SONA Southern National Bancorp of Virginia Inc

Item 5.02     Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of

                     Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.  

On October 1, 2020, the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Southern National Bancorp of Virginia, Inc. (the “Company”) appointed Ms. Deborah Diaz to serve as a member of the Boards of the Company and Sonabank, the Company’s wholly-owned banking subsidiary, effective October 1, 2020. In connection with her appointment to the Board, the Board has appointed Mr. Diaz to serve as a member of the Corporate Governance and Audit committees.

Ms. Deborah Diaz, age 62, brings over 30 years of senior level business experience through key executive leadership positions focused on financial stewardship, technology, cybersecurity, and data protection.  Currently, she is CEO of Catalyst ADV, a technology and strategic growth advisory firm, and venture capital advisor developing new business markets and industry partnership opportunities.  Previously, Ms. Diaz served as Chief Technology Officer and Deputy Chief Information Officer at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration “NASA” responsible for global system infrastructure, risk management, investment oversight, data management, innovation and technology infusion (2009-2016)  As Chief Information Officer for Science and Technology of the Department of Homeland Security “DHS,” she was responsible for all global defense and research system infrastructure and manufacturer delivery to support $1B portfolio (2002-2007).  She has also served as a senior government executive in the areas of intellectual property, patents, digital transformation, data forensics, and foreign joint ventures.  Ms. Diaz offers extensive experience as a technology executive and strategic cybersecurity expert focused on digital transformation and risk management.  Ms. Diaz serves on the advisory boards of Dell Technologies; Intel Corporation; Equinix, Inc.; Raytheon Forcepoint and on the National Association of Corporate Directors “NACD” Capital Area Chapter Board.   Previously, she served as an independent director on numerous private boards and multiple non-profit boards.  Ms. Diaz was NACD “Directorship Certified” in 2019.  She received a B.S. in Business Administration from Stonehill College and an M.S. in International Business from Colorado State University.

 The Board has determined that Ms. Diaz is “independent” as defined under the listing rules of the NASDAQ Stock Market. There are no family relationships between Ms. Diaz and any director or executive officer of the Company. Further, there are no arrangements or understandings between Ms. Diaz and any other persons or entities pursuant to which Ms. Diaz was appointed as a director of the Company. In addition, there are no transactions involving Ms. Diaz and the Company that require disclosure under Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K.

As of the date of her appointment, Ms. Diaz is entitled to receive compensation that is consistent with the compensation received by the other members of the Board. A description of the compensation payable to members of the Board is set forth under the heading “Director Compensation” in the Company’s Definitive Proxy Statement filed with the SEC on April 14, 2020 and is incorporated herein by reference.

The Company issued a press release on October 6, 2020, announcing the appointment of Ms. Diaz to the Board.  A copy of that press release is filed as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K.