Ridgewood Savings Bank, a mutual savings bank with 36 branches spread across the state, recently announced that it has appointed two of its bankers to senior roles and promoted more than a dozen staffers to serve in officer positions. The bank said the promotions reflect the diverse skill sets of its employees.
The bank has named Michelle Rossetti as its first vice president and director of human resources. She joined Ridgewood in October 2023 after 15 years at BNY Mellon, a financial services company, where she most recently served as director and senior HR business partner for global operations and technology.
In her new role, Rossetti will lead Ridgewood’s People Operations and Talent Management teams. She will oversee the execution of various HR initiatives that align with the bank’s strategic goals and its over 100-year history.
Embracing his new role of Senior Vice President and Chief Investment Officer at Ridgewood Savings Bank is James Jewett. Jewett now oversees the bank’s Investments and Financial Services departments, in addition to serving as corporate secretary — supervising board governance and the Bank’s philanthropic efforts.
As a seasoned professional with more than 23 years of employment with Ridgewood Savings Bank, Jewett’s institutional knowledge and investment experience qualify him to manage the bank’s investment, wholesale funding and retail wealth management strategies.
Leonard Stekol, Chairman, President and CEO of Ridgewood Savings Bank, believes this recent wave of internal promotions showcases the bank’s dedication to recognizing and nurturing talent.
“These promotions underscore Ridgewood Savings Bank’s commitment to cultivating a robust leadership team and fostering a positive workplace culture that will serve our communities exceptionally well,” said Stekol, “We are proud of our leaders’ achievements and excited about the constructive impact they will continue to make.”
Other promotions within the bank include Jo-Anne Harvey, of Hempstead, as assistant vice president and operations audit manager; Kevin McCall, of Levittown, and Sharon Baptiste-Morris, of Laurelton, as new assistant vice presidents; and Rudra Rupchand, of Hollis, as a newly appointed assistant vice president and training officer.
Newly appointed banking officers include Alix Bracci, of Belle Harbor, Denis Myagkov, of Whitestone and Landel Fisher, of the Bronx, as branch banking officers. Diana Suero, of Brooklyn, has been promoted to digital branch officer.
Eugene Chernyak, of Brooklyn, has been promoted to IT service and support manager, Medina Osmanovic, of Maspeth, is the new enterprise payments officer, Patrick Wong, of Brooklyn, is a new enterprise risk officer, and Victor Fernandez, of Island Park, is now a systems engineer.
For more information on the Ridgewood Savings Bank, visit its website at ridgewoodbank.com. The Ridgewood Savings Bank was recently designated as a ‘2024 Best Regional Bank’ by Bankrate, ‘Best Bank’ by Money for 2023/2024 and ‘Best Regional Bank’ by Newsweek for 2024.
