The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod has announced the promotion of 13 employees in recognition of individual performance and successes within the organization.

“I congratulate this talented group of Coop employees on their well-deserved promotions,” said Lisa Oliver, Chair, President and CEO. “Their professionalism, expertise and dedication to community involvement is exceptional and a significant asset to the bank. I look forward to their future contributions to the organization.”

Promotions recently approved by the bank’s Board of Directors include:

• Lee Ann Hesse, Senior Vice President, Chief Engagement Officer, was promoted to Executive Vice President. Lee Ann’s talent for building strong relationships throughout the bank and community is unparalleled. She is active in the community including serving as a board member of the John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum and as a trustee for Cape Symphony, as well as The Coop Foundation

 

• Mark Linehan, Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, was promoted to Executive Vice President. Mark has been instrumental in driving the bank’s strategic direction and acting as Treasurer for The Coop Foundation. He also serves as a Vice President and Treasurer for the Cahoon Museum of American Art in Cotuit.

 

• Christina Bologna, Assistant Vice President, Community Relations Officer, was promoted to Vice President. Christina has grown her network significantly over the past several years, working diligently to administer and raise the profile of The Coop Foundation, establishing meaningful connections within the nonprofit community and helped elevating the philanthropic work of the bank.

 

• Chris Cataldo, Assistant Vice President, Branch Manager-Small Business Specialist, was promoted to Vice President. Chris involves his entire team in key decisions relating to the effective operation of the bank’s East Harwich branch. He recently joined the Board of Directors of the Cape Cod Media Center in Dennis Port and is highly involved in the Harwich Artist Guild.

 

• Charlotte Green, Assistant Vice President, Residential Mortgage Sales Manager, was promoted to Vice President. Charlotte has been instrumental in growing the sales team from 5 to 11 over the past 18 months, working closely with each loan officer to help them achieve their goals. Charlotte’s community involvement includes serving on the Board for Cape Cod Young Professionals and teaching financial literacy to students through Falmouth Volunteers in Public Schools.

 

• Patrick Shanley, Assistant Vice President, Assistant Controller, was promoted to Vice President. Patrick is a key team member in the day-to-day management of the finance department. In addition to his work at the bank, Patrick has served as the Treasurer for Cape Wellness Collaborative since 2016.

 

• Margaret Beck, Senior Credit Analyst, was promoted to Assistant Vice President. Margaret joined the Bank in early 2021 with extensive commercial lending, underwriting and workout agreement experience.

 

• Lauren Connolly, Recruitment and Human Resources Specialist, was promoted to Assistant Vice President. Lauren has demonstrated tenacity in recruiting and evaluating top talent for the bank in a highly competitive market and has become a valued and trusted guide to hiring managers, employees and new hires.

 

• Christine Parent, Portfolio Manager, was promoted to Assistant Vice President. Christine has been instrumental in the launch of our small business programs. Throughout Christine’s tenure of more than a decade at The Coop, she has consistently demonstrated a strong client and relationship focus. She is the immediate past Employee-at-Large Trustee for The Coop Foundation.

 

• Kirsten Wickson, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Officer, was promoted to Assistant Vice President. Kirsten is a proven strong contributor to the bank’s Data Analytics team, working to enhance services and problem solve across platforms and systems. Kirsten serves on the Board of Directors for The Cape Playhouse and Yarmouth Dennis Youth Hockey.

 

• Matt Berry, Residential Mortgage Loan Officer, was promoted to Vice President. Since joining The Coop in 2019, Matt has become a respected business partner among his colleagues and a trusted mortgage expert across Cape Cod.

 

• Lisa Cusolito, Government Banking Assistant, was promoted to Officer. Lisa delivers outstanding service to the bank’s municipal clients and is recognized as a trustworthy and reliable partner.

 

• Liz Griswold, Compliance and Risk Analyst, was promoted to Officer. Liz’s list of accolades includes her strong work ethic, analytical skills, and aptitude for being a quick learner and resourceful problem-solver.

The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod is excited to announce two focus areas for its charitable giving during fiscal year 2023. Responding to the current needs in the community, the two focus areas are Housing Initiatives and Solutions, and Social Justice and Racial Equity.

“For more than a century The Coop has provided philanthropic support to help nonprofit organizations address evolving challenges facing our neighbors and the communities we serve,” said Lisa Oliver, Chair, President and CEO, The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod. “A healthy economy, robust workforce and vibrant communities cannot be sustained on Cape Cod until we solve our housing crisis and create a welcoming environment for all who want to live here. I’m proud that The Coop will focus its charitable giving this year on organizations dedicated to housing solutions and social justice issues.”

Since the start of its fiscal year in April, The Coop has disbursed nearly $100,000, which includes more than $50,000 to organizations focused on these critical challenges. They include Amplify POC Cape Cod, Cape Abilities, Champ Homes, Community Development Partnership, Habitat for Humanity of Cape Cod, Harwich Ecumenical Council for the Homeless, Homeless Prevention Council, Housing Assistance Corporation, Independence House, Plymouth Area Coalition for Homelessness, and The Cordial Eye.

In addition to annual giving through the bank, The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod Charitable Foundation Trust, during its first quarter of grants, awarded $10,000 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cape Cod & the Islands, enabling the organization to strengthen its programming and sustain its major impact in the region. The grant will also help accelerate outreach, recruitment and enrollment processes at a time when one-on-one mentoring has never been more important or in demand.

While The Coop has committed to earmarking a large portion of its annual funds towards the two focus areas, it will continue to renew many annual sponsorships to organizations working outside the focus areas. Some of the recipients include Arts Foundation of Cape Cod, Cape and Islands United Way, Cape Wellness Collaborative, Mass Appeal, Outer Cape Health Services and The Family Pantry of Cape Cod.

Over the past couple of weeks, we have welcomed nine summer interns to The Coop! This year, we have some exciting new additions to our internship program. We’ve added two new internship positions: General Operations and Credit/Data Analytics. In addition, we’ve also added several interactive “coffee & learn” meetings. Interns will have the chance to learn more about the bank, their coworkers, and innovation and technology in banking. Our interns will learn about different departments beyond their internship assignments. As part of our regular internship training, interns receive special training about the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), cybersecurity, and social engineering.

Meet our Interns 

Brooke DeLucia: Brooke is studying government and finance at Georgetown University. She is a Retail Banking Intern at East Harwich. Brooke loves to go to the beach and play the piano. Brooke’s favorite restaurant on Cape Cod is Mac’s Seafood.

Lauren Fitzpatrick: Lauren is studying marketing at Providence College. This is her second summer as our Marketing Intern at Headquarters. Lauren enjoys going to the beach and cheering on the Providence College basketball team. Her favorite restaurant on Cape Cod is Mattakeese Wharf.

Nils Idman: Nils is studying economics at UMass Amherst. He is a Retail Banking Intern at Hyannis. Nils enjoys walking his dog, reading, and playing the tenor saxophone. His favorite restaurant on Cape Cod is Villa Roma.

Sofia Lopez: Sofia is studying finance and accounting at Indiana University. She is our General Operations Intern at Headquarters. Sophia can speak Spanish and French, play piano and guitar, and cry on command. Her favorite restaurant on Cape Cod is Añejo in Falmouth.

Bryan Powers: Bryan is studying finance and business economics at Bentley University. He is a Retail Banking Intern at East Dennis. Bryan plays on the lacrosse team at Bentley and enjoys fishing. His favorite restaurant on Cape Cod is Grumpy’s.

Samuel Starobin: Samuel is studying managerial economics and a double major in Japanese language and literature at UMass Amherst. He is our Credit and Data Analytics Intern at Headquarters. Some fun facts about Samuel are that he can speak Russian and Japanese and enjoys painting and drawing people. His favorite restaurant on Cape Cod is Bangkok Cuisine.

Owen McPherson: Owen is studying managerial economics at UMass Amherst. He is a Float Retail Banking Intern, covering multiple branches throughout the summer. Owen enjoys weightlifting, playing golf, and listening to country music. His favorite restaurant on Cape Cod is DJs.

Zachary Rogers: Zachery is studying business administration at Colby Sawyer College. He is a Retail Banking Intern at Sandwich. Zachary enjoys playing golf and baseball and listening to country music. His favorite restaurant on Cape Cod is Seafood Sam’s.

Jack Galvin: Jack is studying marketing at Assumption University. He is a Retail Banking Intern at Yarmouth Port. Jack enjoys playing lacrosse and can do a great Irish accent. His favorite restaurant on Cape Cod is the Dennis Doghouse.

 

 

The banking industry is experiencing an awakening that corporate governance, whether in the executive suite or Board of Directors level, must be reflective and inclusive of communities we serve.

That means gender equality.

That means embracing our BIPOC and LGBTQ brothers and sisters.

Recent world events and high-profile acts of social injustice demand that recruiting and onboarding diverse leadership teams is a must and not negotiable.

As a female CEO who has risen through the ranks of this traditionally white and male-dominated industry, diversity has always been my mantra – it’s just good business. Now, I’m in a position to make it happen and hope to share some thoughts on how we’re making significant inroads to achieve this goal.

Quite often, corporate leaders and board members are selected from within social circles, through personal relationships and recommendations, and perhaps nepotism.  Because board members were largely a homogeneous group of white men, they typically recruited from their own comfort zone – people who looked like them. Emphasis was placed on recruiting corporate leaders and board members who already had senior-level roles or previous board experience. There was not much opportunity for outsiders, women or minorities to advance, or even be given opportunity to prove themselves when their life experience, versus their title, demonstrated proficiency or expertise in a given area.

We now see a paradigm shift. Boardroom doors once closed tight have swung open for all who are skilled in both traditional risk topics such as audit, governance, credit and finance and all with expertise in the cybersecurity, digital/fintech, social media and communication challenges of today. Of course, being on a board also means willingness to work hard. The world is watching – closely. We need to get this right.

The time has come to shed the “this person looks the part and has played the part before” thinking. It’s time to recruit people with diverse backgrounds and skills and equip them with resources to succeed.

Benefits of gender diversity in corporate leadership go far beyond boardrooms and the walls of corporate America. Corporate executives, business owners, nonprofit leaders, and consumers who see people who look like them on boards change their expectations of what’s possible, even what’s expected. The trickle-down effect is palpable.

Achieving gender diversity simply makes sense. When the candidate pool expands to include women, you’re suddenly drawing from 100% of the talent pool.

A leadership team or board rich in diversity includes diversity not just of gender, but race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, economy, age, life experience and professional experience. Bringing different hardships and successes to the table creates an environment that is compassionate, open-minded, and understanding. Discussion becomes richer. You start tackling problems from different viewpoints. You get away from groupthink and start questioning the status quo.

Creating a board that mirrors communities we serve also means something to our clients. They want to see people who have similar backgrounds to them. They want to know their bank is in touch with the challenges they face.

But if we can’t just rely on our personal networks, how do we do this? How do we cast wider nets to find qualified candidates that offer a diverse perspective? It’s not impossible, but it takes a strategy and continuous effort. It’s not a “once and done” exercise.

As a mutual bank, our pool of corporators serves as a training ground for board roles, providing an opportunity to create a strong pipeline to grow and recruit directors. And the corporator meetings and training give future directors opportunity to better understand roles and responsibilities of the board.  Institutions that don’t have corporators can benefit by creating advisory boards outside of the organization which can serve the same purpose.

I have also seen the value of affinity groups inside the organization, which serve as both an attraction and retention tool for diverse employee populations. Latinx, African American, Native American, Asian Pacific, LGBTQ+, military veteran, otherwise abled pods of employees can gather to discuss career growth, challenges, business development, employee (and board) attraction and retention initiatives.  Having connection to others within affinity groups creates a sense of inclusion and engagement which produces positive outcomes for employees, clients and the entire organization. I’ve seen the value of these groups in many institutions I’ve worked in, both large and small. As CEOs and leaders, it’s OK to ask for help with diversity needs. When we get out of our own sphere of influence and into others, we grow, learn and expand.

Creating diversity in the board ranks can also be helped by eliminating barriers. Implementing age and term limits, for example, can ensure more opportunities for new recruitments. Casting a wider geographic net, even outside of your core market, obviously widens the pool. Increasing the size of the board may be a door to bringing in new and diverse voices.

Creating a great leadership team board that is rich in diversity and talent is work. It takes a strategy, a commitment and a multi-pronged approach to creating new pipelines of future leaders. We’re making great progress in our industry, but we still have work to do.

• This op-ed was published in the May 23, 2022, edition of Banker & Tradesman How I’ve Strived for Equity in Bank Leadership – Banker & Tradesman (bankerandtradesman.com).

The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod has partnered with Love Live Local, an advocacy organization dedicated to educating consumers on the importance of shopping local, to share stories of small businesses having a big impact on the community.

The Coop will provide financial support for the Shop Local Stories series, a year-long initiative to recognize small businesses throughout Cape Cod that contribute more to the community than simply providing goods and services.

The Shop Local Stories pay tribute to businesses in the region that give back to the community, provide exceptional customer service, support other local businesses or provide employment opportunities in a unique and interesting way.

Nominations for a business to be featured in Shop Local Stories can be submitted through a brief form at www.lovelivelocal.com. Selected businesses will be featured on the Love Live Local website, on its social media platforms and in a monthly email – a $500 value, underwritten by The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod.

“I couldn’t think of better way to celebrate of National Small Business Week than launching a partnership to honor local small businesses that are doing exemplary work in the community and providing superior service to our neighbors,” said Lisa Oliver, Chair, President and CEO of The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod. “Every day, the Cape’s small businesses are going above and beyond simply conducting single transactions with customers and The Coop looks forward to working with Love Live Local to tell their stories.”

According to recent Love Live Local research, small businesses with 1-19 employees represent 90% of Cape Cod’s economy and keep 2-4 times as much money in the local economy as their national chain competitors. The organization’s research also shows that if just 10% of spending shifted to local retailers, an additional $112 million would be funneled into the Cape Cod economy annually.

“We are grateful for the partnership and support of The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod, which has long been a champion for our region’s small businesses,” said Amanda Converse, Chief Executive Officer, Love Live Local. “The Cape’s small businesses contribute more to the local economy than their corporate counterparts and deserve our support and recognition. We hope the community will find our Shop Local Stories series to be to be informational, inspiring and uplifting.”