United Community Bank is pleased to announce the addition of eight new bankers to its SBA Lending Division, which is one of the largest in the Southeast with approximately 60 bankers. Joining in various roles across several departments, these new additions to the team will be instrumental in helping the bank continue to support small business customers across the country. United’s SBA team led the community bank’s effort to process nearly 11,000 applications for small businesses during the Paycheck Protection Program application process earlier this year. 

“As we have all witnessed, small businesses truly are the backbone of our economy, and the ups and downs of this year have only increased the need to provide them with the very best financial assistance,” said Beth Hallock, President of SBA for United Community Bank. “I am proud of the work our team has done throughout the year to help our small business customers overcome the many challenges presented to them by the pandemic. We are pleased to grow our team and increase our capacity to work with these customers as we all navigate the long-term effects of this economic disruption.” 

United proudly welcomes the following bankers: 

• Carla Arnette, SBA Servicing Specialist. Arnette has more than 20 years of experience in SBA closings, bankruptcy, litigation and real estate transactions. She is a graduate of Greenville Technical College.

• Chantale Charles, SBA Senior Construction Loan Specialist. She has 20 years of banking experience inclusive of both SBA and commercial construction lending. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Centenary College in New Jersey.

• Jocelyn Ernest Heckler, SBA Business Development Officer - Franchise Lending. She has 10 years of banking experience, serving in various customer-facing roles. Heckler received her master’s degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder and her bachelor’s degree from Colorado College.  

• Claire Huse, SBA Senior Portfolio Manager. Huse has nearly three decades of banking experience in areas related to SBA and USDA lending. She is a graduate of Southern Adventist University.

• Erika Redgrave, SBA Sales Specialist - Healthcare Lending. Redgrave has spent her entire banking career with United, first serving as a Teller/Customer Service Representative and gradually elevating throughout the company as she earned various teller certifications and her NMLS license. She is a graduate of Young Harris College in North Georgia.

• Rebecca Robinson, SBA Senior Portfolio Manager. Robinson holds more than 18 years of banking experience in areas related to retail banking, SBA and commercial lending. She is a graduate of both Western Carolina University and Southwestern Community College. 

• Vincent Russo, SBA Underwriter - Franchise Lending. His professional experience includes time spent as a Loan Closer, Credit Analyst and Credit Underwriter focused on SBA and commercial lending. He earned both his Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Science in Finance from Adelphi University in New York.    

• Jason Sleeman will now lead the bank’s Craft Beverage lending vertical as Vice President of Craft Beverage Lending. His nearly two decades of banking experience have been primarily dedicated to community banks. He is a graduate of the University of Georgia.