Banner Corporation: two directors named with cybersecurity expertise

Banner Corporation's proxy statement for its 2026 annual meeting, filed April 6, 2026, lists cybersecurity among the key qualifications of two directors: Paul J. Walsh and Millicent C. Tracey.

Walsh's key-qualifications entry cites "strong technology, information security, cybersecurity and digital expertise," and his biography describes him as a technology leader with more than 25 years of experience at some of the industry's most recognized brands.

Tracey's key-qualifications entry cites "payments services, fintech, cybersecurity and technology experience." The filing traces this to more than 20 years in financial services: more than 19 years at Wells Fargo Bank, most recently as Senior Vice President and Payments API Product Manager from 2014 to 2019, where it says she advised on business-to-business digital payments and related matters spanning "regulatory compliance, cybersecurity, fraud, treasury management, and risk mitigation strategies." She also served on the boards of California BanCorp and its subsidiary, California Bank of Commerce, from 2021 to 2024, and currently serves on the board of the fintech company Dwolla, Inc.

No SEC rule requires a bank holding company, or any public company, to identify which director has cybersecurity expertise: the SEC proposed Item 407(j) of Regulation S-K in 2022 to require exactly this, then dropped it from its final 2023 cybersecurity-disclosure rule. Banner's proxy names it voluntarily. See the board cybersecurity-expertise record for other companies making the same choice, with no comparison or ranking implied.