For information:       
Graham Painter       
713-507-2770

HOUSTON, TX – Sterling Bank announced today that Pamela H. Lovett, formerly president of the Greater Houston Partnership’s Economic Development Division, has joined the bank as senior vice president of business development.  In this position, she will develop a Business and Community Advisory Board to attract new customers and provide guidance on Sterling Bank’s community outreach activities.

“We’re very pleased to have someone with Pam Lovett’s vast experience and knowledge as a part of our team,” said Sterling Bank President and CEO J. Downey Bridgwater.  “She will be instrumental in helping us attract and retain new customers as well as helping us expand our presence in the community.”

As president of the Greater Houston Partnership’s Economic Development Division from 1997 to 2005, Lovett coached a team of Partnership employees, local business representatives, and elected officials who recruited more than 33,000 new jobs and $8.3 billion in estimated annual economic impact to the area.  Prior to her work at the Partnership, she held sales management positions at AT&T and Lucent Technologies.  She holds a law degree from South Texas College of Law and a BSBA with honors from the University of Arkansas. 

She is a member of the State Bar of Texas and the Texas Economic Development Council.  She is also a member of the boards of the American Leadership Forum, the North Houston Association, and the DePelchin Children’s Center, and she serves on the advisory boards of  the Houston Technology Center and the Junior League of Houston.  She is a member of the Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church.

Sterling Bank, with total assets of $3.7 billion, operates 40 banking offices in the greater metro areas of Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas.  The bank is a subsidiary of Sterling Bancshares, Inc., whose common stock is traded through the NASDAQ National Market System under the symbol “SBIB”.

- # # # -