Sierra Bancorp, the parent of Bank of the Sierra, an independent bank headquartered in the South San Joaquin Valley in California, named Natalia Coen executive vice president and chief risk officer for both the company and the bank. As its sixth executive officer, Coen will oversee the bank’s risk management program.

“We are overjoyed to add Natalia to the team at Bank of the Sierra,” Kevin McPhaill, president and CEO of Bank of the Sierra, said. “The addition of Natalia is yet another sign that our company continues to grow, and we know her abilities and experience will be critical to our future success.”

Coen has more than 18 years of experience in the banking industry. Prior to joining Bank of the Sierra, she was chief risk and compliance officer for Gateway First Bank in Jenks, OK. In this position, Coen managed Gateway’s enterprise risk management framework, which included establishing its risk monitoring, metrics and tolerance. She also previously served as senior vice president and director of compliance for CoBiz Financial and its subsidiary, CoBiz Bank, in Denver.

In addition to Coen’s appointment, Hugh Boyle will continue as chief credit officer for Sierra Bancorp and Bank of the Sierra, a role he has held since joining the company in 2020. After an executive leadership change in 2021, Boyle stepped up to accept the combined role of chief credit and chief risk officer.