Area bank, with $1.5 billion in assets, adds new board members

ST. PETERSBURG — First Home Bancorp Inc. and its primary subsidiary, First Home Bank, have expanded their boards of directors to include two new members. First Home Bank had $1.5 billion in assets through Sept. 30. 

One member, Alex Harris is CEO of Arts Conservancy for Teens in St. Petersburg, a nonprofit that provides arts-related programming before and after school for underprivileged students in Pinellas County. He is also the creative strategist and senior executive consultant at Three Doors Enterprises LLC, a Tampa firm that was formed in 2004, and previously worked as the curriculum director for the Royal Theater Boys & Girls Arts Academy.

The other new member, Barbara Zipperian, is a certified public accountant and a former CFO who spent nearly four decades in the banking sector before retiring. Most recently, she worked as an executive vice president, CFO and a director of Tennessee Bank & Trust. Prior to that, she was the CFO for Avenue Bank and also worked as a regional financial officer for Regions Bank.

“Dr. Harris and Ms. Zipperian are important strategic additions to this organization,” says First Home CEO Anthony Leo in a statement. “By adding professionals with backgrounds in the arts, education and finance, we bring a broader perspective to the boards of First Home Bancorp and First Home Bank.

St. Petersburg-based First Home Bancorp operates six full-service banking centers throughout Tampa Bay. The company specializes in providing loans to small businesses that are guaranteed by the U.S. Small Business Administration. It also operates a nationwide mortgage lending division with 28 residential loan production offices.