Golden Pacific Bancorp announced the recent appointment of Virginia A. Varela as Chief Executive Officer for Golden Pacific Bancorp and Golden Pacific Bank, as well as a member of the Board of Directors for both entities. Ms. Varela brings over 25 years of experience within the banking industry, in various positions including both as a regulator and a community bank executive. Ms. Varela's exceptional leadership skills and proven ability to focus on core bank strength are an important ingredient to the company's success.

She arrives with a very solid reputation with regulators, peers, and bank clients. Previously Ms. Varela served as CEO and President of Bank of Rio Vista, President of San Luis Trust Bank, and most recently COO of Bank of the Orient. She also served in positions of responsibility with the FHLB, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, and the Office of Thrift Supervision.