Mission Valley Bank Names Brian Carlson President and CEO in Planned Leadership Succession

SUN VALLEY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 26, 2026--

Mission Valley Bank and Mission Valley Bancorp today announced an orderly leadership succession in which Brian Carlson will become President and Chief Executive Officer of Mission Valley Bank and President of Mission Valley Bancorp. Founder Tamara Gurney, who has led Mission Valley Bank for 25 years, will transition to Executive Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Mission Valley Bancorp, and Executive Chair and a Director of the Bank’s board of directors.

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Carlson will assume responsibility for the Bank's day-to-day management and performance, while Gurney will continue to provide strategic perspective, governance leadership, institutional knowledge and support for important customer, industry and community relationships.

The Board's succession planning has been part of Mission Valley's strategic planning. The Board unanimously selected Carlson based on his prior CEO experience, his record of building banking businesses and teams, his knowledge of Mission Valley and his ability to lead the Bank while preserving its relationship-based community banking culture.

"The Board approached succession as a long-term responsibility to Mission Valley Bank, its employees, customers and shareholders," said John Parker, Chairman of the Board. "Brian brings prior CEO experience, a broad banking background and a proven record inside Mission Valley. We are confident in his ability to lead the Bank, and we believe Tamara's continued involvement provides valuable continuity as the organization moves forward."

Carlson joined Mission Valley Bank in 2021 and currently serves as Executive Vice President and Managing Director of SBA, as well as President of Total SBA. His banking career spans more than four decades and includes service as Founder, President and CEO of Excel National Bank, as well as senior executive roles at First Bank, Temecula Valley Bank, Imperial Bank, Bank of the West and other financial institutions. He founded SBA Complete in 2011, a national SBA outsourcing platform that First Bank acquired in 2016.

At Mission Valley, Carlson has helped build and led the Bank's SBA platform, including sales, underwriting, processing and servicing capabilities. The SBA program has become an important contributor to Mission Valley's business and performance. Carlson also taught SBA lending for seven years at the Graduate School of Banking at Colorado and remains active in industry education and thought leadership.

"Mission Valley has succeeded because of its people and because our customers know they can rely on bankers as trusted advisors who understand their businesses," Carlson said. "My priority is to preserve that approach while continuing to strengthen the Bank for the future. I am grateful for the Board's confidence, thankful to Tamara for the institution and culture she has built, and excited to work with our employees and customers as we begin this next chapter."

"I have known Brian for many years and have seen both his banking expertise and the way he builds teams and relationships," Gurney said. "He understands Mission Valley, he understands the importance of our culture, and I have confidence in his ability to lead the Bank day to day. I am looking forward to continuing to work with Brian in my new role as we build the next chapter of Mission Valley together."

Carlson said he does not anticipate significant immediate changes in the Bank's direction. His initial priorities will include supporting a smooth leadership transition, spending time with employees and customers, continuing the Bank's current strategic initiatives and developing leadership talent throughout the organization.

About Brian Carlson

Brian Carlson is a veteran banking executive with more than four decades of experience in banking and small-business finance. He joined Mission Valley Bank in 2021 and serves as President of Total SBA. Carlson previously served as President and CEO of Excel National Bank and founded SBA Complete, which First Bank acquired in 2016. He taught SBA lending for seven years at the Graduate School of Banking at Colorado, serves on the advisory board of the Ahmanson/UCLA Adult Congenital Heart Disease Center and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Finance from San Diego State University.

About Mission Valley Bank

Mission Valley Bank is a California community bank serving businesses and individuals through offices in the greater Los Angeles region. Founded in 2001, the Bank is built around relationship banking, personalized service and financial solutions designed to help customers and communities grow.

Brian Carlson named President and Chief Executive Officer of Mission Valley Bank.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A man accused of arranging the fatal shooting of a Microsoft design manager on a Florida road was convicted Wednesday in a murder-for-hire scheme fueled by a stormy child custody arrangement between the victim and his wealthy ex-wife.

Jared Bridegan was shot four years ago after he got out of his SUV to remove a tire from a road in Jacksonville Beach. The attack stumped police for months as they struggled to understand why someone with no apparent enemies would be killed while his daughter sat nearby in her car seat.

Prosecutors believe he was killed because of ongoing strife with his former wife over the parenting of their twins.

Mario Fernandez Saldana, 38, was convicted of first-degree murder and solicitation of murder. He’s married to Bridegan’s former wife, Shanna Gardner, whose trial is set to start in September.

Bridegan was “unarmed, unaware, exposed, vulnerable. He couldn’t have known, on that cold asphalt in February of 2022, the architects of his murder had been making preparations for his death for months,” Assistant State Attorney Christina Stifler said during closing arguments.

Defense attorney Jesse Dreicer told jurors that Fernandez Saldana had no motive to have Bridegan killed. Fernandez Saldana and Gardner are estranged, and Gardner moved to Washington state after the killing.

“He certainly gained no benefit from the death of Jared Bridegan,” Dreicer said, noting there was no testimony that Fernandez Saldana told anyone that Bridegan “deserves to die.”

The alleged gunman, Henry Tenon, had no personal connection to Bridegan, but he was a former tenant at Fernandez Saldana’s rental property in Jacksonville. Jurors saw three checks totaling $10,000 written to Tenon after the homicide, marked as payments for handyman work and a business idea.

Tenon’s DNA was identified on the rim of the tire that was intentionally placed in the road, police said.

Tenon, 65, initially pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against Fernandez Saldana, but he later backed out of the deal and will stand trial next year.

Gardner, 39, is the daughter of the co-founder of Stampin’ Up!, an arts-and-crafts company based in Utah.

Bridegan was shot twice when he stopped his Volkswagen Atlas to remove a tire from the road. He had just returned two children to Gardner's home after a “date night” meal with the twins. At the time of his death, he was married to Kirsten Bridegan and they had two children.

Kirsten Bridegan told the jury that the post-divorce relationship between her husband and Gardner was “pretty terrible,” adding there was “absolutely no trust.”

Kirsten Bridegan reacts on the witness stand in the trial of Mario Fernandez Saldana at the Duval County Courthouse, Monday, Aug. 17, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. (Corey Perrine/The Florida Times-Union via AP, Pool)

Defense Attorney Jesse Dreicer gaves the closing arguments for the defense in the the Mario Fernandez Saldana trial Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026 at the Duval Count Courthouse in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/The Florida Times-Union via AP, Pool)

Assistant State Attorney Christina Stifler presents her closing arguments during the Mario Fernandez Saldana trial, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026 at the Duval Count Courthouse in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/The Florida Times-Union via AP, Pool)

Defense Attorney James Hill, left walks in his client, defendant Mario Fernandez Saldana, during his trial on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026 at the Duval Count Courthouse in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/The Florida Times-Union via AP, Pool)