O N TH E MOV E
NEW YORK
TRY TO KEEP UP LOCAL PROFESSIONALS MAKING THEIR MARK IN NEW YORK BANKING
Suffolk Federal Names Dean New President & CEO; First Woman To Hold Role
Suffolk Federal Credit Union in Medford named Michele Dean of Smithtown president and CEO. She is the first woman to serve in this position in Suffolk Federal’s 52-year history. Dean will provide strategic leadership, tactical oversight, and comprehensive direction of day-to-day operations. She will succeed Ralph D. Spencer Jr., who is retiring this month and will work in partnership with Spencer to shift management responsibilities beginning June 15 for a transition of leadership. Suffolk Federal said in the announcement that Dean has built a reputation as a “visionary executive leader with a history of successful operational and management results as well as sustained profitability.” Prior to joining Suffolk Federal, she was the chief strategy officer for Jovia Financial where she was a key member of the strategic team responsible for operations, lending and corporate strategy. In addition, she has 19 previous years of experience with Long Island’s largest credit union, Bethpage Federal Credit Union as a senior vice president of lending and investments. A longtime resident of Suffolk County, Dean attended SUNY Oswego where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration followed by an MBA in Corporate Finance from Dowling College. 16 | Banking New York | Issue Three 2020
AmeriCU Names Ronald Belle New CEO
AmeriCU’s board of directors has selected Ronald Belle, chief experience officer, to succeed CEO Mark Pfisterer, who last year announced his plans to retire in 2020. “Since joining the credit union in 2017, Ron has made an impact. His focus on member and employee experience is relentless and has been transformative to our organization. He has been instrumental in making AmeriCU a better place to work, a better place to bank, and a stronger credit union overall,” said John Stevenson, chairman of the Board of Directors. Belle holds an Accredited Asset Management Specialist (AAMS) certification from the College of Financial Planning, has attended the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin, and is an alum of both Syracuse University and Utica College.
Mast Named NY Market President For People’s United
People’s United Bank appointed John T. Mast as senior vice president, market president for New York. In this role, Mast will be responsible for the bank’s New York market, including Long Island, where People’s United has 68 branch locations, focused on commercial sales efforts, in addition to oversight of retail banking, wealth management and insurance capabilities market-wide.
Mast since 1986 focused exclusively on the New York and Long Island markets. He has more than 30 years of banking experience with JP Morgan Chase & Company, holding various positions of increasing responsibility. Most recently, he held the position of market executive, middle market & specialized industries – Long Island/ Queens Region. He was responsible for managing the middle market business, including a team and an extensive portfolio of clients and prospects with sales between $20 million and $1 billion.
Quontic Appoints Lantz To Chief People Officer
Quontic, the adaptive digital bank based in Manhattan, added Mike Lantz, as chief people officer, a newly created position to further accelerate Quontic’s reputation as a destination employer. Lantz is charged with fostering a culture where people can grow and develop professionally and be part of the team that sets the pace for innovation in banking. As a 25-year veteran developing talent, he spent nearly eight years as the chief learning officer for Defenders, where he led various teams including recruiting, training, compensation/ benefits, and more. Lantz most recently served as the CEO and founder
