As chief operating officer of St. Paul-based Sunrise Banks, Melodie Carlson created the infrastructure for and managed the bank’s exceptions process during the federal Paycheck Protection Program, which included helping borrowers with incomplete applications. Sunrise originated 1,945 PPP loans for more than $135 million in 2021.

In the past 18 months, Carlson has taken on additional responsibilities on top of her role as chief operating officer. She manages all retail staff and bank branches as well as fintech partnership customer relationship managers—an additional 50 employees. She also led the effort to sell Sunrise’s Vandalia and Arcade branch buildings in St. Paul to nonprofit buyers who will use the spaces for creative endeavors.