William J. Lewis

William J. Lewis is an Independent Director at Bank of Hope. William has over 50 years of experience in the banking industry.

Lewis began their career at First Interstate Bank in 1969 as a Management Trainee. William quickly rose through the ranks, becoming Vice President in charge of commercial branches, developing commercial business, and administering client relationships. In 1982, they left First Interstate to join Sanwa Bank California as Senior Vice President. During their 12-year tenure at Sanwa, they held various positions including Chief Credit Officer, Commercial Credit Administrator, International Credit Administrator, and Regional Manager.

In 1994, Lewis became Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer at Eldorado Bank. William held this position for four years before moving to PriVest Bank in 1998, where they again served as Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer. In 2002, they joined East West Bank as Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer, a position they held until 2010.

Lewis has been an Independent Director at Bank of Hope since 2010.

William J. Lewis has an MBA from Golden Gate University and a BBA from the University of New Mexico - Robert O. Anderson School of Management. William also has a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of New Mexico - unm anderson school of management and a master's degree in business administration from golden gate university.