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!

THOMAS R. ROCHON

Chairman

Stephen S. Romaine

President & Chief Executive Officer

Nancy E. Catarisano, CPA

Nancy Catarisano Bio

Daniel Fessenden Bio

Patricia Johnson Bio

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

Stephen S. Romaine has served as a director of the Company since 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. Mr. Romaine also serves as a director on the Tompkins Community Bank Board. 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 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.

Janet M. Coletti

Janet M. Coletti serves as 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 and the Board of Tompkins Financial Corporation in 2024. 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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.

Meet our Board of Directors

THOMAS R. ROCHON

Stephen S. Romaine

JANET M. COLETTI

Nancy E. Catarisano, CPA

Daniel J. Fessenden

Patricia A. Johnson

Angela B. Lee

John D. McClurg

Ita M. Rahilly

Michael H. Spain

Jennifer Tegan

Alfred J. Weber