MEET THE BOARD AND COMMITTEE LEADERSHIP CAI-CV Director Jolen Zeroski, CMCA, First Citizens Bank

By Meaghan Gaffney-Howe, CMCA, AMS

This article is part of a series featuring CAI-CV Board members and committee chairs. This month, we are featuring Jolen Zeroski, CMCA, who serves as a Director on the Chapter Board. Jolen is a Vice President and Regional Account Executive for First Citizens Bank. Jolen has been in the banking industry for 39 years. Starting out filing accounts payable at a small community bank in 1984, Jolen has worn many hats in the banking industry, ultimately finding her home in HOA banking in 1999. In her current role, Jolen is a trusted financial advisor for management companies and large-scale community associations. She works with clients to efficiently collect assessment payments and assist in keeping client funds safe. She also works with associations that may need funding for a project to improve their communities.

A single mom, Jolen raised her two children, Aaron (33) and Amie (27) on her own. She is proud of her kids. Some of you have met Amie, who has worked in the HOA industry and as a consultant for CAI-CV. Jolen’s family also includes a beloved cat named Bolt. Jolen enjoys the outdoors, especially hiking and golfing. She is also on a Vegas sweeps bowling league and is a member of the Orange County (OC) Wine Society, volunteering at the OC Fair serving wines entering the Fair competition. Jolen is blessed with “a fabulous group of friends that are very close” and “get together often for weekend getaways.”

A self-described “big softie,” Jolen says she learned early on in her career that she is not a good supervisor or manager of people. However, she has a keen understanding of how to assess and solve banking issues for her clients. She is in fact motivated and passionate about being involved when there is a need. A pet peeve of Jolen is “people who do not respect other people and property.” When asked what makes her unique, she says, “I am 100% available for my clients, even after work hours.”

Jolen joined CAI-CV to engage with HOA industry members, as well as to become a trusted advisor to all the management companies and associations served by the Chapter. While there is always room for improvement, Jolen believes that the Chapter does a great job here in the Coachella Valley; it is a leader in HOA manager and board member education. Her goal during her tenure on the CAI-CV Board of Directors is to assist in getting the membership back to in-person events and engaging more. She says, “It will be a challenge but it’s what we need to do.”

When asked if she has a message for HOA Living readers, Jolen says, “I am dedicated to helping the CV Chapter grow and thrive. This will be my third term on the CV Board, and I have served on the Greater Los Angeles Chapter (GLAC) Board as well for 6 years. I dedicate many hours to serving CAI and I hope to make a difference.”

Jolen, thank you for your service to CAI-CV and for your dedication to the CID industry!

Meaghan Gaffney-Howe, CMCA, AMS is a community manager and Vice President of The Gaffney Group, Inc. Meaghan can be reached at meaghan@thegaffneygroup.net.