Sherry Waner appointed to Office of Financial Empowerment Council


November 15, 2022

Colorado Attorney General, Phil Weiser, has appointed Sherry Waner, Chief Development Officer at First Southwest Bank (FSWB), to serve on the Colorado Office of Financial Empowerment's (OEF) Financial Empowerment Council, effective November 14, 2022.
Sherry's Headshot
“I am honored to be able to share my experience and knowledge by serving on the Financial Empowerment Council,” said Waner. “This is an incredible opportunity to collaborate with fellow Council members and create solutions that will provide access to knowledge, tools and resources for all Coloradoans so that they may improve their financial health.”
The Colorado Office of Financial Empowerment was created in 2021 and is housed within the Colorado Department of Law’s Consumer Protection Section as part of the Consumer Credit Unit. The office brings together financial institutions, government agencies, nonprofits and other community members and organizations to:

  • Identify barriers to financial empowerment and financial stability;
  • ​​Expand access to safe and affordable banking;
  • Increase access to safe, affordable credit;
  • Broaden the reach of free individual financial counseling and coaching services; and
  • Catalyze community wealth-building strategies.

The Financial Empowerment Council is composed of up to 21 members from a variety of backgrounds, including financial institutions, state and local government officials, philanthropic organizations, and community based organizations.

Waner has nearly 30 years of banking experience specializing in providing access to capital that assists small business start-ups and expansions. She was instrumental in the formation of FSWB’s partner nonprofit, First Southwest Community Fund and is a co-founder of HelloBello, Inc. a software platform FSWB developed for rural-based lenders to easily access creative and in-depth financing solutions for underserved clients. Her current focus is on expanding outreach to rural and underserved communities by providing access to credit and capital through public and private collaborations with First Southwest Bank’s CDFI initiatives and through the First Southwest Community Fund.