2025 Fernando Award Recipient

Armida Colmenares-Stafford

In over 30 years of banking, Armida has served in various senior management positions with national, regional, and community banks in the greater Los Angeles area.

Armida joined Pacific Premier Bank in 2020 as the FVP Sr. Relationship Manager. As the Market Leader she contributes to PPB growth and profitability, developing products and services to create excellence.

Prior to Pacific Premier, she was part of Commercial Bank of California’s Leadership Team for the San Fernando Valley, instrumental in helping her clients obtain PPP loans which helped saved many local businesses and hundreds of jobs. She served on the Culture Council to assist in branding, employee development, and community outreach. She created operational procedures and process improvements to maximize efficiencies. Armida developed the bank’s regional business plan and previous mission and vision statements as well.

At Bank of America, Armida successfully managed the district’s 28 banking centers from Lancaster to Calabasas providing leadership and support to 445 employees with over $150 million in loans and $1 billion in deposits. At U.S. Bank she was the Hispanic Lead for Southern California helping create products and services for the Latino market. She built on this experience by leading an application process to start a community bank as Founder / COO / Director serving the Latino community in the San Fernando Valley. Armida was a member of the Executive Team of Western Commercial Bank as Head of Commercial Banking, Marketing, and Community Relations. At First California Bank and Mission Valley Bank she contributed to their growth and profitability with an extensive focus on portfolio management and business development. With experience in lending, bank turnaround, and the Latino market, Armida joined the executive team at one of the nation’s oldest Latino banks, Pan American Bank, as part of a recapitalization and strategic growth plan.

Armida is the Chair of the Board of Directors of The Valley Economic Alliance which engages and unites Valley stakeholders to raise standards of living and economic vitality across the San Fernando Valley. Under her leadership the organization met the $1MM budget, they won a grant for $500k to partner and provide services under the business assistance program for next 3 years. As part of her committee work with The Alliance, she assisted in developing strategies and innovative programs to more effectively reach, serve and represent traditionally underserved Valley stakeholders.

Armida was the first Latina Chair of the United Chambers of Commerce, a coalition of 32 business organizations including 19 Chambers of Commerce representing over 154,000 businesses, serving an unprecedented term of 4 years. Under her leadership, Armida positioned UCC as a command center for the chambers during COVID and worked closely with Mayor Eric Garcetti to secure funding of $450,000 to provide relief to chambers of commerce. She implemented procedures to create a stronger united advocacy voice for the chambers, created an outreach program, increased communication via social media, as well as promoted events, educational training, and professional webinars.

In addition to her business focus, Armida is involved with healthcare through her work as Co-Chair of the Annenberg School of Nursing, part of LAJ Health (Los Angeles Jewish Health). LAJH serves more than 4,000 seniors through its various health programs. In 2025, LAJH partnered with AltaMed, one of the country’s largest community health networks, to extend the pipeline of talented nurses across Southern California. Armida is also on the Board of Directors and the Business Committee for Proxy Parent Foundation which provides professional and caring services for people who are disabled and their families throughout California. She has been successful with the outreach and connected with Tierra Del Sol, New Horizon, North Valley Regional Center to name a few.

Armida was a member of California Bankers Association raising awareness with members of Congress about banking legislation. Since 2021, Armida has been listed as one of the Top 200 Valley Influential Leaders in the Valley Area by the San Fernando Valley Business Journal and was a nominee for their Women in Business Award. In May of 2023, Armida was honored by United Chambers of Commerce as one of the Inspirational Women of the Year. In 2022, she was a nominee for the Fernando Award which recognizes outstanding volunteerism in the San Fernando Valley. In 2023 and 2024 she was one of the five honorees for the Fernando Award. Armida is an Ambassador for the American Red Cross Blood Drive for St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church which has resulted in saving over 550 lives.

Armida is a graduate of California Lutheran University and holds a BA degree in Finance.