Craig Wanichek, President and Chief Executive Officer of Summit Bank, based in Eugene, OR, announced the hiring of Aaron Walker as Chief Credit Officer. Walker has nearly 30 years of experience in banking with a balanced mix of senior management positions in Commercial Real Estate and Commercial and Industrial Lending.

Most recently, Walker was the manager of Commercial Real Estate lending for Columbia Bank, responsible for growing and managing a $1.2 billion portfolio of income property loans. Before that, Walker managed C & I teams throughout Oregon for Umpqua Bank with total assets of approximately $1.5 billion. He also has held credit management positions involving loan approval, problem loan management, and overall portfolio monitoring including stress testing.

“Aaron’s wealth of knowledge regarding the markets in which we operate and the types of loans and structures with which he is familiar will be extremely beneficial to Summit. Toward that end, he is a Chief Credit Officer with significant client-facing experience, which is also important to our culture,” said Wanichek.

Walker graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Oregon in 1991 with a B.S. degree in Finance. He later received his MBA from Colorado State University, graduating Summa Cum Laude in 2003. In 2006, Walker graduated with honors from Pacific Coast Banking School.

Currently, Walker serves as the President of Cascade Capital Funding, a Certified Development Company authorized by the Small Business Administration to serve Oregon’s Small Business Community.

Summit Bank Group Inc., through its wholly owned subsidiary Summit Bank, maintains offices in Eugene, Central Oregon, and downtown Portland, and specializes in providing high-level service to professionals and medium-sized businesses and their owners.