Over the past 21+ years, I’ve built my career in retail banking operations, branch leadership, risk management, compliance, and bank security. I started in frontline banking roles and worked my way into senior strategic  leadership, gaining experience in nearly every aspect of branch operations along the way.

I began my banking career with The Bank of New York, who later merged with Chase, where I worked as a Personal Banker and a Business Banker. In those roles, I focused on customer acquisition, daily branch operations, and business development. During that time, I also earned my Series 6 and 63 FINRA licenses along with my New York State Life Insurance certification, which helped strengthen my understanding of financial products and client relationship management.

In 2008, I joined Patriot Bank, N.A. as an Assistant Branch Manager in Wilton, CT. I was responsible for supporting branch operations, compliance oversight, teller management, customer onboarding, and helping manage a $48 million branch portfolio. That role gave me the opportunity to further develop my leadership and operational management skills.

I was later promoted to Branch Manager in Greenwich, CT, where I managed a team of six employees and focused heavily on business development, customer retention, and operational performance. During my time in Greenwich, I helped grow branch deposits from $92 million to $98 million while maintaining strong audit compliance results. One of the projects I’m most proud of was being selected by the Chief Operating Officer to put together a team to spearhead Patriot Bank Resource Center, which became a centralized internal hub for policies, procedures, forms, HR information, and operational resources across all departments. The goal was to improve accessibility, organization, and efficiency for employees throughout the bank.

From there, I moved into Retail Operations leadership, becoming Retail Operations Officer, Assistant Vice President, and later Vice President. In those roles, I became heavily involved in bank-wide operations, policy administration, compliance management, audit remediation, training, and systems implementation. I worked closely with IT on testing core system upgrades, third-party software, and enhancements within the Fiserv DNA Core system. I also launched and managed the bank’s social media presence across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube, helping modernize the bank’s communication and branding efforts.

As my role expanded, I also became more involved in operational risk and security management. I monitored and tested security systems, investigated incidents, maintained policy documentation, responded to audit findings, and conducted employee training focused on compliance and operational consistency. I developed a strong understanding of balancing operational efficiency with regulatory and security requirements.

Most recently, I served as Senior Vice President and Director of Retail Operations & Bank Security. In that role, I oversaw eight Branch Managers and the Retail Operations & Training Officer. I was responsible for branch operational oversight, business control and risk reviews, high-risk transaction approvals, overdraft management, branch reporting, compliance controls, and operational coaching across the branch network in addition to most of the tasks previously mentioned.

I also partnered closely with departments including Deposit Operations, Loan Operations, Business Intelligence, BSA/Anti-Fraud, IT, and the Call Center to improve procedures, reporting, customer experience initiatives, and operational consistency. On the security side, I oversaw physical security, surveillance systems, and access control across all branch locations, investigated incidents, coordinated with law enforcement when necessary, and represented the bank at operational and security conferences.

Looking back, my career has really been about growing from frontline banking into enterprise-level operational leadership. I’ve always focused on improving processes, strengthening controls, developing employees, and creating a better experience for both customers and staff while making sure operations remain efficient, compliant, and secure.