SANTA ROSA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 28, 2025--
Exchange Bank (OTC: EXSR) is pleased to announce the promotion of Ali Spitzer to Senior Vice President and Chief Credit Officer, recognizing her outstanding leadership and continued contributions to the Bank’s long-term success.
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Spitzer brings a wealth of experience to the role, having served in multiple leadership positions since joining the Exchange Bank. From her early days as a Credit Analyst to roles as Underwriter, Loan Officer, and most recently Credit Administrator, Spitzer has demonstrated exceptional versatility, strategic insight, and a deep commitment to the principles of community banking.
“Ali’s promotion is a reflection of her unwavering dedication, her ability to lead with both integrity and vision, and the respect she has earned throughout the organization,” said Troy Sanderson, President and CEO of Exchange Bank. “She exemplifies the leadership qualities that drive our mission and strengthen our commitment to the communities we serve.”
In addition to her professional accomplishments, Spitzer has been recognized by her peers and the broader business community. She was recently named one of the North Bay Business Journal’s Influential Women of 2025 and is a past recipient of the North Bay Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 award, celebrating rising leaders in the region.
Spitzer’s civic involvement includes her current board position with the Santa Rosa Metro Chamber, where she continues to play a meaningful role in regional economic development. She has previously served on the boards of the Sonoma Community Action Network and the Business Alliance of Sonoma County, contributing significantly during community recovery efforts following the Tubbs Fire and other local crises. Her dedication to community banking is matched by her passion for helping customers and communities achieve their goals, and she remains committed to supporting organizations that drive local progress.
About Exchange Bank
Headquartered in Sonoma County and founded in 1890, Exchange Bank is a full-service community bank with assets of $3.27 billion. Exchange Bank provides a wide range of personal, commercial, and trust and investment management services with 17 retail branches in Sonoma County, a retail branch in Roseville and Trust & Investment Management offices in Santa Rosa, Roseville, Marin County and Silicon Valley. The Bank’s legacy of financial leadership and community support is grounded in its core values of commitment, respect, integrity, and teamwork. Exchange Bank is known for its people who care about their customers, their company, and the communities where they live and work. Exchange Bank is a 19-year winner of the North Bay Business Journal’s Best Places to Work survey and a 13-time winner of the Best Bank of Sonoma County by the Press Democrat’s Readers’ Choice 2024 awards. Exchange Bank was named Best Consumer Bank by the NorthBay biz Magazine’s Best of the North Bay readers’ poll and Best Local Bank by The Petaluma Argus Courier People’s Choice Awards 2024. Exchange Bank is also a winner of the 2024 San Francisco Business Times Corporate Philanthropy award, and the Bohemian Magazine’s Best of the North Bay 2024 named Exchange Bank Best Business Bank and Best Consumer Bank. www.exchangebank.com
Member FDIC — Equal Housing Lender — Equal Opportunity Employer
Ali Spitzer, SVP and Chief Credit Officer
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown on protesters, a move coming as activists said Monday the death toll in the nationwide demonstrations rose to at least 544.
Iran had no immediate reaction to the news, which came after the foreign minister of Oman — long an interlocutor between Washington and Tehran — traveled to Iran this weekend. It also remains unclear just what Iran could promise, particularly as Trump has set strict demands over its nuclear program and its ballistic missile arsenal, which Tehran insists is crucial for its national defense.
Meanwhile Monday, Iran called for pro-government demonstrators to head to the streets in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”
Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran including cyberattacks and direct strikes by the U.S. or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night. Asked about Iran’s threats of retaliation, he said: “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before.”
Trump said that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.
“I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.”
He added: “The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate.”
Iran through country's parliamentary speaker warned Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.
More than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said 496 of the dead were protesters and 48 were with security forces.
With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.
Those abroad fear the information blackout is emboldening hard-liners within Iran’s security services to launch a bloody crackdown. Protesters flooded the streets in the country’s capital and its second-largest city on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Online videos purported to show more demonstrations Sunday night into Monday, with a Tehran official acknowledging them in state media.
In Tehran, a witness told the AP that the streets of the capital empty at the sunset call to prayers each night. By the Isha, or nighttime prayer, the streets are deserted.
Part of that stems from the fear of getting caught in the crackdown. Police sent the public a text message that warned: “Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers.”
Another text, which claimed to come from the intelligence arm of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also directly warned people not to take part in demonstrations.
“Dear parents, in view of the enemy’s plan to increase the level of naked violence and the decision to kill people, ... refrain from being on the streets and gathering in places involved in violence, and inform your children about the consequences of cooperating with terrorist mercenaries, which is an example of treason against the country,” the text warned.
The witness spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing crackdown.
The demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, which trades at over 1.4 million to $1, as the country’s economy is squeezed by international sanctions in part levied over its nuclear program. The protests intensified and grew into calls directly challenging Iran’s theocracy.
Nikhinson reported from aboard Air Force One.
In this frame grab from video obtained by the AP outside Iran, a masked demonstrator holds a picture of Iran's Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during a protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, January. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)
In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran shows protesters taking to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)
In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)