Western Alliance Bank appointed Katie McDowell and Jon VanDerMeid to the organization’s commercial and industrial banking team. McDowell joined as senior vice president and relationship manager to support the bank’s aerospace, defense and government services team, while VanDerMeid joined as credit underwriting and portfolio manager for commercial and industrial to support the broader commercial and industrial team.

“In a strategic step that reaffirms our commitment to providing outstanding customized commercial banking for our clients, we are thrilled to welcome Katie McDowell and Jon VanDerMeid to the Western Alliance Bank team,” Matt Griesbach, commercial and industrial industry executive for aerospace and defense at Western Alliance Bank, said. “Through the expansion of our commercial banking team, we’re able to elevate our service in an underserved market segment and continue to deliver a broad range of tailored banking solutions for companies of all sizes.”

McDowell has nearly two decades of experience with deep commercial and industrial experience in the aerospace, defense and government services sectors. McDowell previously served as a senior vice president at City National Bank, Wells Fargo and GE Capital.

VanDerMeid also joined the Western Alliance Bank team with two decades of industry experience, holding previous roles in commercial, leasing and investment banking underwriting. VanDerMeid was previously a senior vice president and credit manager at City National Bank and also has previous experience at MUFG, Bank of America and J.P. Morgan/JPMorgan Chase.

“The additions of Katie McDowell and Jon VanDerMeid are part of our broader strategy to bring an even sharper, more dedicated focus to the commercial and industrial market, including in highly specialized sectors such as defense and government services,” Julian Parra, head of commercial banking at Western Alliance Bank, said. “In recent months, we’ve been building upon our already strong C&I foundation by adding incredible talent to the team, enabling us to better serve the burgeoning commercial market in California and beyond.”