Directors

Meet our Board of Directors

Our Directors support and guide Tompkins in our strategic initiatives and help ensure we continue our support of the communities we serve.

Select a bio to learn more!

Daniel J. Fessendon

Chairman

Daniel Fessenden Bio

Stephen S. Romaine

President & Chief Executive Officer

Nancy E. Catarisano, CPA

Nancy Catarisano Bio

Dr. Heidi Davidson Bio

Patricia Johnson Bio

daniel j. fessendon

Daniel J. Fessenden has served as a director of the Company since 2009, and was elected Vice Chair of the Board in May 2024. He was a director of Tompkins Trust Company from January 2009 through its consolidation with TCB on January 1, 2022, and has served as a Director for TCB since the consolidation. Since January 2022, Mr. Fessenden has served as a Community Bank Board Director for Tompkins Community Bank Central New York, where he has served as Chair since July 2022. 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 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.

Stephen S. Romaine

Stephen S. Romaine has served as a director of the Company since May 2007 and as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company since January 2007. He had served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Tompkins Mahopac Bank from January 2003 through December 2006. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Romaine was Executive Vice President, and Chief Financial Officer of Mahopac National Bank. In addition to the Company’s Board, Mr. Romaine serves on the TCB Board, and maintains an advisory role on TCB’s Community Bank Boards in each of its local markets. 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 Chair from March 2016 through March 2017. His recent civic involvement includes service as a member of the boards of several local historical and educational institutions.

We believe Mr. Romaine’s qualifications to sit on our Board 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.

Janet M. Coletti

Janet M. Coletti has served as a director of the Company since 2024. Ms. Coletti also serves as a Director of TCB and as a Community Bank Board Director for Tompkins Community Bank Western New York. Ms. Coletti joined the Community Bank Board for Western New York in January 2023. Prior to her retirement in 2020, Ms. Coletti served as Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer of M&T Bank, a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Buffalo, New York. Ms. Coletti started her career at M&T in 1985 and held numerous positions in the Consumer Banking and Business Banking divisions before becoming Chief Human Resources Officer in 2015. Ms. Coletti was directly responsible for leading and managing M&T Bank's Human Resources functions, including recruiting, training and leadership development, compensation and benefits, diversity and inclusion, and employee engagement. She also served as a member of M&T Bank's executive management committee, which was responsible for leading all bank activities and operations. Since November 2019, Ms. Coletti has served on the board of Moog, Inc. (NYSE: MOG.A), a worldwide designer, manufacturer and systems integrator of high performance precision motion and fluid controls and controls systems for a broad range of applications in aerospace and defense and industrial markets. She also serves on the board of Culain Capital Management, a specialty finance company. Ms. Coletti is involved with many community organizations in the greater Buffalo area, including Providence Farm Collective and the Roycroft Campus Corporation.

We believe Ms. Coletti's qualifications to sit on our Board include her 35 years of banking experience, public company experience as an executive and director, and her active engagement with numerous business and community organizations in the Western New York area.

Nancy E. Catarisano

Nancy E. Catarisano has served as a director of the Company since 2023. She served as a Director for the Bank of Castile from July 2020 through its consolidation with Tompkins Community Bank (“TCB”) on January 1, 2022. Ms. Catarisano has served as a Community Bank Board Director for Tompkins Community Bank Western New York since the 2022 consolidation. Ms. Catarisano also serves as a Director of TCB. Ms. Catarisano joined Insero & Co., a “Top 300” full-service public accounting firm located in Rochester, New York, 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 Accountant, a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants. Ms. Catarisano serves on the Executive, Finance, Audit, and Investment Committees of the Al Sigl Community of Agencies, and is prior Chair of the agency's Board of Trustees. She is also actively involved with many different business, community, and charitable organizations across Western New York.

We believe Ms. Catarisano’s qualifications to sit on our Board include her more than 20 years of public accounting experience, her active engagement with charitable organizations, and her connections to the business community in Western New York.

Dr. Heidi M. Davidson

Heidi M. Davidson is a director of the Company. Dr. Davidson has served as a Community Bank Board Director for Tompkins Community Bank Hudson Valley since January 2024. Dr. Davidson is the Chief Executive Officer of Galvanize Worldwide, a full-service marketing and communications agency that she co-founded in May 2015. From March 2011 to May 2015, Dr. Davidson was part of the turn-around team at BlackBerry Ltd in the roles of Senior Vice President of Corporate Marketing and before that Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications. Prior to BlackBerry, Dr. Davidson spent 11 years with MasterCard Worldwide, where she served in numerous leadership capacities in communications roles, compliance, global public policy, consumer education, training and events, fraud investigations, security and risk management, mergers and acquisitions, CEO transition and franchise integrity. Dr. Davidson has served as an Executive Board member of the Business Council of Westchester since May 2014.

We believe Dr. Davidson’s qualifications to sit on our Board include her extensive experience in marketing, communications, crisis management, innovation, and the financial services industry and her commitment to the Hudson Valley business community.

Helen Eaton

Helen Eaton is a director of the Company. Ms. Eaton served as a director of Tompkins VIST Bank from November 2020 through its consolidation with TCB on January 1, 2022. She has served as a director of 5 the Community Bank Board for Tompkins Community Bank Pennsylvania since the consolidation. Since August 2010, Ms. Eaton has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Settlement Music School, one of the largest nonprofit community art schools in the country, with more than 250 staff and faculty providing over 11,000 weekly services to adults and children in the Greater Philadelphia region. In this role, Ms. Eaton oversees program development, funding sources, balance sheet management and the development of national and local partnerships. Prior to joining Settlement Music School, Ms. Eaton was President of Chicago Children’s Choir and Dean of Programs at the Merit School of Music in Chicago.

We believe Ms. Eaton’s qualifications to sit on our Board include her experience in leadership development, strategic planning, financial management, innovation, and her commitment to the Greater Philadelphia community.

Patricia A. Johnson

Patricia A. Johnson has served as a director of the Company since 2006. Ms. Johnson served as a director of Tompkins Trust Company from 2002 to 2014, and served as a director of Tompkins VIST Bank from April 2014 through its consolidation with TCB on January 1, 2022. She has served as a Director of TCB since that consolidation, and also serves as Chair of TCB’s Community Bank Board for Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Board Loan Committee. Ms. Johnson previously served as the Vice President for Finance and Administration with Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA, retiring in June 2022. She had previously been with Cornell University, starting as the Assistant Treasurer in 1995, and later serving as Associate Vice President & Treasurer. Ms. Johnson has served on the boards 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 include her accounting expertise and her ability to understand and evaluate the Company’s complex financial operations.

Angela B. Lee

Angela B. Lee has served as a director of the Company since 2023. She served as a Director of Tompkins Trust Company from December 2021 through its consolidation with TCB on January 1, 2022. She has served as a Director of Tompkins Community Bank, and also serves as a Community Bank Board Director for Tompkins Community Bank Central New York. She is Vice President, Human Resources at Baxter International, Inc. ("Baxter International"), a global public medical healthcare company, where she works to help the organization enhance a culture of inclusion and belonging across all aspects of Baxter International's business. In addition, Ms. Lee extends strategic HR support to Legal, IT, Corporate Communication and Corporate Services functions. She previously served as Vice President of Human Resources, and Chief Talent & Diversity Officer at Hill-Rom Holdings, Inc. prior to its acquisition by Baxter International in 2021. Ms. Lee has more than 25 years of experience as a human resources executive, which includes extensive 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.

We believe Ms. Lee’s qualifications to sit on our Board include her extensive human resource experience, her work to advance inclusion initiatives, and her connections to the Central New York business and civic community.

John D. McClurg

John D. McClurg has served as a director of the Company since 2023. He served as a Director for the Bank of Castile from 1995 through its consolidation with TCB on January 1, 2022. He has served as a Director of Tompkins Community Bank, and has also served as Chair of the Community Bank Board for Tompkins Community Bank Western New York and of the Western New York Board Loan Committee. Mr. McClurg has served as president of McClurg Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram since 1989 and McClurg Chevrolet since 1991. 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 of directors for the National Auto Dealers Association and the New Car Dealers of Western NY Charitable Foundation. Mr. McClurg has served many local charitable organizations.

We believe Mr. McClurg’s qualifications to sit on our Board include his deep ties to the Western New York community and his 40 plus years of experience owning and operating his own business.

Ita M. Rahilly

Ita M. Rahilly has served as a director of the Company since 2020. She served as a director of Tompkins Mahopac Bank from 2018 through its consolidation with TCB on January 1, 2022. Since that consolidation, Ms. Rahilly has served as a Director for TCB, and as a Community Bank Board Director for Tompkins Community Bank Hudson Valley. She is the owner of Ita M. Rahilly CPA PC, and has been a Partner with the firm of RBT CPAs, LLP in Newburgh, NY since January 2005, where she is the Partner in charge of the firm’s trust estate and gift division with a focus on estates, trusts and succession planning, corporate, partnerships, international taxation, and non-profit information reporting. Ms. Rahilly is an Accredited Estate Planner, a member of the Governing Council of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), a past President of the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants (NYSSCPA), a member of the National Association of Estate Planners and Councils, and a member of the Hudson Valley Estate Planning Council. Ms. Rahilly also serves on the board of directors of the State University of New York at New Paltz Foundation and is a member of its Audit Committee.

We believe Ms. Rahilly’s qualifications to sit on our Board include her 40 years of extensive public accounting experience dealing with financial and accounting matters for complex organizations, and her deep understanding of the Hudson Valley business environment resulting from her years of working with commercial clients in the region.

Michael H. Spain

Michael H. Spain has served as a director of the Company since 2000. Mr. Spain served as a director of Tompkins Mahopac Bank from 1992 through its consolidation with TCB on January 1, 2022 and he has served as a Director for TCB since that consolidation. He served as the Chair of the Board of Directors of Tompkins Mahopac Bank from June 2017 through its consolidation with TCB, and has served as Chair of the Community Bank Board for Tompkins Community Bank Hudson Valley (since January 2022). 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 include his more than 20 years of service as a Tompkins Mahopac Bank Director and his extensive executive experience in the financial services industry.

Meet our Board of Directors

Daniel J. Fessendon

Stephen S. Romaine

JANET M. COLETTI

Nancy E. Catarisano, CPA

Dr. Heidi Davidson

Helen eaton

Patricia A. Johnson

Angela B. Lee

John D. McClurg

Ita M. Rahilly

Michael H. Spain