of experience in financial services and shares her deep commitment to SBA lending, community banking, and expanding access to capital. She also discusses her candidacy for the NAGGL board, offering a unique perspective shaped by her leadership and on-the-ground experience in small bank SBA lending.
Topics Covered:
✓ Diane’s career journey in financial services, her early SBA work in Orange County, and her long-standing commitment to community banking
✓ Diane’s candidacy for the NAGGL board, driven by her leadership on NAGGL’s Small Bank West Committee and a strong belief in the importance of advocacy, policy shaping, and support for community-focused lenders
✓ Economic highlights of the coastal California, including strong growth in agriculture, tourism, and tech sectors, and how these shape local lending needs
✓ West Coast Community Bank’s lending footprint and credit approach, with a focus on small local businesses and a deliberate move away from high-risk sectors like hospitality and startup construction
✓ The borrower experience: how outdated systems and complexity hinder small business access to capital, and what the SBA could do to make the process more user-friendly