Balboa Capital Executive Team
Meet the talented financing professionals who are responsible for running our company.
Phil Silva
President
Long-time financing industry professional Phil Silva was appointed President of Balboa Capital in 2008, just one year after launching the company’s highly successful Vendor Services Group. Mr. Silva draws on over 25 years of experience to lead Balboa Capital’s sales divisions. His accomplished career includes managing sales professionals and building and retooling equipment segments in the equipment financing industry. Mr. Silva started and ran the National Accounts Group for American Express ® and was the General Manager for the Healthcare, Franchise and Business Capital Loan divisions, as well as Marketing. In addition, he was responsible for Field Sales at Dana Commercial Credit. Mr. Silva earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Management from Whitworth College in Spokane, Washington. Phil likes spending time with his wife and their children and baby granddaughter. Mr. Silva is an avid fan of sports and “superhero” movies.
Jim Grant
Senior Vice President
James (Jim) Grant is Vice President, Portfolio Management for Balboa Capital. In this role, which he has held since late-2018, he focuses on growing our company’s commercial financing, working capital loan, and equipment vendor financing business. Mr. Grant has more than three decades of experience in portfolio management and customer service. Prior to joining Balboa Capital, he had successful tenures at Quick Bridge Funding, LEAF Commercial Capital, People’s United Equipment Finance Corporation, and American Express ® , among others. Jim enjoys traveling, spending time with his wife, and training K9 dogs. You can call Jim directly at (949) 316-3837 or email him at jim.grant@balboacapital.com.
Michelle A. Chiongson
Vice President, General Counsel
Michelle A. Chiongson is Vice President and General Counsel at Balboa Capital. In this role, she manages the company’s team of in-house attorneys and paralegals and oversees its legal functions and operations. These include ensuring the proper timing and flow of the legal process, managing outside counsel, and revising company documents when required. Ms. Chiongson has been with Balboa Capital for 16 years and is an experienced attorney and executive with an extensive background in construction defect claims and general liability. She received a Juris Doctor from the Chapman University Fowler School of Law, a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology, Law & Society, and a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of California, Irvine. She is an active member of the California State Bar. Outside of work, Ms. Chiongson enjoys spending time with her husband of 20 years and their 8-year-old foxhound. She also likes traveling in Europe and cruising in the Caribbean.
Sophia Fields
Senior Vice President of Operations
Sophia Fields was appointed Senior Vice President of Operations for Balboa Capital in September 2024. She is responsible for managing all facets of the company’s day-to-day operations, including strategic planning and execution, customer channels and experience, and business continuity and growth. Ms. Fields works closely with all company departments and management teams to establish and implement best practices and protocols to enhance operational efficiency, accountability, and success. She has held senior management roles at Balboa Capital for nearly 20 years, two as Vice President, Documentation and Funding, and 17 as Director of Operations. Before joining Balboa Capital, Ms. Fields spent eight years as Operations Manager with American Express Business Finance. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her husband and their two daughters and traveling to new destinations. She is an avid ice hockey fan.
Heather Parker
Senior Vice President of Loan Relations
Since joining Balboa Capital in January 2018, Heather Parker has been Controller, Chief Financial Officer, and Risk Manager. She is now Senior Vice President of Loan Relations. In this role, Ms. Parker is responsible for onboarding, payment processing, commercial vehicle titling, customer service, sales and property tax, and accounts payable for the Balboa Capital division. Earlier in her career, she held senior-level positions at Go Capital, LLC, Bank of America, and Arthur Andersen LLP. Ms. Parker has a B.A. in Quantitative Economics from Stanford University, an M.B.A. from the Anderson School at UCLA, and is a Certified Public Accountant. She likes traveling, hiking, kayaking, and going to the beach with her two daughters in her free time. Ms. Parker also enjoys cooking.
David L. Sexton
Vice-President, Director of Credit Operations
David L. Sexton is a highly experienced credit and finance professional with over 36 years in the industry. As Vice President and Director of Credit Operations, he leads Balboa Capital’s Credit Operations team and oversees all aspects of the company’s credit-related functions, ensuring their efficiency and effectiveness. Before joining Balboa Capital in 2013, Mr. Sexton held two senior management positions. He was Operations Manager at Freight Capital for over two years and Vice President of Credit and Sales at Wells Fargo for twenty-three years. Mr. Sexton graduated from the University of Iowa Tippie College of Business with a bachelor’s degree in finance. He enjoys golfing, tennis, and running in his free time. Mr. Sexton is also a professional drummer and avid music fan.
Todd Edson
Senior Vice President, IT Operations Manager
Todd Edson has been with Balboa Capital for over 24 years. He initially served as the Portfolio and Operations Manager for two decades before being promoted to Senior Vice President and IT Operations Manager. In his current role, Mr. Edson works closely with Balboa Capital’s business, operations, and technology leadership teams to explore emerging IT initiatives and technologies, assess their impact on the company, recommend new strategies, and ensure they meet Ameris Bank’s compliance guidelines. He holds a B.A. in Business Administration and Management from California State University, Chico. Outside work, Mr. Edson enjoys spending time with his wife and two sons, their Labrador retriever, and traveling. He is also an enthusiastic sports fan who attends local sporting events.
Patrick Ontal
Senior Vice President of Sales
Patrick Ontal is the Senior Vice President of Sales at Balboa Capital. In this role, he is responsible for leading all of the company’s business sales divisions, including Vendor Services, Direct Sales, Franchise Finance, and Equipment Broker. In addition, he oversees the company’s Executive Recruiting division. A recognized industry expert with over 38 years of experience, Mr. Ontal joined Balboa Capital in 2007 after successful sales management roles at AT&T Capital, Key Equipment Finance, Sony Financial Services, and US Express Leasing. He was instrumental in establishing and leading Balboa Capital’s Vendor Services division and helping drive the strategic direction of its sales processes and industry-leading online sales management platform, Portal360™. Mr. Ontal holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from La Salle University in the Philippines. When he’s not working, he enjoys spending time with his wife, children, and granddaughter, Charley. His hobbies include playing golf and traveling.
Jeanette Rafferty
Assistant Vice President, Booking, Title, & Customer Service
Jeannette Rafferty was appointed Assistant Vice President, Booking, Title, & Customer Service in January 2023. In this multifaceted role, she is responsible for optimizing internal booking, titling, and customer service processes and procedures to drive innovation and provide a best-in-class customer experience to Balboa Capital’s vendor partners and customers. Before this promotion, Ms. Rafferty served in two leadership roles at Balboa Capital, including Funding Manager for the Vendor Services Team and Team Lead for the Commercial Vehicle Vendor Division. Her dedication, commitment, and strong performance record have earned her multiple quarterly and annual awards at Balboa Capital. Ms. Rafferty enjoys spending time with her family and contributing to her local community in her spare time.
Cheryl Baker, CLFP
Director of Strategic Initiatives
Cheryl Baker joined Balboa Capital in November 2022 as Director of Strategic Initiatives. In this role, she oversees the company’s Vendor Management Team and works with each department to develop and implement key strategic initiatives. Before joining Balboa Capital, Ms. Baker was Director of Commercial Finance Operations at Crestmark (now Pathward) for five years, where she successfully created and managed the company’s small ticket leasing division. Ms. Baker also spent twenty years as Operations Manager at Lease Corporation of America (now Milestone Bank). She has been a Certified Leasing and Finance Professional (CLFP) since 2022. Ms. Baker enjoys spending time with her husband and family and their two German Shepherds. She also likes golfing, swimming, traveling, and watching football.
Arthur Rea
Assistant Vice President, Portfolio Management
Arthur Rea has more than 18 years of experience in the finance industry, with a focus on customer service and portfolio management. He was promoted to Assistant Vice President, Portfolio Management at Balboa Capital in 20__ after successfully managing the company’s customer service division. In this role, Mr. Rea oversees and manages daily operations in portfolio management to ensure they meet or exceed expected performance service levels, targets, and goals. Additionally, he recommends and helps develop essential operational tools and resources for the company’s portfolio management team to streamline daily tasks and responsibilities. In his free time, Mr. Rea enjoys spending time with his wife and sons and is an enthusiastic collegiate and Olympic wrestling fan.