Meet our Board of Directors: a committed group of leaders who generously share their time, expertise, and passion to strengthen our mission, champion our students, and help our programs thrive.

Shaza Andersen, Board Chair

Shaza Andersen serves as Board Chair after previously serving as Gala Chair. Shaza is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Trustar Bank, the first Virginia-based bank chartered in more than a decade when it opened in 2019, serving the Greater Washington market with a focus on tailored, responsive service. She previously founded and led Washington First Bank, growing it from a single de novo branch to more than 19 locations and over $2 billion in assets, and later completing its sale to Sandy Spring Bancorp in one of the largest banking deals in the Mid-Atlantic. She went on to serve as Vice Chair of the Board of Sandy Spring Bank and currently serves on the Board of Directors of Forge Insurance, the Board of Commissioners of the Virginia Port Authority, and has held prior appointments with the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta, the Treasury Board of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the FDIC Advisory Committee on Community Banking.

​An active civic and philanthropic leader, Ms. Andersen founded the Trustar Youth Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to improving the well-being of children in the Greater Washington area. In addition to her board service with WTEF, Shaza has served on numerous boards focused on youth, entrepreneurship, and education, including the George Mason University Dean’s Advisory Council, the International Women’s Forum of Washington, DC, and the Global Good Fund Advisory Board, among many others. Widely recognized for her leadership, she has been honored as a 2024 Virginia Business Magazine Women in Business honoree, named one of American Banker’s Top 25 Women to Watch, repeatedly listed among Washingtonian’s most powerful women, and has received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from George Mason University. She is also a sought-after commentator on banking and capital markets, with appearances on major national media and features in leading business publications.