“Since mid-2016, ODNB has taken strategic steps to reposition its shareholder base and attract top talent at all levels of the company, including its Board of Directors. We are very pleased that Jim, Jennifer and Mindi have agreed to join our Board. As respected business and civic leaders with long-standing ties the community, they will help raise ODNB’s profile in the Washington metro area,” said Chairman and CEO Mark Merrill. “Having successfully raised more than $91 million through three private placement offerings in just under three years, we are in a very strong position to continue organic growth and expansion throughout our markets.”
Jim Abdo is the President and CEO of Abdo Development, a leading D.C. developer specializing in adaptive re-use of urban properties primarily in the Washington metro area and throughout Northern Virginia. In addition to his deep knowledge of the Greater Washington real estate market, Mr. Abdo brings prior bank board experience. He served on the Bank of Georgetown Board and its loan committee for eight years until its 2016 merger with United Bank. Mr. Abdo is active in the local business community and philanthropy, as he currently serves on the board of the Institution of Current World Affairs, is an Honorary Trustee of Arena Stage and is a member of the Federal City Council. Mr. Abdo earned his B.A. in Sociology and History from The College of Wooster.
Jennifer Bognet is the Executive Vice President of Bognet Construction, the seventh largest interior construction firm in the Greater Washington region, and also serves on its Board of Directors. Prior to joining the firm in 2006, she worked in the software industry in sales and systems engineering for Oracle Corporation and Marriott International. She is a current board member of the Greater Washington Board of Trade and Tysons Partnership, as well as an executive committee member and co-chair of sponsorship for the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Women Connecting for a Cure initiative. Ms. Bognet earned her B.S. in Business Management from Pennsylvania State University and her M.S. in Information Systems from George Mason University, while also having completed a corporate board executive education program at the Harvard Business School.
Mindi McClure became Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of ODNB in August 2019, having joined the bank as part of its strategic partnership with VisionBank. Previously, she was Chairman and CEO of VisionBank (in Organization). She was a founding director of Bank of Georgetown and led the Board’s strategic planning committee from its inception in 2005 until its successful sale to United Bank in 2016. Ms. McClure was also a founding member and Senior Managing Director at FBR & Co.’s (now B. Riley FBR) investment banking group, providing capital markets and advisory services to middle-market financial and real estate companies. She brings significant public company board experience, currently serving as Lead Independent Director of Independence Realty Trust Inc. (NYSE: IRT) and as a member of the Arlington Asset Investment Corp. (NYSE: AI) Board of Directors. Ms. McClure earned her B.A. in English Literature from the University of Richmond.