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Officers & Directors

Tompkins Acorn

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Board of Directors

Thomas R. Rochon
Chairman


Thomas Rochon

Thomas R. Rochon 

Mr. Rochon has served as a Director of the Company since 2009, and was elected Chairman of the Board in May 2014. He has served as a Director of Tompkins Mahopac Bank since July 2017, and served as a Director of Tompkins Trust Company from January 2009 to June 2017.  In July 2017, Dr. Rochon joined the Educational Records Bureau (ERB), a not-for-profit educational testing and assessment company based in New York. He was named President of ERB in December 2017. From July 2008 through June 2017, Dr. Rochon served as President of Ithaca College. He has served on the boards of a number of organizations related to higher education and community service, and is actively involved with several local charitable and community service organizations. We believe Dr. Rochon’s qualifications to sit on our Board of Directors include his many years of management experience, including as President of ERB and as former President of Ithaca College, as well as an understanding of the challenges faced by organizations that operate in a heavily regulated sector. 

Stephen S. Romaine
President & Chief Executive Officer


Stephen S. Romaine

Stephen S. Romaine has served as a Director of the Company since January 1, 2007. Mr. Romaine was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company effective January 1, 2007. He had served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Tompkins Mahopac Bank from January 1, 2003 through December 31, 2006. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Romaine was Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer of Mahopac National Bank. In addition to the Company Board, Mr. Romaine serves on the boards of each of its affiliates and has served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Tompkins Trust Company since May 2014.  Mr. Romaine currently serves on the Board of the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York, as well as the New York Bankers Association, where he served as Chairman from March 2016 through March 2017.  His civic involvement includes service as a member of the boards of local historical and educational institutions.  We believe Mr. Romaine’s qualifications to sit on our Board of Directors include his more than 30 years as an executive in the financial services industry, including his current position as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company. 
James W. Fulmer
Vice Chairman


James W. Fulmer

James W. Fulmer served as President of the Company from 2000 through 2006, has served as a Director of the Company since 2000, and Vice Chairman of the Company since January 1, 2007.  He became a member of the Company’s Audit Committee effective January 1, 2020. He serves as the Chairman of Tompkins Bank of Castile, and has served in such capacity since 1991.  Mr. Fulmer previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Bank of Castile from 1988 until his retirement on December 31, 2014.  Mr. Fulmer also serves as a Director of Tompkins VIST Bank; and Chairman and Director of Tompkins Insurance Agencies, Inc.  He served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Letchworth Independent Bancshares Corporation from 1991 until its merger with the Company in 1999.  He served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York from January 2007 to December 2017, and served as Vice Chairman from January 2015 to December 2017.  Mr. Fulmer actively serves as a director of several prominent Western New York community and cultural organizations.  We believe Mr. Fulmer’s qualifications to sit on our Board of Directors include his nearly 40 years of experience in the banking industry, including service as our Vice Chairman, and as the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Tompkins Bank of Castile.
John E. Alexander

John E. Alexander

John E. Alexander has served as a Director of the Company since 1995 and as a Director of Tompkins Trust Company since 1993. Mr. Alexander was a principal shareholder and served as President and Chief Executive Officer of The CBORD Group, Inc. (“CBORD,”) a computer software company which Mr. Alexander founded in 1975, until July 2004. Mr. Alexander is a Director Emeritus of many local not-for-profit, community organizations and institutions of higher education, and has been a founding partner or member of several entrepreneurial firms following his retirement in 2004. We believe Mr. Alexander’s qualifications to sit on our Board of Directors include his executive leadership and management experience, as well as the financial expertise he has brought to bear during more than two decades of board service with our organization.
Paul J. Battaglia, CPA

Paul J. Battaglia

Paul Battaglia has served as a Director of the Company since 2010 and was a Director of TFA Management, Inc. f/k/a AM&M Financial Services, Inc. from April-December 2010. He has served as a Director for the Bank of Castile since January 2011. He became Chairman of the Audit Committee in May 2011. In 2015 he was appointed to the Board of Directors of TFA Management, Inc. and to the Corporate Credit Oversight Committee of the Company's Board of Directors. Until his retirement in 2018, Mr. Battaglia served as a Managing Director of Freed Maxick CPAs, P.C., a 300-person "Top 100" public accounting firm headquartered in Western New York. As a Managing Director, Mr. Battaglia managed the operations of the firm’s Batavia office in addition to providing consulting services on various transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, design and implementation of financing plans, estate planning and business succession planning to his clients. He served on the firm's Executive, Compensation, and Finance Committees, and was a Trustee for the firm's retirement plan. He is a Certified Public Accountant, a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants. Mr. Battaglia currently provides consulting services in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, estate and succession planning, trust administration and financing to various clients. Mr. Battaglia has demonstrated significant involvement through years of service as a director for regional economic development organizations, and through service on the boards of many charitable and educational organizations.  We believe Mr. Battaglia's qualifications to serve on our Board of Directors include his 46 years of experience in public accounting dealing with financial and accounting matters for complex organizations. He has acquired a deep understanding of the Western New York business environment during his years of working with commercial clients in the region.

Nancy E. Catarisano, CPA
Nancy Catarisano

Nancy E. Catarisano

Nancy E. Catarisano served as a Director for the Bank of Castile from July 2020 through its consolidation with Tompkins Community Bank on January 1, 2022, and now serves as a Community Bank Board Director for Tompkins Community Bank Western New York.  Ms. Catarisano joined Insero & Co., a “Top 100” full‑service public accounting firm located in Rochester, NY, in 1999 and currently serves as the firm’s Managing Partner.  She founded the firm’s Outsource Accounting Services Group, and provides outsource financial services to her clients that include matters relating to accounting transaction processing and cash management, strategic planning, equity and debt financings, and mergers and acquisitions.  As Managing Partner, Ms. Catarisano has doubled the size of the firm.  She is a Certified Public Accounts, a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants.  Ms. Catarisano serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Al Sigl Community of Agencies and is an active member of the agency’s Executive, Finance, Audit, and Investment Committees.  She is also actively involved with many different business, community, and charitable organizations across Western New York.

Daniel J. Fessenden 

Daniel J. Fessenden 

Daniel J. Fessenden has served as a Director of the Company since 2009, as a Director of Tompkins Trust Company since January 2009, and as a Director of TFA Management, Inc. since 2011. Mr. Fessenden served as a member of the New York State Assembly from 1993 to 1999. He has served as the Executive Director of the Fred L. Emerson Foundation, a family foundation located in Auburn, New York since January 2007. From 2004 to 2006 he served as the founding Executive Director of the Cornell Agriculture & Food Technology Park, Geneva, New York.  Mr. Fessenden has been actively engaged with numerous business, civic and educational organizations throughout the Central New York region.  We believe Mr. Fessenden’s qualifications to sit on our Board of Directors include his extensive experience in government and public service, his executive experience in the private sector, his active engagement with civic organizations, and his deep connections to the Central New York business community.

Patricia A. Johnson

Patricia A. Johnson

Patricia A. Johnson has served as a Director of the Company since 2006, and served as a Director of Tompkins Trust Company from 2002 to 2014.    She has served as a Director of Tompkins VIST Bank since April 2014.  In January 2014, Ms. Johnson became the Vice President for Finance and Administration with Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA.  She had previously been with Cornell University, starting as the Assistant Treasurer in 1995, and later serving as Associate Vice President & Treasurer.   She is currently on the board of several regional economic development/workforce training organizations, and she has demonstrated civic leadership through her service on the boards of many local charitable or educational institutions.  We believe Ms. Johnson’s qualifications to sit on our Board of Directors include her accounting expertise and her ability to understand and evaluate the Company’s complex financial operations.

Angela B. Lee
Angela Lee

Angela B. Lee

Angela B. Lee served as a Director for Tompkins Trust Company from December 2021 through its consolidation with Tompkins Community Bank on January 1, 2022, and now serves as a Community Bank Board Director for Tompkins Community Bank Central New York.  She is Chief Diversity Officer at Baxter International, Inc., a global public medical healthcare company, where she works to help the organization enhance a culture of belonging by leading efforts to embed diversity, equity, and inclusion across all aspects of Baxter’s business.  Previously, Ms. Lee served as Vice President of Human Resources, and Chief Talent & Diversity Officer at Hill‑Rom Holdings, Inc., which was recently acquired by Baxter International.  Ms. Lee has more than 25 years of experience as a human resources executive, which includes extensive strategic business partnering skills; talent management; talent acquisition; total rewards; diversity, equity, and inclusion; employee relations; and cultural integration.  Ms. Lee is an active member of her community, working with civic and charitable organizations in the Central New York area.

John D. McClurg
John McClurg

John D. McClurg

John D. McClurg served as a Director for the Bank of Castile from 1993 through its consolidation with Tompkins Community Bank on January 1, 2022.  He serves as a Community Bank Board Director for Tompkins Community Bank Western New York and as Chair of the Western New York Bank Loan Committee.  Mr. McClurg serves as president of McClurg Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram (1989 to present) and McClurg Chevrolet (1991 to present).  He has been a member of the New York State Automobile Dealers Association since 2013 and served as its Chair from 2018 to 2019.  He also serves as a member of the boards for the National Auto Dealers Association and the New Car Dealers of Western New York Charitable Foundation.  Mr. McClurg has served many local charitable organizations, including as President of the Perry Rotary Club from 1999‑2000.  Mr. McClurg has deep ties to the Western New York community, developed over the course of his 40 plus years of experience owning and operating an automobile dealership.

Ita M. Rahilly
Ita Rahilly

Ita M. Rahilly

Ita M. Rahilly has served as a director of Tompkins Mahopac Bank since July 2018.  She has served as a Tax Partner with the firm of RBT CPAs, LLP in Newburgh, NY since August 1999 and she is the Partner in charge of the firm’s tax division where she assists closely-held businesses and their shareholders and high net worth individuals in achieving their goals.  She is an Accredited Estate Planner, is a member of the Governing Council of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), President of the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants (NYSSCPA), a member of the National Association of Estate Planners and Councils (NAEPC), and the Hudson Valley Estate Planning Council.  Ms. Rahilly is highly regarded by clients and peers and widely recognized for her expertise in estates, trusts and succession planning, corporate, partnerships, international taxation, and non-profit information reporting.  We believe Ms. Rahilly’s qualifications to sit on our Board of Directors include her 25 years of extensive public accounting experience  dealing with financial and accounting matters for complex organizations. She has acquired a deep understanding of the Hudson Valley business environment during her years of working with commercial clients in the region.

Michael H. Spain

Michael H. Spain

Michael H. Spain has served as a Director of the Company since 2000 and as a Director of Tompkins Mahopac Bank since 1992.  He was appointed the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Tompkins Mahopac Bank in June 2017.  Mr. Spain serves as Executive Vice President of Brown & Brown of New York, Inc., d/b/a the Spain Agency, an insurance agency located in Mahopac, New York.  Mr. Spain served as President of the Spain Agency from 1989 until 2015 when it became wholly owned by Brown & Brown, Inc.  Mr. Spain also holds leadership positions with several privately-held real estate development companies and is involved with many charitable organizations in the Hudson Valley.   We believe Mr. Spain’s qualifications to sit on our Board of Directors include his more than 20 years of service as a Tompkins Mahopac Bank Director, and his extensive executive experience in the financial services industry. 
Jennifer Tegan
Jennifer Tegan

Jennifer Tegan

Jennifer Tegan has served as a Director of Tompkins Trust Company since 2016.  She is a founding partner of Cayuga Venture Fund (CVF), located in Ithaca, NY. Since starting with CVF in 2002, Ms. Tegan has been working with, supporting and financing entrepreneurs in technology-based companies across a broad spectrum of industries.  Ms. Tegan serves on the boards of several of CVF’s privately-owned portfolio companies as well as a national trade organization board.  Ms. Tegan’s civic commitments include service on the board of a local educational organization, as well as board service for non-profit organizations which support regional economic growth and capital access for regional entrepreneurs.  We believe Ms. Tegan’s qualifications to sit on our Board of Directors include her extensive experience fostering the development of early stage businesses in our local market, the banking industry knowledge she has acquired through her service on the Tompkins Trust Company Board of Directors, and her demonstrated commitment to local economic development and other civic engagement in the Tompkins County region.

Alfred J. Weber
 

Alfred J. Weber

Alfred J. Weber has been a member of our Board of Directors since August 2012 and served as Chairman of the Board of VIST Financial Corporation from 2005 to 2012, where he served as a Director from 1995 until its acquisition by the Company in August, 2012.  He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Tompkins VIST Bank, and has served as its Chairman since 2005.  Mr. Weber is President of Tweed-Weber, Inc., a management consulting firm. He has been in the consulting industry since 1974 and has been president of his own business since 1984.  The fundamental focus of his work is to help clients build and implement strategies to gain and sustain competitive advantage in their marketplace.  He has worked with hundreds of businesses, not-for-profit organizations, health and home care agencies, and associations across the country.  Mr. Weber currently serves on several community development boards in the Berks County, Pennsylvania region, and serves on the board of directors of three privately-held companies in the manufacturing/retail industries.   We believe Mr. Weber's qualifications to sit on our Board of Directors include his experience in leading change initiatives and his expertise in the area of strategic planning.

















































Leadership Team

Stephen S. Romaine
President & Chief Executive Officer

Stephen S. Romaine

Stephen S. Romaine was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company effective January 1, 2007.  From 2003 through 2006, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Mahopac Bank.  Prior to this appointment, Mr. Romaine was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Mahopac Bank.  Mr. Romaine currently serves on the boards of the New York Bankers Association and the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York.
Francis M. Fetsko
Executive Vice President, Chief Operations Officer, Chief Financial Officer

Francis M. Fetsko

Francis M. Fetsko has been employed by the Company since 1996, and has served as Chief Financial Officer since December 2000.  He also serves as the Chief Financial Officer for the Company’s four banking subsidiaries.  In July 2003, he was promoted to Executive Vice President and he assumed the additional role of Chief Operating Officer in April 2012.   
David S. Boyce
Executive Vice President

David S. Boyce

David S. Boyce has been employed by the Company since January 2001 and was promoted to Executive Vice President in April 2004.  He was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Tompkins Insurance Agencies in 2002.  He has been employed by Tompkins Insurance Agencies and a predecessor company to Tompkins Insurance Agencies for over 30 years.
David DeMilia
Executive Vice President
David DeMilia

David DeMilia

With approximately 23 years of banking experience, DeMilia joined Tompkins Mahopac Bank (TMB) as its Regional Vice President providing commercial banking services in Westchester County in 2008.  His dedication to the Bank, fellow team members, shareholders and clients was quickly recognized and shortly thereafter DeMilia became the Westchester Commercial Lending Division Manager and later the Senior Commercial Lending Division Manager for all of commercial lending in the Hudson Valley.  His contributions to Tompkins have not been limited to the Mahopac Bank affiliate as DeMilia has directed and co-directed multiple important Corporate initiatives that have helped Tompkins continue to be a forward looking multi-faceted full service financial institution providing superior services to its clients and its communities.  DeMilia exhibits the values of Tompkins Mahopac Bank with his various community activities and involvement, most notably his position as Trustee of the WMC Health Organization where he has overseen team efforts to raise in excess of $125,000 for that organization over his years with TMB.  DeMilia obtained his JD/MBA from Pace University in 2006 and received his Bachelor’s Degree from SUNY Cortland in 1998.  A lifelong resident of Westchester County, DeMilia lives in Yorktown Heights with his wife Kim and daughter Grace.   

Alyssa Fontaine
EVP & General Counsel 

Alyssa Fontaine

Alyssa Fontaine started with Tompkins on January 1, 2016.  She was a partner with Harris Beach PLLC, prior to joining Tompkins.  She focuses on corporate transactional work, bank regulatory compliance and securities matters.  Her experience in mergers and acquisitions includes identifying appropriate deal structures for public and private clients, assisting in the negotiation of deal terms and drafting deal agreements.  She has worked on many legal projects for Tompkins Financial during the last several years, and has demonstrated her ability to provide sound legal advice combined with a strong business sense.  She is a graduate of Cornell Law School and Brown University.
Johanna Anderson
Executive Vice President
Johanna Anderson

Johanna Anderson

Johanna Anderson has been a staple in the Central New York Community, known for her expertise in residential and consumer lending and affordable housing development. Anderson joined Tompkins in 2023 as the bank market president for Central New York. Anderson was a member of the CNY board of directors for the past three years, offering strategic insight and organizational expertise in line with the bank’s goals and mission. Most recently, Anderson was executive director of Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services (INHS), where she actively led the mission to build affordable housing developments, as well as support homeowners and renters with financial and maintenance services. In her prior position, she served as the chief credit officer of Home HeadQuarters, Inc., where she managed the process and production of all lending products and oversaw the development of credit approval processes. Anderson has shown a continued commitment to serving her community through board appointments at non-profits including: director of the Ithaca Area Economic Development Board of Directors and Finance Committee, the Kendal at Ithaca Board of Directors and Strategic Planning Committee and the Schuyler County Partnership for Economic Development Board of Directors. Anderson holds an M.B.A from Husson University and resides with her family in Montour Falls, NY.

Brian A. Howard
Executive Vice President
Brian Howard

Brian A. Howard

Brian A. Howard was appointed President of Tompkins Financial Advisors and Executive Vice President of the Company effective July 25, 2016.  He brings over 30 years of leadership experience with nationally recognized financial service firms to his position at Tompkins Financial Advisors. Most recently, he served as a senior vice president, market manager for Key Bank covering the Central New York region, where he oversaw the bank’s full service wealth management division for high net worth clients. 
Ginger Kunkel
Executive Vice President
Ginger Kunkel

Ginger Kunkel

A career Pennsylvania banker, Ginger Kunkel is well known throughout the financial services community for her expertise in commercial, retail, operational and executive management.  She joined Tompkins in 2021 as chief operating officer for the Pennsylvania market, and assumed the role of president of the Pennsylvania market in 2022. Most recently, she was SEVP and chief operating officer for Riverview Bank & Riverview Financial Corporation, headquartered in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  Prior to Riverview, she worked in C&I commercial lending for Susquehanna Bank ($18 billion in assets), headquartered in Lititz, Pennsylvania and was active throughout the Tompkins PA core markets.  She is committed to community involvement and has served as a board member and volunteer for many non-profit and civic organizations, including Boy Scouts of America, the Fresh Air Fund, Habitat for Humanity, Junior Achievement, the United Way, and the West Brunswick Planning Commission.  She was recently appointed to the board of the PA Bankers Services Corporation, where her knowledge of digital products and services will assist in the evaluation of fintech solutions available to community banks. 

John M. McKenna
Executive Vice President  

John M. McKenna

John M. McKenna is President and CEO at Tompkins Bank of Castile, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tompkins Financial Corporation, and has served in that capacity since January 2015.  In that role, John works to advance the Bank’s presence in the western New York region that it serves.  John's priorities are serving and expanding the Bank's consumer and commercial client base, retaining and developing talented employees and supporting the communities in which the Bank operates.  In addition, John serves on the Board of Directors at Tompkins Bank of Castile and leads a team of commercial lenders across Tompkins’ four bank affiliates whose focus is on serving larger, middle market commercial clients.  John’s office is located in Batavia which is the Bank's headquarters at 90 Main Street. 

John has more than 25 years of banking experience including approximately 17 years with JPMorgan Chase Bank and its predecessors and 4 years with Citibank including experiences in investment banking, commercial lending and retail banking.  John rose to the position of Managing Director within the syndicated and leveraged finance group of JPMorgan Securities, Inc.  He led a team dedicated to the origination and execution of syndicated asset based loans for the company’s commercial bank and investment bank clients in the United States and Europe.

John earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Rochester in 1988 and a M.B.A. in Finance and Marketing from the William E. Simon School of Business Administration in 1992.  John resides in Brighton with his wife, Martha, and their four children.  He is active in his children’s activities and in the community.  John is a member of the Bishop's Stewardship Council for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester, board member of the Center for Governmental Research in Rochester, NY, Chair of the Board of Governors of Al Sigl Community of Agencies, and member of the Advisory Council at St. John Fisher College’s School of Business.

Susan M. Valenti 
Executive Vice President, Corporate Marketing

Susan M. Valenti 

Susan M. Valenti joined Tompkins in March of 2012 as Senior Vice President, Corporate Marketing. Prior to joining the Company, Susan spent 23 years at JPMorgan Chase working in a variety of marketing roles, most recently as Vice President of Chase Private Client Marketing Executive.  Prior to that time she was Vice President, Retail Rebranding Project Lead and led the rebranding of The Bank of New York branches and Bank One to Chase.

Bonita Lindberg
Senior Vice President, Director of Human Resources 

Bonita Lindberg

Bonita Lindberg started with Tompkins on December 28, 2015, and comes to Tompkins Financial from Cortland Regional Medical Center and Albany International Corporation. She earned her Master of Arts in Labor and Industrial Relations from the University of Illinois and her Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Labor Relations from LeMoyne College.  Lindberg was certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources in 2001.
Diane Torcello
Executive Vice President
Diane Torcello

Diane Torcello

A veteran of the banking industry, Diane Torcello is well-known throughout the community for her expertise in retail, commercial, operations, and branch management. She was promoted in 2023 to the bank market president for Western New York. Torcello joined Tompkins in 2005 as a branch manager before assuming the role of community banking manager in 2013, a position she held for 10 years. Torcello was responsible for the leadership of all staff and operations of the Western New York branch network, as well as the direct involvement and management of the largest deposit relationships. Active in the community, Torcello has served as a board member and volunteer for several nonprofit organizations throughout her career, including the Genesee County Chamber Business Development Committee, Mary Immaculate Finance Committee, Children’s Home Committee, United Way, St. Mary’s Parish Council and Junior Achievement. She has also served as a member of the Board of Trustees at Genesee Community College for 14 years, including two as Chair. Torcello is a graduate of Roberts Wesleyan University and resides in Pavillion with her husband.