Executive Management

Thomas G. Zernick is the Chief Executive Officer of BayFirst Financial Corp. and BayFirst National Bank. Prior to joining BayFirst National Bank in 2016, Mr. Zernick served as Florida Market President for Stearns Bank, and as an SBA Product Manager for HomeBanc in Tampa. Before relocating to Florida, Mr. Zernick served as a Community Bank President and SBA President for Republic Bank in Michigan. Mr. Zernick received his BBA from the University of Notre Dame.

Robin L. Oliver serves as President and Chief Operating Officer for BayFirst Financial Corp. and BayFirst National Bank. Prior to joining BayFirst National Bank in 2018, Mrs. Oliver served as Controller for a financial institution in Kentucky, and for the first 16 years of her career, she served multiple financial institution clients in public accounting as an auditor with Crowe LLP. Mrs. Oliver is a Certified Public Accountant and received her BA in Accounting from the University of Kentucky.

Brandi N. Jaber serves as the Chief Production Officer for BayFirst National Bank. Ms. Jaber joined the Bank in November 2017 and most recently served as the Chief Administrative Officer. Prior to joining BayFirst National Bank, Ms. Jaber spent over 17 years in various management roles in the residential mortgage industry. She has served as an executive team member for the past 2 years, leading numerous cross-functional initiatives. Ms. Jaber holds a BS in Finance from the University of Florida and an MBA from the University of Tampa.

Lewis Benner serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer. Mr. Benner joined BayFirst National Bank in 2018 and previous to joining BayFirst National Bank, Mr. Benner served in leadership roles from multiple financial institutions. Mr. Benner’s experience includes serving as President and CEO of 1st Manatee Bank, EVP and Chief Lending Officer of Sabal Palm Bank, Community Bank President of Gold Bank, and President of Lancaster Region for Lebanon Valley National Bank/Fulton. Mr. Benner received his BA in Business Administration from Elizabethtown College.

Thomas G. Quale joined BayFirst National Bank in 2018 and serves as Executive Vice President, Chief Lending Officer and Market President. Mr. Quale began his career nearly 40 years ago as a teller in his hometown bank. He has held leadership positions at multiple institutions, including Centennial Bank, Seaside National Bank and Trust, and LandMark Bank of Florida, amassing expertise in all areas of community banking and business development. Mr. Quale holds a BS in Economics with an emphasis in Mathematics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Scott J. McKim serves as Chief Financial Officer for BayFirst Financial Corp. and BayFirst National Bank. Prior to joining BayFirst National Bank in 2023, Mr. McKim served as Chief Strategy Officer and in additional leadership roles at multiple notable financial institutions over the course of his 30-year banking career. Mr. McKim holds a master’s in business administration degree from The Ohio State University and earned his BS in Accounting from Bowling Green University.

Nick Smith serves as the Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer for BayFirst National Bank.  Prior to joining the BayFirst HR team in January 2021, Nick served in leadership roles in the finance, aerospace, and pulp and paper industries. In addition to his 20 years of HR leadership, Nick has cross-functional experience in procurement, safety and health, incident investigation, and lean, six-sigma operations. He received his BA from Murray State University and MBA from the University of Southern Indiana.