Get to know Bank of Marin CFO Dave Bonaccorso

Bank of Marin Chief Financial Officer Dave Bonaccorso seamlessly combines both logic and creativity into his everyday life that’s lived with the mantra: “If not now, when?”

Reared in San Jose, California, Bonaccorso entered the banking industry his junior year of high school when his father introduced him to the branch manager of a nearby Bank of America; the rest, as they say, is history.

He worked as a teller until he moved away for college. An undeclared freshman at USC, he briefly dabbled with a degree in theater before declaring a double major in business and philosophy. When he returned home for his first summer break, it was his father who, once again, introduced him to a contact at the recently founded Heritage Bank of Commerce where he spent every summer and winter break working as a teller or in the finance department. “It’s where my interest in community banking started and where I got to see business banking up close,” recalls Bonaccorso.

After graduation, he continued to grow his career at Heritage Bank of Commerce as a credit analyst before moving to a different role working directly with the CEO. “This was such a privilege and a great learning opportunity that expanded my knowledge of the banking industry and allowed me to envision a future career path,” he adds. “I was working with executives, directors, regulators, fintech partners, lawyers, and investment bankers while in my early 20’s. That’s the main reason why I dropped out of part-time law school and started a 15-year career in investment banking.”

While nurturing his career which led to roles in investment banking, as treasurer, and eventually chief financial officer at Bank of Marin, it was music that nurtured his soul. “I picked up the guitar when I was 8, and I haven’t put it down since,” he says. Bonaccorso also plays the piano, percussion, and bass. “Playing music completes me and balances out everything I do at work. It was music that led me to meeting my wife Anastasia and the wonderful life we’ve built together.”

The two met at San Francisco’s Blue Bear School of Music in 2008; he played the guitar, she sang.  “I emailed my friend the same night I met Anastasia and said, ‘I think I found ‘the one.’” They were married two years later in what Bonaccorso lovingly refers to as their “big, Greek wedding.”  The couple moved from San Francisco to Mill Valley and, on nights and weekends, Bonaccorso attended The Jazzschool at California Jazz Conservatory in Berkeley where he studied Latin percussion, bass, piano, and jazz theory.  Anastasia performed in local theatrical productions including Mountain Play on Mt. Tamalpais.

Soon after, Anastasia was accepted into UCLA’s coveted graduate theater program and the newlyweds moved from Marin County to Southern California.  “She was studying from sunrise to late into the evenings and I was working while studying for the Chartered Financial Analyst exam, which takes the top spot as the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”  Through it all, it was music that helped him de-stress and find his grounding.  “I was working market hours and went to the beach after work almost every day.  If I didn’t have a beach volleyball game lined up, I would play the drum set or the guitar that I always kept in the trunk of my car.  Yes, I was that guy…the same guy that would show up at the Culver City Drum Circle with about six different percussion instruments.”

One of his favorite things to do now is to share his passion for music with his pride and joy, his seven-year-old son and four-year-old daughter. “Music is a family affair. I love to help my son build songs on the drum machine, and I do my best to belt-out “Frozen” songs with my daughter into our bad karaoke machine.”

Though he hasn’t brought any instruments to the office yet, Bonaccorso stays grounded by exercising his gratitude muscle. “I am so grateful to all the people who opened doors, took a chance, and invested their time and energy on me,” he says as he reflects on his career and the life he’s led. “It’s important to me that I pay it forward by supporting my team and others through mentorship and networking.”

As to his goals as Bank of Marin’s CFO they’re simple: “we have good infrastructure and a solid foundation already in place. Now, it’s just a matter of taking it all to the next level.”

Fun facts about Dave:

• He was accepted into and attended law school, but quickly realized it wasn’t for him. Soon thereafter, his father died unexpectedly; he moved to San Francisco and began to travel internationally. “I had a sudden impulse to get out and see more of the world and I could have never done it if I had spent my time and money in law school.” Travel highlights include Costa Rica, Spain, Italy, China, and Vietnam, and the most unique experiences were being in Rome on 9/11 and getting to visit the Korean demilitarized zone (technically crossing into North Korea).
• Sports is another of Dave’s passions. He has run the Quad Dipsea twice, completed open water swims from Alcatraz and Angel Island, and achieved coaching certifications for CrossFit and Olympic weightlifting. While living in Santa Monica he played beach volleyball almost daily and is desperate to find a group to play with in Marin. In the meantime, he loves playing soccer with his kids and swimming in the North Bay Aquatics Masters program.
• He and his family lived in Vancouver, Canada, for almost a year during the pandemic. This was one of his “if not now, when?” moments.