Board of Directors

Hany Dimitry is Chairman of the Bancorp’s Board of Directors and is also a director for the Bank, serving on both Boards since their formations. Mr. Dimitry has over 30 years of business expertise, including serving as the founder and CEO of HCI Systems Inc., HCI Sprinkler Inc., Advanced Leasing Inc., Advanced Monitoring Inc, CMD Electric Inc., Control Systems Inc., and several other privately held companies. Mr. Dimitry has been responsible for all operations and growth of these businesses, steering them from startup to over $200 million in combined revenues. Prior to these ventures, he served as Vice President at DC Associates between 1996 and 2007, and, early in his career, undertook pivotal roles in facility design at Jet Propulsion Laboratory. 

Mr. Dimitry is passionate about philanthropy and actively gives back locally, nationally, and internationally. He employs a diverse executive staff which, with his support, serves multiple nonprofit boards and foundations across the country.

James Jones is Vice Chairman of the Bancorp’s Board of Directors and is also Chairman of the Bank, serving in both positions since the companies’ formations. Mr. Jones has served as Executive Vice President and Partner for bank consulting and advisory firm Carpenter & Company since 1992 and has overseen the opening of over 100 new banks and 35 capital placement assignments since 2000. In 2008, he co-founded as a Managing Partner the Carpenter Community BancFund, a $280 million private equity fund focused on investing in community banks. As such, he directly oversaw BancFund’s portfolio management function, including portfolio investment analysis, risk management, and regulatory relations. Additionally, Mr. Jones has held several bank and bank holding company board positions and has chaired or been a member of a number of board committees. He served as Chairman of the Board of California General Bank, N.A. and its successor Professional Business Bank until its merger with Manhattan Bancorp in 2011. Mr. Jones remained on the board of Manhattan Bancorp and its subsidiary, Bank of Manhattan, through its merger with Plaza Bancorp in 2015. He then joined the board of directors of Plaza Bancorp and Plaza Bank when BancFund made its initial investment in 2009 and remained a director through its sale to Pacific Premier Bancorp in 2017.

Ernie Hwang serves as a member of the Board of Directors for both the Bancorp and the Bank and has been the President and CEO of each since their formations. He is an experienced community banker with over 36 years of commercial banking expertise, with a particular focus on specialized lending areas including ABL, Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), Healthcare, and Municipal/Corporate Syndications. Before joining Icon, Mr. Hwang served in multiple senior executive roles at Pacific Premier Bank, most recently as Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Banking Officer, managing the bank's International Banking group and Marketing department and serving as a member of the Loan and Deposit Pricing Committee. He joined Pacific Premier Bank due to its acquisition of Security Bank of California, where he had been founding Director, Vice Chair, and Chief Lending Officer. He also served as the Director and President of its holding company, Security California Bancorp. His responsibilities included overseeing the bank’s financial operations, commercial lending, deposit portfolio, credit management, IT, and CRA, as well as managing Security Asset Management, Inc., a subsidiary tasked with the disposition of criticized assets. He actively participated in all of the organization’s standing board and executive management committees, demonstrating strong leadership in the Asset Liability and Credit Committees. Prior to that, Mr. Hwang served as Senior Vice President and Manager of City National Bank's (RBC) Ontario Commercial Banking Center, as well as Credit and Audit Examiner at Bank of California/Mitsubishi Bank.

Mr. Hwang earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Loma Linda University and graduated from the Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington. Additionally, he completed the Executive Management Program at the University of California Riverside.

Shirley Law serves on the Board of Directors of the Bancorp and the Bank, bringing extensive experience from her banking career, including roles in management, commercial lending, and business development. She previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer at AltaPacific Bank from 2015 to 2020, where she led the creation of a centralized credit unit, facilitated collaborations with other financial institutions for loan participations, managed external credit reviews, and opened two offices in the Inland Empire, enhancing the bank’s presence. Ms. Law’s banking career spans over 35 years, beginning at Security Pacific National Bank as a corporate trainee and eventually advancing to a commercial relationship officer role. She focused on supporting middle-market companies, aiming to improve client relations and develop new loan associations. Prior to that, Ms. Law served as Senior Vice President and Senior Credit Officer at Security Bank of California, managing credit endorsement and risk management, and as Senior Vice President and Credit Administrator at Citizens Business Bank, overseeing loan underwriting and approvals for various sectors.

Charles Lin serves as a member of the Board of Directors for both the Bancorp and the Bank. Mr. Lin has over 15 years of legal industry experience and currently heads the Trusts and Estates practice at Procopio, specializing in tax and estate planning for high-net-worth clients including business owners, C-suite executives, and real estate investors. His role includes providing general counsel services, focusing on entity formation and structuring; tax planning, including income, capital gains, gift, and estate tax strategies; wealth and business succession; charitable giving; and trust and probate administration. He advises individuals and families on international tax and estate planning, with attention to pre-immigration tax planning, expatriation, and U.S. property investments. Fluent in Mandarin, Japanese, and Taiwanese, he communicates effectively across cultures. 

Active in the community, Mr. Lin has held several positions with the Orange County Asian American Bar Association and is currently a member of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association; the Association of Corporate Growth- Orange County, Rising Stars Events Committee; and the Tax Law Society. 

Michael Milik serves on the Bancorp’s Board of Directors and has been the Bank's Executive Vice President and President of Commercial Banking since its opening. With over 25 years of experience in the banking industry, Mr. Milik has a robust background in banking management and strategy. Previously, Mr. Milik served as the Executive Vice President and Group Head at Pacific Premier Bank, where he led efforts to expand commercial business activities throughout the Western United States by focusing on various forms of lending, including C&I, Owner-Occupied, and SBA. Prior to that, he was the bank's Executive Vice President and Regional President, managing commercial banking teams across several major regions including Los Angeles, Northern California, and Washington. Mr. Milik's tenure at Pacific Premier Bank followed that bank's acquisition of Opus Bank, where he was Senior Vice President and Regional Commercial Banking Manager and also served as Senior Managing Director and Senior Market Leader of Commercial Banking. Prior to Opus, Mr. Milik spent 12 years at First Citizens Bank, where he advanced from Vice President and Financial Sales Manager in Orange County to Senior Vice President and Manager of Commercial Banking for the Greater Los Angeles Area. Mr. Milik started his career at Wells Fargo Bank in 2001, engaging in various capacities across retail, private, and business banking sectors.

Mr. Milik holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance, Real Estate, & Law from California State Polytechnic University-Pomona. 

Since July 2022, Mr. Milik has been a board member for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles, currently serving as an Executive Committee member and Chair of the Finance Committee.

Jeffrey Mortis serves as a member of the Board of Directors for both the Bancorp and the Bank. He is the founder and President of Challenge Financial Services, a company which focuses on indirect auto lending to help low-income families purchase cars and build credit. Under Mr. Mortis’ leadership, the company has expanded over the last 30+ years from just three to over 100 employees, with offices in Orange and San Diego in California, and Phoenix and Tucson in Arizona. Challenge Financial Services, recognized for its integrity and customer service, has consistently received an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.

Allen Othman serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Bancorp. Mr. Othman is the founder and principal of several successful companies, including Caliba Inc., USS Cal Builders, Platinum Construction, Armstrong Cal Builders, and Allen Othman Construction, Inc., all headquartered in Stanton, California. Through these ventures, he has delivered a wide range of residential and commercial projects throughout California and has played an active role in land development and the creation of memory care facilities.

John Thomas serves as a member of the Board of Directors for both the Bancorp and the Bank. Since 1999, Mr. Thomas has served as the Dean at La Sierra University’s Tom and Vi Zapara School of Business in Riverside, California, as well as a Bashir Hasso Professor of Entrepreneurship and Political Economy. An innovative dealmaker who draws on theoretical and practical acumen to solve business problems, Mr. Thomas has mentored both startups and established businesses while developing industry skills in fields including entrepreneurship, finance, strategy, marketing, management, economics, trade development, team building, and risk assessment. Mr. Thomas was a co-founder of NASDAQ-traded Genelux Corporation and has been a member of its Board of Directors since August 2002, as well as serving as the company’s Chief Financial Officer until 2004. 

Active in the community, Mr. Thomas serves on the boards of ADRA International, the Small Business Development Corporation of Orange County, radio station KSGN, the Loma Linda Broadcasting Network, the TransResearch Consortium, and CLODS, Inc.