Lydia Ramirez
About Lydia Ramirez
Lydia A. Ramirez (age 44) is Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Five Star Bancorp (FSBC). She joined FSBC in 2017 and has held successive operations leadership roles through 2024, alongside serving as the company’s Chief DE&I Officer (2021–2024) and currently leading DE&I efforts as EVP COO . Ramirez holds a B.S. in Psychology and a B.A. in Spanish from UC Davis and an MBA from California State University, Sacramento; she is also a graduate of California Bankers Association Executive Banking School . Company performance metrics relevant to executive incentives include stock total shareholder return since IPO and profitability (ROAA) used for PSUs; FSBC’s TSR rose to 137.10 by 12/31/2024 (vs. S&P 500 149.27; KBW Regional Banks 104.79) , and executive PSUs are tied to three-year average ROAA versus a defined Western Region banking peer set .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Five Star Bancorp | Senior Vice President & Director of Branch Administration | 2017–2018 | Led branch administration foundation for growth |
| Five Star Bancorp | Senior Vice President & Director of Operations | 2018–2021 | Built operational process discipline and scale |
| Five Star Bancorp | Senior Vice President & Chief Operations Officer & Chief DE&I Officer | 2021–2024 | Drove enterprise operations and DE&I strategy |
| Five Star Bancorp | Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer | 2024–Present | Owns enterprise operations; leads DE&I efforts |
| MUFG Union Bank | Vice President & Multi-Branch Manager | 2010–2017 | Managed multi-branch sales and service execution |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce | Board Director | Current | Community relations and market connectivity |
| Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services | Board Director | Current | Community impact and brand alignment |
| Capital Black Chamber of Commerce | Board Director; 2024 Board Chair | Current (Chair in 2024) | Regional economic development leadership |
| Sacramento State University College of Business Advisory Council | Advisory Council Member | Current | Talent pipeline and academic-industry linkage |
| American Leadership Forum | Senior Fellow, Class XXVI | Prior recognition | Executive network and leadership development |
| Leadership Sacramento | Graduate (2021) | 2021 | Civic leadership credentials |
Fixed Compensation
- Compensation specifics for Ramirez are not disclosed; FSBC reports compensation details for NEOs only (CEO, EVP & CBO, EVP & CFO) for 2024, and Ramirez was not a named executive officer in that filing .
Performance Compensation
| Incentive Type | Metric | Target | Payout | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSUs (Performance-Based) | Three-year average ROAA relative to peer group (S&P Global Broad Market Index – Western Region banks) | 60th / 70th / 80th percentile | 50% / 100% / 150% of target | Vests on 3rd anniversary of grant date if employed and goals achieved |
| RSUs (Service-Based) | Service tenure | N/A | N/A | Vests in equal annual installments over five years, contingent on continued employment |
Notes:
- The long-term incentive program was approved for executive officers (Ramirez is an executive officer). The 8-K disclosed specific grant amounts only for EVP & CBO and EVP & CFO; individual award sizes for Ramirez were not disclosed .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Policy/Mechanism | Company Standards |
|---|---|
| Hedging of company stock | Prohibited for executive officers, directors, and employees (e.g., collars, swaps, exchange funds) |
| Pledging/margin accounts | Holding FSBC securities in margin accounts or pledging as loan collateral is prohibited unless an exception is approved by the board |
| Rule 10b5-1 trading plans | Permitted subject to policy; trades executed per pre-set parameters; plans must be pre-approved |
| Blackout/trading windows | Pre-clearance required; quarterly blackout from the 15th day of last month of each fiscal quarter until 2nd trading day post-earnings release; event-specific restrictions may apply |
| Clawback policy | Adopted Oct 2, 2023; requires recovery of erroneously awarded incentive compensation for executive officers upon restatement |
| Equity Incentive Plan features | Awards include restricted stock and RSUs; performance awards authorized; no required automatic acceleration—unvested awards not assumed in a change-in-control may vest unless Committee determines otherwise |
| Dividends on unvested shares | Dividends paid on unvested stock awards; vesting terms defined by award agreements |
Employment Terms
- No individual employment agreement, severance, or change-of-control terms are disclosed for Ramirez in the latest proxy or 8-K filings. FSBC disclosed a CEO employment agreement and noted no written employment arrangements for the EVP & CBO and EVP & CFO; there is no comparable disclosure for Ramirez .
Performance & Track Record
| Index | May 5, 2021 | Dec 31, 2021 | Dec 31, 2022 | Dec 31, 2023 | Dec 31, 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Five Star Bancorp (TSR, $100 base) | 100.00 | 125.24 | 116.25 | 115.55 | 137.10 |
| S&P 500 Index | 100.00 | 115.45 | 94.54 | 119.40 | 149.27 |
| KBW Nasdaq Regional Banking Index | 100.00 | 99.86 | 92.94 | 92.57 | 104.79 |
- Operational scope: FSBC’s business is concentrated in Northern California, with total assets of $4.1B, loans of $3.5B, and deposits of $3.6B at year-end 2024, supporting operations Ramirez oversees . Risk context includes CRE concentration and large-depositor exposure, relevant to ROAA-driven PSU performance and operations execution .
Investment Implications
- Alignment signals: PSUs tied to three-year ROAA vs regional peers directly link Ramirez’s long-term equity outcomes to sustainable profitability; payout tiers up to 150% at ≥80th percentile indicate leverage to performance momentum . Clawback provisions and strict prohibitions on hedging/pledging strengthen pay-for-performance integrity and reduce misalignment risks .
- Retention dynamics: Five-year RSU vesting schedules create ongoing vesting cliffs that typically reduce near-term insider selling pressure and incentivize continuity in operations leadership . Blackout periods and pre-clearance impose disciplined trading behavior, moderating opportunistic sales timing .
- Data gaps and monitoring: Absence of individual compensation and ownership disclosures for Ramirez (non-NEO) limits precision on cash/equity mix, guidelines compliance, and sell-down capacity; monitor future proxies and 8-K 5.02 items for award sizing and any changes in employment terms .
- Execution risk context: ROAA-linked PSUs may be sensitive to CRE portfolio performance, deposit pricing, and Northern California macro trends; operational efficiency and risk management under Ramirez’s purview are critical drivers for achieving targeted percentile outcomes .