Bellingham, WA-based Peoples Bank named Derek Thornton senior vice president and CFO. He joined the bank in 2013 and previously was Peoples Bank's senior vice president and director of finance and accounting. Peoples Bank also named Lisa Hefter executive vice president and chief administrative and risk officer. Hefter joined the bank in 1992 and was appointed CFO in 2010.

Thornton serves as Vice President of the Board of Directors at Lydia Place and is also on the Board of Directors of the Bellingham Distance Project, a competitive running team. Derek was awarded the Peoples Bank Chairman’s Award for leadership in 2016 for his commitment to integrity, honesty, and respect. He is a graduate of Pacific Coast Banking School and holds bachelor’s degrees in Economics and Political Science and a master’s degree in Business Administration from Western Washington University.

Lisa Hefter assumes the role of Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative and Risk Officer. Lisa joined Peoples Bank in 1992 and was appointed Chief Financial Officer in 2010. In her new role, Lisa is responsible for directing the administrative and operational activities of the Bank as well as enterprise risk management.

Hefter is passionate about the business of banking and seeks continual improvement for the Bank’s customers, employees, and shareholders. She oversees the Bank’s community relations activities and serves as the Chairperson of the Donations Committee.

Hefter graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a finance emphasis from Central Washington University. She also graduated with honors from the Pacific Coast Banking School, the premier national graduate school of banking. In 2017, Lisa was named CFO of the Year by the Puget Sound Business Journal.

Additionally, Peoples Bank made promotions in its commercial banking group. The bank named Jonathan Ensch senior vice president and commercial market leader, and Scott Louia vice president and commercial banking officer.

Ensch joined Peoples Bank in April 2019 and has been a successful commercial banker in the local market for the past 15 years. Jon leads a team of commercial bankers focused on managing the diverse and often complex banking needs of the local business community.

“I truly value the opportunity to work for a community bank that is locally owned and headquartered in Whatcom County,” said Jon. “This enables us to build strong, individualized relationships with our customers and play a role in their long-term success.”

Jon serves on the boards of the American Red Cross and the Whatcom Business Alliance. He received a bachelor’s degree in finance and economics from the University of Alaska.

Louia joined Peoples Bank in February 2017 and has 15 years of experience in commercial banking, including as a Credit Analyst, Small Business Loan Officer, and Special Credits Officer. He was previously responsible for Small Business Lending.

“I enjoy working with our business customers and being a part of their long-term success,” said Scott. “We always want our customers to feel valued and to know that we have the financial tools and expertise to guide them throughout the growth of their business.”