Customers Bank, a super-community bank with operations in Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Illinois, New York, New Jersey and New England, added Ronald K. Hobson to its Private and Commercial Banking office in Washington, D.C. as senior vice president and client manager.

In his new role, Hobson will be responsible for delivering Customers Bank’s solutions and expertise to government contracting, not-for-profit and other organizations in the D.C. metropolitan market. Hobson is a veteran banker with more than 30 years of commercial banking experience in these sectors.

Prior to joining Customers Bank, Hobson worked at a number of regional banks serving the Washington, D.C. metro area, most recently with MainStreet Bank, where he worked as senior vice president. Hobson also served as the associate deputy administrator for government contracting and MED at the Small Business Administration, where he oversaw the U.S.’ $6 billion 8(a) Small Business Development Program. He also served as the associate director of the Department of Defense’s Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, which oversaw small business initiatives at the Pentagon including The White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) as well as the department’s mentor-protégé program.

“The recent trend in bank mergers and acquisitions in the D.C. area has left a void for a solid regional bank that is flexible and truly understands the local growth market for emerging companies, yet, is also sophisticated enough to handle the needs of large businesses and associations,” Hobson said. “Customers Bank’s size, its products and its commitment to growing its D.C. relationships make it ideally suited to meet the needs of our D.C. customers. In addition, its single point of contact business model allows for fast access to knowledgeable resources. This speed, knowledge and level of attention often make all the difference for our clients’ next contracts or pieces of business.”

“Ronald’s expertise, industry relationships, and tireless advocacy for his clients has earned him the respect and admiration of the D.C. business community,” said Richard Ehst, Customers Bank’s president and chief operations officer. “We’re pleased that he will now leverage these qualities on behalf of Customers Bank and its customers. We look forward to working with Ronald to meet the needs of this market.”

In addition to his professional responsibilities, Hobson served as chairman and board member of the Northern VA Urban League for 12 years and currently serves as treasurer of Be A King Lyfe Foundation, a foundation created by Bernice A. King, youngest daughter of Martin Luther and Coretta Scott King.