FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 15, 2022
NSBA Names Jill Castilla a Finalist for Advocate of the Year Award
Washington, D.C. — On Wednesday, Sept. 14, Jill Castilla, President, CEO and Vice Chairman of Citizens Bank of Edmond in Edmond, Oklahoma was recognized as a finalist for the National Small Business Association’s 2022 Lewis Shattuck Small Business Advocate of the Year Award. The honor was given in conjunction with NSBA’s annual event, the Washington Presentation, and recognizes small-business owners who go above and beyond in advocating for policies to improve America’s small-business community.
“Jill Castilla created a critical synergy between her business and advocacy work at a time when small business needed it most,” stated NSBA President and CEO Todd McCracken. “Jill’s innovative approach to ensuring small businesses hard-hit by the pandemic had the support and capital they needed is admirable and a stellar example of why community bankers are so vitally important to America’s small businesses.”
Castilla’s small business advocacy shone during the COVID-19 pandemic, during which she partnered with celebrity entrepreneur Mark Cuban to create a 90-day overdraft program for all small business clients with Citizens Bank. Castilla’s idea was then implemented by over 400 other bank branches nationwide. She has a strong working relationship with the Oklahoma congressional delegation, and has pursued meaningful action on PPP loan forgiveness, loan maximum reinstatement for SBA’s EIDL program and the elimination of lending minimums for the Main Street Lending program.
“Jill’s expert knowledge of small-business lending has been a tremendous asset not only to businesses in Oklahoma, but across the country,” stated NSBA Board Chair Mike Stanek of Hunt Imaging, LLC in Berea, Ohio. “Her ingenuity and persistence are admirable.”
In addition to honoring Castilla, NSBA also recognized ML Mackey of Beacon Interactive Systems in Waltham, Massachusetts as the overall award winner and finalists: Maureen Bakewell Chamberlin, of Embassy Global, LLC in Hamburg, New York; Mark Ware of Mission Point Resort in Mackinac Island, Michigan; and Niesha Wolfe of The Gingham Café in Clarksville, Tennessee. NSBA also awarded Kelly Willenberg of Greenville, South Carolina as its Rising Star.
Celebrating 85 years in operation, NSBA is a staunchly nonpartisan organization advocating on behalf of America’s entrepreneurs. NSBA's 65,000 members represent every state and every industry in the U.S., and we are proud to be the nation’s first small-business advocacy organization. Please visit www.nsba.biz or follow us at @NSBAAdvocate.
Contact | Molly Day | 202-552-2904 | mday@nsba.biz
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