Maranda Blake, AAP
Senior Vice President - Payment Operations
FirstBank
Biography
Maranda is a highly experienced leader in the payments arena. As the Senior Vice President over Payment Operations, she's led the development of the bank's instant payments strategy, the direct-connect implementation of RTP and FedNow networks, and enhancements to the bank's ACH and check processing initiatives. Throughout her bank tenure, Maranda has played a pivotal role in driving forward strategic initiatives that enhance operational efficiency and ensure compliance with network and regulatory requirements. In addition to her professional role Maranda is involved in supporting her community, particularly her years-long involvement supporting the Special Olympics Colorado and serving on their Yong Professionals Board, and actively participating as a leader within the industry including her work with the US Faster Payments Council’s Operational Considerations Working Group. Maranda also has her AAP certification, and was recently honored by the Independent Community Bankers of Colorado (ICBC) with a scholarship in recognition for her exemplary work as a student at the Graduate School of Banking in Colorado.
How is the nominee propelling the industry forward?
Maranda’s consistent focus on expanding her payments and leadership knowledge and skills, coupled with her innovative mindset, has proven to be of immense value to not only her teams but other bank stakeholders and customers as well. She focuses on building the payments knowledge and skills of her teams and those she works with, understanding sharing her knowledge and skills contributes to a stronger and more resilient industry. In December 2024 she was a panelist for the Faster Payments Council, speaking on the operational implementation of instant payments, and also contributed to developing the instant payments guidelines published by the FPC Operational Considerations Working Group. Maranda has also provided feedback to the ABA’s Payment Systems Open Committee on the operational and customer impacts of proposed changes to various payment channels.
Where do you see the nominee succeeding in the future?
As Maranda’s managing President at FirstBank, I’ve had the opportunity to work with her for a number of years and have seen her leadership within the company and the payments industry substantially expand within that timeframe. I expect her growth to continue in the coming years, and cannot think of a better candidate for Nacha’s 15 under 40 award. Maranda’s leadership mindset, hunger for knowledge, curiosity and support for innovation, ability to easily collaborate with any stakeholder, and customer-centric mindset all place her in a position where she could achieve senior management level in the coming years. I’m also confident Maranda will also be a sought-after candidate for industry committees and roles as her payments expertise grows, advancing beyond her current participation.