Melissa Ballenger '92
Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, Cross River
Melissa Ballenger is a seasoned global finance executive who joins Cross River with more than 25 years of financial experience, including in payments, consumer banking, commercial banking, mortgages, and investment servicing and management. She most recently served as the Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer of Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), based in London, for State Street Corporation, a world-leading provider of financial services to institutional investors, and as a Board Director of European commercial entities.
Prior to that, Melissa served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Santander Bank, N.A., before becoming EVP, Chief Business Control Officer for Santander US. Previously, she held senior leadership positions in other public companies, including EVP, Deputy Chief Financial Officer for TD Bank, N.A., Controller, and Principal Accounting Officer at MasterCard Worldwide and at Washington Mutual Bank; and senior financial positions at Freddie Mac.
Melissa began her career with Arthur Andersen in Washington, D.C., rising to audit manager serving institutions in a variety of industries. She is a certified public accountant and graduated summa cum laude from William & Mary with a Bachelor's in Business Administration in Accounting.
