Farm Credit welcomes Stoneman, promotes Close
Farm Credit of the Virginias (FCV), a lending cooperative that serves Virginia, West Virginia and western Maryland, announced that Jessica Stoneman has joined the Association as a loan officer in the Wytheville branch office. It also reported that previous director of enterprise risk management and compliance, Dana Close, was recently promoted to chief risk officer.
Originally from Killingworth, Ct., Stoneman now resides in Wytheville. Growing up, she was active in local 4-H, showing livestock and horses throughout her childhood and teen years. She has been an avid equestrian from an early age, thanks in part to her family's Morgan horse breeding and training operation. Today, Stoneman and her husband manage a small herd of cattle, along with horses and chickens, on their property.
Stoneman studied animal science at Virginia Tech and later earned an associate’s degree in veterinary technology from Penn Foster. Before joining FCV, she served as an insurance agent with Virginia Farm Bureau in the Wythe County office. Prior to that, she spent 12 years as a veterinary technician at the teaching hospital of the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine.
Regarding her new role, Stoneman said, “I’m excited to bring my passion for agriculture and our community to Farm Credit, as well as a genuine commitment to helping people succeed. I look forward to building relationships with members of our thriving agricultural community by helping them grow their operations and bring their dreams to life.”
“We are thrilled to welcome Jessica to our Wytheville branch lending team. Her experience, passion for agriculture and eagerness to learn will allow her to build strong relationships with our current and future members and support them in reaching their goals. Jessica is already working with borrowers and is building a strong foundation for her future success,” said Brian Repass, branch manager.
Outside of work, Stoneman loves spending time with her family, attending her children’s sporting events, shopping and reading. She also enjoys competitive horseback riding, having most recently competed in barrel racing after previously participating in team roping and showing.
Close is a native of Roanoke, where she still resides with her family. She attended Averett University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration. She is a Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager (CRCM) through the Institute of Certified Bankers and holds an Operational Risk Management Certificate from the American Banker’s Association.
Close joined the FCV team as a compliance analyst in 2015 with more than 25 years of experience in compliance, operations and risk management. She was promoted in 2020 to director of compliance and loan Operations, and most recently served as director of enterprise risk management and compliance. During her nearly 11-year tenure with FCV, Close has led multidisciplinary teams spanning first-line operational functions and second-line risk, compliance and governance roles, tailoring leadership, communication and performance strategies to align with varying technical expertise, analytical rigor and business objectives.
Regarding her new position, Close is eager to leverage her extensive experience in enterprise risk management, compliance, governance and strategic leadership to support the continued success of Farm Credit of the Virginias. She said, “I am honored to assume the role of Chief Risk Officer and grateful for the trust placed in me by our executive team and board of directors. In this position, I look forward to strengthening our risk management framework, fostering a culture of accountability and innovation and helping ensure Farm Credit of the Virginias remains a trusted financial partner for agriculture and rural communities.”
Pete Cypret, FCV’s CEO, said, “Dana’s energy, dedication and leadership has helped our cooperative grow and better serve our members. As we continue to grow, Dana’s compliance and risk experience will help ensure continue to honor our commitment to be vigilant stewards of member resources as we navigate change and risk. I look forward to working with Dana as she joins our executive team and works with our board directors to make sound, risk-informed decisions to meet the changing needs of our members and rural communities.”
