Michelle Castano Garcia was named chair of the Board of Directors Nov. 1 for the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon Foundation. Michelle has two children, a 6th grader and a sophomore, attending school on the Valley Catholic campus and has served on the Foundation board since Sept. 2006.

Michelle is Vice President and Senior Relationship Manager for Washington Trust Bank’s Wealth Management and Advisory Services department in Portland, Ore. With Michelle’s significant experience in trust and estate planning, financial planning and investment management, her expertise to the board is highly valued as a counselor on financial matters and an active participant in fundraising efforts.

Michelle entered the banking industry in 1986 working in a variety of Sales, Marketing and Management positions. Throughout her extensive banking career she has worked for U.S. Bank, Bank of the Northwest and Northern Bank of Commerce.

Michelle is an award winner of the Portland Business Journal’s “Forty under Forty” award. She is very active in the community working on various charitable boards and committees. Michelle earned her Bachelor of Arts in Rhetoric and Communications with an emphasis in Economics from the University of Oregon.

The Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon Foundation was established in 1998 to encourage financial aid and community support for the education, health care, and community service ministries of the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon, including Valley Catholic School and Maryville Nursing Home in Beaverton, Ore. The Foundation supports these organizations through relationship-building, fundraising, stewardship, and marketing.

Posted by Thomas Kohler in General