About
Board Value
Financial Oversight
Direct P&L accountability, capital adequacy, audit-ready financial reporting, and credit-quality review at the board level.
Banking & Financial Services
Nearly three decades originating, structuring, and stewarding regulated lending and deposit portfolios across community and commercial institutions.
Risk & Regulatory
Operating fluency with FDIC, OCC, and Federal Reserve examination; appointed advisor on the Minneapolis Fed CDIAC.
Strategic Growth & Capital Allocation
Workforce expansion, market-share growth, succession planning, and disciplined deployment of capital through cycles.
Executive Leadership
Former bank president and vice chair; led teams through pandemic-era PPP origination of $65M+ to 500+ small businesses.
Owner-Operator Perspective
Entrepreneur, investor, and business owner who understands the stakeholder, employee, and community lens alongside fiduciary duty.
Career
2024 – Now
Founder
LadyBanker
2023 – Now
Board Director
Pioneer Bank
2018 – 2023
President & Vice Chair of the Board
Village Bank
2013 – 2018
Senior Vice President
Sunrise Banks
2009 – 2013
Vice President
Minnesota Bank & Trust
1998 – 2008
Director, Vice President & Various Positions
Village Bank
Education
2025 – Present
Harvard Business School
Presidents' Program
2024 – 2026
Harvard Kennedy School
Global Leadership and Public Policy for the 21st Century
2024 – Present
Stanford Graduate School of Business
Board of Directors Program
2024
Harvard Law School
Program on Negotiation: Negotiation and Leadership
2010 – 2012
Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
Banking, Corporate Finance & Securities Law
2007 – 2010
University of St. Thomas
MBA, Finance & Management
2002
North Hennepin Community College
Certificate of Leadership
1996 – 2000
University of St. Thomas, School of Business
Bachelor of Science
Awards & Recognition
2021
Notable Women in Commercial Banking
Twin Cities Business
View source ↗2020
Outstanding Women in Banking
BankBeat / BankNews
View source ↗2019
Top Women in Finance, Circle of Excellence
Finance & Commerce
2018
Women in Business Honoree
Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal
2016
The (Real) Power 50
Minnesota Business Magazine
Community & Service
Present
Forbes Business Council
Member · Invitation-Only Executive Network
2019 – Present
Finance & Commerce: Top Women in Finance
Judging Panel · Alumni & Honoree
2019 – 2023
Women Presidents' Organization
Member
2019 – 2020
Minnesota Chamber of Commerce
Leadership Minnesota
In Their Words
“Aleesha has a razor sharp business mind. Rare as that is, Aleesha also has some sort of internal fulcrum, where empathy and creativity somehow work in balance with her acute business intelligence. The result of working with Aleesha is, well, results. Progress. Forward motion. Momentum. Rare talent indeed.”
John Arms
Head of Education · Voyageur University
“Aleesha was tireless in her client advocacy and employed a great deal of savvy in managing our business relationship within the bank. She really understood our business and had a high level of skill in working with approvals from executive levels to credit underwriting. Not all bankers do this well. Aleesha was superb.”
Wayne Schertler, CPA
Fractional COO / CFO · Self-employed
“Aleesha and her team took the time to clearly understand our business model and structure the financial tools we needed to launch. If it weren't for her team, our company would not have the foundation we had to launch.”
Joel Carver
President & CEO · CARVER
Writing
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