CitizensTrust Team

R. Daniel Banis

Executive Vice President and Head of CitizensTrust
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R. Daniel Banis brings over 39 years of financial services industry experience to his role as Head of CitizensTrust. He has worked in leadership roles for Security Pacific National Bank, Bank of America, Fidelity Investments, First American Trust, and MullinTBG/Prudential Retirement. Mr. Banis earned his Master of Business Administration and his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance from California State University at Los Angeles.

Thomas L. Trine

Senior Vice President and Trust Services Manager

Thomas L. Trine has more than 40 years of experience in the Trust and Wealth Management industry. Prior to joining CitizensTrust, he was a Director at Hitachi Consulting, where he served as program manager for trust, brokerage, and banking system implementations. Mr. Trine served on the ABA National Trust School’s Board of Advisors and holds a Bachelor of Art Degree from University of California, Los Angeles and a Master of Business Administration from California State University, Fullerton.

Stephen E. Hill

Senior Vice President and Private Client Advisor

Stephen Hill has a professional career spanning more than 24 years providing wealth management and financial services to wealthy individuals and family owned businesses. Mr. Hill is a graduate of the University of Colorado where he earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics.

Suzanne Hart

Vice President and Private Client Advisor

Suzanne has over 30 years of experience in providing banking, lending, investing, trust and related wealth management services for wealthy individuals, families and business owners. Ms. Hart earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business from Golden Gate University, San Francisco. She is actively involved in the local community serving several non-profit organizations.

Susan Sayer

Vice President and Investment Manager

Susan Sayer has over 27 years of experience working with trusts, wealth management, investments, and portfolio management. Her experience includes both portfolio and relationship management roles, as well as domestic equities research. Ms. Sayer earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mathematics and Economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is also a member of the CFA Society of Los Angeles.

Timothy Blastek

Vice President and Investment Analyst

Timothy Blastek has over 25 years of investment industry experience. Prior to joining CitizensTrust, he worked as the head of trading for 300 North Capital where he was responsible for executing trading strategies utilizing futures, equities, and options. Mr. Blastek was also a senior member of the investment committee. He received his BS in Finance with a minor in Economics from the University of Montana

Joel Napalan

CTFA, Senior Vice President and Senior Trust Officer

Joel Napalan is a Certified Trust and Financial Advisor with over 27 years of experience in trust administration. He works with other wealth management associates to provide personal trust, estate, and investment management services. Mr. Napalan is a Board Member of the Long Beach Community Hospital, associate member of the Orange County Bar – Trust and Estate section, and a member of the Estate Planning & Trust Council of Long Beach.

Steven L. Spare

CFA, Vice President and Senior Portfolio Officer

Steve Spare brings over 25 years of experience to this role, having worked throughout his career with institutional and individual wealth management clients. His broad investment background includes knowledge in the areas of financial analysis, portfolio management, client relationship management and product development. Steve received his BA degree from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and he is a Chartered Financial Analyst and a member the CFA Institute. He is actively involved in various community and professional organizations throughout the community.

Donald E. Evenson

CFA, Senior Vice President and Chief Investment Officer
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Donald E. Evenson brings more than 27 years of investment industry experience to his role as Chief Investment Officer for CitizensTrust. Prior to joining CitizensTrust, he managed funds and advised on strategy at AVR Asset Management, Trust Company of the West (TCW), and Provident Investment Counsel. Mr. Evenson received his Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from the University of Southern California and earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from St. Mary’s College of California.

Paulette J. Miller

Vice President and Trust Services Operations Manager

Paulette has over 30 years of banking and trust operations management experience. Prior to joining CitizensTrust she managed trust operations for Mechanics Bank in Northern California, and she worked previously in similar roles with Rabo Bank and Bank of the West.

Richard McDonald

CFA, Vice President and Investment Manager

Richard McDonald has over 21 years of industry experience. He is responsible for leading the fixed-income process for CitizensTrust and serves on the CitizensTrust Investment Policy Committee. Mr. McDonald worked previously as a security analyst at Eakle Associates, Inc. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and serves as a member of the CFA Institute and its member societies in Los Angeles and New York.

John B. Zarchen

Vice President and Private Client Advisor

John Zarchen brings over 23 years of comprehensive wealth management experience to his role with CitizensTrust. He uses a planning based approach to provide wealth management solutions for individuals, families, family owned businesses and non-profit organizations. Mr. Zarchen earned his MBA from Loyola Marymount University and a BA degree from Denison University. He is also active in community organizations including Alzheimer’s Greater Los Angeles.

M. Joselyn Gutierrez

CTFA, Vice President and Senior Trust Services Officer

Joselyn Gutierrez is a Certified Trust and Financial Advisor with experience administering a broad range of relationships including trust accounts, special needs trusts, estate settlements, investment and retirement accounts. Previously she held similar roles with Bank of America and Exchange Bank. Joselyn earned her BA degree from the University of California, Irvine along with related trust certifications from Cannon Financial Institute.

Nihir Shah

Vice President and Investment Analyst

Nihir brings over 20 years of investment industry experience to his Analyst role. Previously, he worked with Trust Company of the West (TCW). Nihir earned a BA in Economics from the University of California, Irvine and his MBA from the University of Southern California.