Washington Federal, parent company of Washington Federal Bank, promoted Kelli Holz, a veteran banker and current senior vice president and chief risk officer, to CFO, effective Jan. 1, 2023. She will replace Vincent Beatty, who announced in January that he will be retiring at the end of December.

Holz is both a certified public accountant and certified anti-money laundering specialist (ACAMS) and brings 34 years of finance and risk experience in various leadership positions to this role. She was controller and interim CFO at Horizon Bank in Bellingham, WA, prior to that institution being acquired by Washington Federal Bank in 2010.

Holz is also active as a member of the board of trustees and treasurer for the Meridian Public School Foundation, where she oversees the granting of college scholarships for high school graduates.

“WaFd Bank has a remarkable history of delivering results for its shareholders, customers and employees, and I am pleased to have this opportunity to make a difference,” Holz said. “I look forward to building on what Vince and the finance team have accomplished and further utilize automation to streamline controls, procedures and financial reporting to empower management and the board of WaFd Bank.”

“Kelli has a proven track record of high performance and brings a wealth of experience in finance, compliance and enterprise risk management to our executive management team at WaFd. She knows us well, understands the importance of strong controls and processes to both better serve our clients and protect our capital,” Brent Beardall, president and CEO of Washington Federal, said. “We welcome her passion and ability to execute strategically to help us build for the future.”