About Celtic Bank

Reese S. Howell, Jr.

Mr. Howell is the founder, CEO and Chairman of Celtic Bank. He is also the President and Director of Celtic Bank’s parent company, Celtic Investment Inc. Prior to his involvement with Celtic, he served as the President of Salt Lake Mortgage Corp until 2001 when its operations were consolidated with Celtic Bank. Mr. Howell has been involved as a principal, as well as an advisor, in numerous investment banking, merger, acquisition, and joint venture transactions. Mr. Howell obtained his BS in Business Administration from the University of Utah in 1991 with a major in finance, and his MBA from the University of Utah in 1996. Mr. Howell currently serves as a member of the National Advisory Board for the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah. Mr. Howell also serves on the Board of Directors and as a member of the Executive Committee for the National Association of Industrial Banks (NAIB). Mr. Howell is active in many civic and community organizations. Mr. Howell is married (Linda) and has two children and two grandchildren.

Wade Newman

Mr. Newman joined Celtic Bank in February 2005 after 20 years of experience providing financial leadership to businesses in the public and private sector. From 1999 to 2005, he served as Chief Financial Officer for Mining Services International, Inc., a multi-national manufacturer and distributor of commercial explosives, and formerly a NASDAQ-reporting company. Mr. Newman also served as Chief Financial Officer for Recovery Corporation, a commercial recycling and specialty waste processing company, from 1990 to 1999. From 1985 to 1990, Mr. Newman worked for the multi-national public accounting firm of Ernst & Young. Mr. Newman received his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Brigham Young University in 1985.

Troy D’Ambrosio

Mr. D’Ambrosio currently serves as Executive Director of the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute at the University of Utah. Since 2014, he has also held the Presidential Chair in Entrepreneurship and serves as Assistant Dean of the David Eccles School of Business, also at the University of Utah. Mr. D’Ambrosio has co-founded multiple business ventures and was the recipient of the Governor’s Medal in Science and Technology in 2015, the Best in State Educational Administrator in 2009, the vSpring Top 100 Entrepreneurs in 2008 and the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for the State of Utah in 2000. Mr. D’Ambrosio holds a bachelor degree in Political Science from the University of Utah.

Robert J. Gregory

Mr. Gregory has been the founder and President of a number of financial companies. Most recently, his involvement has been with Northbrook Investment Management LLC, Westpointe Capital Management Corp, and Vista Income Partners. Specializing in domestic and international equity and fixed income securities, Mr. Gregory has been responsible for strategic planning, investment strategy, and portfolio management. Mr. Gregory has extensive experience in the valuation and analysis of small and medium sized businesses, and has been integrally involved in the underwriting and analysis of commercial real estate projects. Mr. Gregory received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Michigan State University in 1980, where he majored in Economics; a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin in 1984, where he majored in accounting, and earned his Master of Business Administration from Michigan State University in 1989, where he majored in finance. His analytical expertise and ethical standards have earned him a high degree of respect within the national business community.

Richard T. Pratt

Dr. Pratt brings the benefits of three decades of public and private transactions and policy making to help the board fully explore the implications of strategic corporate decisions. He is a successful local businessman, who has vast experience with corporations, financial institutions, government agencies and foreign governments. After 12 years as a Professor of Finance at the David Eccles School of Business, University of Utah, Dr. Pratt served as Chairman of the Federal Home Loan Bank Board in Washington D.C. from 1981-1983. Dr. Pratt was the Chairman of Merrill Lynch Mortgage Capital, Inc., organizing the company’s effort to become a major originator and trader of mortgage-backed securities. In this position he also served as the Senior Relationship Manager to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. From 1991-1994 Dr. Pratt was a Managing Director, Financial Institutions Group, for Merrill Lynch & Co., founding the financial institutions restructuring group. Dr. Pratt attended the University of Utah, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Management in 1961, and a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance in 1962. He received a Doctorate of Business Administration degree in Finance from Indiana University in 1966.

Sue Rice

Sue started with a one-person, environmental cleanup company in the backroom of her home which she grew into a multi-state, multi-million dollar company before selling her business in 2012.

As the Founder and CEO, Sue was responsible for overall development and implementation of all business operations and strategic initiatives for Cavanagh Services Group, Inc. Based on the company’s market focus, this also included responsibility for compliance with all industry regulations and requirements. Her skill sets include corporate strategic planning and initiatives, forecasting and budgeting, corporate culture development/communication, business development, contract management/negotiation/ administration, government cost accounting, technical licensing and certification, project management/project control processes, and supply chain management.

Sue has been a member of various national women’s professional and local organizations and currently serves on the Salt Lake City Business Advisory Board and other private boards.

Eric Petersen

Eric joined Celtic Bank in 2006 and is Chief Strategy Officer, and Director of Strategic Lending Partnerships. He develops and implements strategic initiatives for Celtic including strategic lending programs with leading innovators in fintech, specialty finance and credit card sectors. Eric is a member of the Celtic Board of Directors, and serves on Risk Committee, Loan Committee, Compliance Committee, and ALCO (Asset/Liability) Committee. He is an experienced investment banker, investor and lender and has strong expertise in deal structuring and origination. Eric holds an MBA in Entrepreneurial Finance from Babson College, and bachelor’s degrees in both Economics and Political Science from the University of Utah.

Marcus Whitney

From college-dropout, waiter to self-taught, successful entrepreneur.

Marcus Whitney is Founding Partner of Jumpstart Health Investors, the most active venture capital firm in America focused on innovative healthcare companies with a portfolio of over 150 companies. He recently launched Jumpstart Nova, the first healthcare venture fund in America investing exclusively in Black founded and led startups.

Marcus is also co-founder and minority owner of Major League Soccer team, Nashville Soccer Club.

Marcus is the author of the Amazon #1 best-selling book “Create and Orchestrate“, about claiming your Creative Power through entrepreneurship. His work has been featured by Entrepreneur, CNBC, Inc., NPR, Fast Company, and The Atlantic.

Marcus is a member of the board of Celtic Bank, the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum, the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corporation, Instruction Partners and Launch Tennessee.

Rajesh U. Kothari draws over thirty years of experience as an investor, a financial advisor, and an entrepreneur.  Rajesh is the founder and a Managing Director of Cascade Partners, a private investment and investment banking firm where he assists companies with mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and other corporate finance activities.  In addition, Cascade Partners makes are variety of control and non-control investment in companies in the business service, high value manufacturing, technology, and healthcare sectors.

Prior to forming Cascade Partners, Kothari was a co-founder of Seneca Partners, Inc., a similar investment banking and private investment firm.  He co-led the Seneca Health Partners, a private equity fund.  Prior to establishing, Seneca Partners, he was a Director at Beringea (formerly GMA Capital), a boutique investment-banking and venture capital firm.  Rajesh led numerous divestitures, recapitalizations, acquisitions and other strategic transactions as well as co-managed the firm’s healthcare private equity fund. Rajesh began his investment career as a money manager at Masco Corporation and then Cranbrook Capital Management.

Rajesh has extensive board service including Celtic Bank, Priority Health, Micro Machine Company, LLC (Chair), MedBio, Inc., Amicas, Computer Dynamics, Active Health Management, VerNova, Providence Health Foundation, and the CAP Foundation. Rajesh is an active member of a variety of trade and community organizations.

He is a Colonel in the Civil Air Patrol, a volunteer auxiliary of the United States Air Force, in which he has served for over 40 years. He has served as the Commander of Michigan Wing for Civil Air Patrol.  Additionally, Rajesh has served as a Professor at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business and an Adjunct Instructor at the University of Notre Dame at the Gigot Center for Entrepreneurial Studies.

Mr. Kothari, a Chartered Financial Analyst, earned both a Bachelors of Arts and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Michigan.  He currently holds the Series 7, 79, 24, and 28 licenses from FINRA.

Mrs. Howell has worked with Celtic Bank since its inception in 2001, and worked with Salt Lake Mortgage for seven years before its operations were consolidated with Celtic Bank. Mrs. Howell has nearly 30 years of experience in all aspects of the mortgage and construction loan industries. In addition to her marketing responsibilities, she works to raise awareness of Celtic Bank and establish working partnerships and sponsorships within the communities served by the bank. Mrs. Howell also serves on the bank’s Executive Committee, and chairs the bank’s marketing and events committees. Mrs. Howell holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Utah.

Reese S. Howell, Sr.

Mr. Howell is a highly regarded business leader in the state of Utah. He attended the University of Utah and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting in 1963, and a J.D. from the University of Utah School of Law in 1966. He began his career as in-house counsel for a large local real estate development company, specializing in the preparation of contracts of purchase and sale. In 1970 he acquired partial ownership in Title Insurance Agency of Utah, Inc., which is now Security Title Insurance Agency of Utah, Inc. Prior to his retirement, Mr. Howell oversaw all operations, title examinations and escrow matters. Mr. Howell has guest lectured on real property law in Utah and abroad. He was also on the staff at Westminster College, teaching Business Law.

Reese S. Howell, Jr.

Mr. Howell is the founder, CEO and Chairman of Celtic Bank. He is also the President and Director of Celtic Bank’s parent company, Celtic Investment Inc. Prior to his involvement with Celtic, he served as the President of Salt Lake Mortgage Corp until 2001 when its operations were consolidated with Celtic Bank. Mr. Howell has been involved as a principal, as well as an advisor, in numerous investment banking, merger, acquisition, and joint venture transactions. Mr. Howell obtained his BS in Business Administration from the University of Utah in 1991 with a major in finance, and his MBA from the University of Utah in 1996. Mr. Howell currently serves as a member of the National Advisory Board for the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah. Mr. Howell also serves on the Board of Directors and as a member of the Executive Committee for the National Association of Industrial Banks (NAIB). Mr. Howell is active in many civic and community organizations. Mr. Howell is married (Linda) and has two children and two grandchildren.

Todd Boren

Mr. Boren joined Celtic Bank in 2016 as its Chief Risk Officer. Mr. Boren has over 25 years of experience in the financial services industry and over 10 years in risk management leadership roles.  Most recently, he was Chief Risk Officer at the American Express Utah based banks. Mr. Boren earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree from the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah.

Bradley C. Bybee

Mr. Bybee joined Celtic Bank in 2004 as the Chief Lending Officer. Mr. Bybee has over 20 years of lending experience including leasing, bank operations, commercial and SBA lending, credit analysis, audit, accounting, portfolio management, servicing, liquidation, special assets and departmental management. He attended Weber State University and began his banking career in 1985 at a local bank subsidiary which specialized in equipment leasing and consumer loans. After assisting Grant Thornton in liquidating five failed Utah “Thrift and Loan” companies, Mr. Bybee was hired at Guardian State Bank in 1991 to manage a growing SBA and commercial loan portfolio. Guardian State Bank was later acquired by Community First National Bank in 1998. As a Vice President at Community First National Bank, Mr. Bybee was responsible for a large SBA and commercial loan portfolio located throughout California, Utah, Colorado, Idaho, Wyoming, Arizona, South Dakota, North Dakota and Nebraska. He was responsible for processing, closing, securing collateral, and servicing and liquidating SBA and commercial loans. Mr. Bybee was promoted to manage the bank’s “Special Assets” department before coming to Celtic Bank.

Jake Barney

Mr. Barney joined Celtic Bank in 2006 and served as the Bank’s Controller until May of 2013. Mr. Barney has been instrumental in helping to grow both the assets and the equity of Celtic Bank by more than 300% while helping to manage the Bank. Mr. Barney began his career in banking in 2002 and has held various accounting and finance positions at multiple financial institutions. Mr. Barney received his BS in Accounting and his Masters of Accounting from the University of Utah.

Timothy J. McGoff

Mr. McGoff joined Celtic Bank in 2015 and serves as Chief Business Development Officer. He is responsible for driving business growth through management of national sales teams, development of marketing programs and implementation of new processes and technologies. Tim has over 12 years of Commercial and SBA Lending experience including tenure with Citibank and U.S. Bank. Prior to his financial industry experience, Tim held several business and product development roles within the B2B, enterprise software and retail industries. Tim holds a BA in Economics from the State University of New York at Albany.

Linda M. Howell

Mrs. Howell has worked with Celtic Bank since its inception in 2001, and worked with Salt Lake Mortgage for seven years before its operations were consolidated with Celtic Bank. Mrs. Howell has nearly 30 years of experience in all aspects of the mortgage and construction loan industries. In addition to her marketing responsibilities, she works to raise awareness of Celtic Bank and establish working partnerships and sponsorships within the communities served by the bank. Mrs. Howell also serves on the bank’s Executive Committee, and chairs the bank’s marketing and events committees. Mrs. Howell holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Utah.

Eric Petersen

Eric joined Celtic Bank in 2006 and is Chief Strategy Officer, and Director of Strategic Lending Partnerships. He develops and implements strategic initiatives for Celtic including strategic lending programs with leading innovators in fintech, specialty finance and credit card sectors. Eric is a member of the Celtic Board of Directors, and serves on Risk Committee, Loan Committee, Compliance Committee, and ALCO (Asset/Liability) Committee. He is an experienced investment banker, investor and lender and has strong expertise in deal structuring and origination. Eric holds an MBA in Entrepreneurial Finance from Babson College, and bachelor’s degrees in both Economics and Political Science from the University of Utah.

Leslie K. Rinaldi

Ms. Leslie K. Rinaldi was born in Pasadena, California. She has a wide-ranging business background which is bolstered by a master’s degree in Business Administration, obtained from California Polytechnic University in 1991, and a master’s degree in Science in Technology Management, received from the University of Maryland in 2001. Before attending the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, she was a consulting project manager and business analyst, as well as a management executive for several software development companies. While in law school, she served as a law clerk in the Division of Commercial Enforcement for the Utah Attorney General’s Office, participated in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Summer Honors Program, and served as an extern to the Honorable Judith A. Boulden and William T. Thurman in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Utah. Ms. Rinaldi formerly practiced law with the law firm Anderson & Karrenberg where her practice focused on commercial litigation and transactions.

Michael Fosmark

Mr. Fosmark joined Celtic Bank in August 2015 to establish and serve as President of the Celtic Bank Leasing & Equipment Finance Group. Michael has over 30 years of experience in banking including 12 years as the President of Continental Bank, a Utah commercial bank specializing in leasing and equipment finance. Prior to Continental Bank, Michael served as Executive Vice President at Bank of Utah where he served as the bank’s Chief Lending Officer. Michael holds a Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Communications from Utah State University where he was a scholarship football player and team captain. Michael is a graduate of the Pacific Coast Banking School and a board member of the Utah Bankers Association.

Andrew Yenchik

Andrew Yenchik joined Celtic Bank as CTO in January 2023. He brings with him over 15 years of IT and Software Engineering Management experience. He spent 10 of those 15 years leading IT and software teams at national financial and insurance institutions. Before Celtic, he was VP of Software Engineering at Hagerty; Managing Director of Engineering at Charles Schwab; and Director of Software Engineering at USAA. 

At Celtic, Andrew leads the IT, InfoSec, Software Engineering, Product Management, and Data groups. 

Andrew is a graduate of the University of Utah, where he completed a degree in Information Systems.  He also holds a master’s degree in Management Information Systems from Carnegie Mellon University.