Transition Atop Downtown Business Group

The Downtown Novato Business Association has a new leader — a bit sooner than that new leader expected.

Darren Pomponio, regional manager for a mortgage company, has taken over as president of the group with the resignation of Randy Stemmer of Marinmarket.com, who cited business and family reasons for his departure from the position.

"My business is expanding at a rapid rate and I have a lot of family commitments, and I just do not have the time to devote to the DNBA right now," Stemmer said. "Everything's good. I will stay on to help with the transition, but I'm just not going to continue as president or serving on the board."

Pomponio, who has been a DNBA vice president for a few years, said he's stepping into the role months earlier than he expected, "but I'm very happy to do it," he said. "There are a lot of great things happening downtown to work with. We have a board meeting this week and my first point will be to go over our goals and make sure we're on the same page."

Travis Howard, a DNBA board member and regional manager with , has worked with Stemmer and Pomponio for the past few years.

"I am sorry to see Randy go, but know that Darren is a great leader and can get the job done," he said.

Stemmer said the DNBA is a strong group. "There are good goals and good vision," he said. "It's a very important piece of our downtown business community."

Pomponio is regional manager for Impac Mortgage and has been in banking for 15 years. He previously worked with Centex Home Equity, Pulte/Del Webb, Wells Fargo and Venta Financial. He's lived in Novato twice, both for about three years each, and spent many years living in the Las Vegas area.

Pomponio is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and has a criminal justice degree from Metropolitan State College in Denver. He has been married to his wife, Megan, for 11 years; she is from a family whose Novato roots date back about 70 years, he said. They have two daughters.