Staff › Agility Bank

Your bankers, partners, and advocates in financial services

Our team was built on the belief that our clients should have access to knowledgeable bankers who care about their community and can provide personalized digital and face-to-face service to the Houstonians that compose our local economy.

We are bankers who settle for nothing less than exceptional client and user experiences.

Lauren sparks

founder and ceo

laquita cyprian

chief banking officer

Tina veserra

chief operating officer

Tom Descioli

client relationship commercial lending officer

jay pedraza

chief technology officer

yolanda villatoro

relationship banking director

SARAH PETERSON
DIRECTOR OF MARKETING

Tan ghaderi
business lending officer

Anjali nehra

loan admin support manager

Eden Dombrowa

marketing specialist

tanynika brown

senior accountant and recon specialist

jesus barcenas

relationship banker

april massey

executive relationship coordinator

wesley burch

digital operations manager

SYLVIA DEAR
DEPOSIT OPERATIONS MANAGER

tony chicas

loan operations specialist

Lauren Sparks founded Agility 2020, Inc., the entity that proposed a federally chartered bank, primarily owned and led by women.

With over three decades of community banking and risk management experience, Lauren is uniquely qualified to foster the growth of a community bank that focuses on digital banking. As a business owner herself, she executed exceptional opportunities for entrepreneurs, especially women.

In 2009 Lauren formed Third Party Resources, Inc. (3PR Inc.), a woman-owned consulting firm specializing in community banks and financial service firms. 3PR, which serves more than 30 community banks at any given time, also has become a preferred vendor for one of the world’s largest software providers.

As a native Houstonian and veteran banking leader, Laquita has significant insights into the local economy and the opportunities of companies in the region.

At Agility, she will oversee customer relationship growth, as well as guide digital strategies to meet the needs of growing businesses for their deposit, lending and treasury management.

Her career, which spans over 20 years, has focused on providing banking solutions for lending to small and mid-size businesses which are focused on sustainable growth. At leading Houston banks, she has managed teams that have been recognized for relationship building through strategic service and product solutions, as well as helping bring efficiencies to companies’ operations.

Laquita, who attended the University of Houston in finance and business administration, has served on a number of boards including as former board chair of C-STEM, an organization supporting children in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

With more than 40 years of experience in community banking, Tina’s career has featured leadership positions in operations, internal auditing, compliance, human resources, financial accounting and internal controls.

A proven leader, she has served community banks as chief operating officer, cashier, compliance/BSA officer and secretary to the board of directors. Tina has coordinated the opening of three de novo banks in the Houston area.

Prior to joining Agility 2020, Inc., she was a senior consultant that specialized in risk management, including regulatory compliance and BSA/AML compliance. She is a past board member of the Bank Administration Institute Gulf Coast Chapter and is committed to strengthening the pipeline of women into banking.

With 20 years in the technology sector, including 12 of those in banking, Jay has had IT leadership positions in community banking and managed services.

Prior to joining Agility Bank, he was with a managed service provider that specializes in serving community banks in areas such as IT risk assessment, cyber-security, regulatory audits and examinations, business continuity, and IT strategic planning.

Jay is a key leader at Agility Bank to ensure that the Bank’s technology “leans forward” for its customers, delivering efficiencies and effectiveness in a secure environment.

Jay's four daughters have given him a perspective on women and their need for an equal playing field in the community and for the future.

Prior to joining Agility Bank as a consultant, Sarah held executive positions as the head of marketing in banking and healthcare companies.

She began her career as a journalist with the Houston Chronicle as a feature writer and later as a correspondent and the southwest bureau chief of U.S. News & World Report magazine.

In both banking and healthcare, Sarah has been adept at developing clear messaging and effective branding that benefit an organization’s clients. The mother of two professional daughters, Sarah has been, and continues to be, committed to the progress of women.

Tan Ghaderi’s track record as a banker for businesses spans 20 years. She has joined Agility as a business lending officer to continue to accelerate the success of small and mid-sized business owners.

Primarily a veteran of larger banks, she is intent on building strong relationships that she can now couple with clean digital processes to help her clients be more efficient and effective in building their businesses.

At Agility, she also will coordinate one of those processes, the loan and underwriting software which will enhance the speed and cost of transactions.

Anjali Nehra has over 17 years of experience in financial services with over 10 years of experience in supporting finance executives. She is a dedicated consultant and administrative professional and a huge asset to the Agility team.

A veteran in both regional and national banks, Anjali has held various leadership and managerial positions on lending and relationship banking teams throughout her career.

At Agility, she will coordinate and organize loan processes to help provide excellent client experiences.

After graduating Magna Cum Laude from the University of Houston in spring of 2020, Eden Dombrowa joined the Agility team as one half of a "generational dream team" with Sarah Peterson as her mentor.

She is skilled in writing, social media management, website management, graphic design and strategic marketing campaign planning.

Prior to joining the team, Eden held various contract communications and marketing positions in the medical, government, and news media sectors. She also studied Spanish for eight years through her school career.

Tanynika Brown, with both a master's degree and a bachelor's degree in accounting, is an invaluable member of the Agility Bank team.

With 15 years of experience in banking, Tanynika is a proven expert with a variety of specialist work in her history. She has extensive knowledge in accounts payable and receivable, wire transfer processing, bank reconciliations, general ledger, budget management, data analysis, deposits, auditing, reporting, and more.

Tanynika is a master collaborator who strives to advance the success of Agility Bank and is proud to be making history as a part of the staff.

Jesus began his career at JPMorgan Chase where he worked daily with customers and won multiple awards for his service and relationship building.

In 2017, he formed a commercial freight shipping business which he ultimately sold.

With 13 years as a banker and three years as a small business owner, he brings a wealth of knowledge and perspective to our client experience. Bankers with on-the-ground experience as a business owner have insights that are invaluable to helping our clients grow their companies.