November 15, 2022Washington, MO – Bank of Washington Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer L. B. Eckelkamp, Jr. announced the promotion of Sherry Wahle to senior vice president of retail lending and Brenden Brinker to retail lender at the Bank of Washington.
Wahle joined the Bank of Washington in 1997 and has over 35 years of total banking experience, all concentrated on lending. Her passion for helping customers is only matched by her knowledge of retail lending. She has excelled over the years in her role of helping customers with mortgage loans, personal loans, home equity lines of credit, and more, always putting the customer first. In Wahle’s new role as senior vice president of retail lending, she is focused on leading the bank’s retail lending team and growing and developing that side of the bank.
“The Bank of Washington has been a wonderful place to grow in my career,” stated Wahle. “I am excited to take on a new leadership role, help guide our fantastic lending team, and to continue to help customers. The most important thing to me is family, and I have been blessed with the best family at home and at work. I love both of my families.”
Wahle is a St. Francis Borgia Regional High School alum and attended General School of Banking. She is a member of Our Lady of Lourdes parish and lives just outside of Washington with her husband Rick. She enjoys spending time with her daughter Sarah, son-in-law Dan, son Brandon, soon to be daughter-in-law Taylor, and her two granddaughters, Hayden and Emmie.
Brinker joined the bank in 2016 in the retail department and then participated in the Bank of Washington’s internship program for two terms during college. After college, he worked at a mortgage company in Columbia, MO, and then rejoined the bank in 2021 as a retail lending associate. In his new role as a retail lender, he is working directly with customers on personal loans, car loans, land loans, home loans, and more. Brinker enjoys assisting and providing guidance to his customers with their loan needs and values that at the Bank of Washington, he is more than just a lender, he truly gets to build relationships with customers and personalize their loan experience to better match customers with the right products.
“I value being a member of the Bank of Washington team for many reasons. The people that work at the Bank are amazing,” said Brinker. “We are a family, and everyone looks out for each other. I have already benefited greatly from learning from my fellow coworkers. One thing about the Bank of Washington that is exceptionally great is our commitment to be involved in the community. We all love our community and are committed to growing and improving our community in any way we can.”
Brinker is a Washington High School alum and graduated from Mizzou with a degree in Finance and Banking and a minor in Real Estate. Brinker is a member of St. Gertrude’s Parish and enjoys volunteering at many events within the community whether it be a parish event, a booth at the Washington Town & Country Fair, or an event hosted by Downtown Washington, Inc. Additionally, he is a member of the Missouri Bankers Association. Brenden resides in Washington, his parents are Mike and Lisa Brinker, and he has a dog named Nellie with his high-school sweetheart, Erin Ready.
The Bank of Washington is a full-service bank headquartered in Washington, MO. They are the oldest and largest community bank in Franklin County, serving the community for more than 140 years. The investments that the Bank of Washington makes in the local community ranks them as one of the largest commercial lenders in the St. Louis area and they have been consistently voted the No. 1 bank and mortgage lender in the Washington Missourian Readers’ Choice Awards.