Category Archives: Personnel Briefs

Charles R. Smith, chairman of the board of First New York  Federal Credit Union, was recognized with the National Association of Credit Union Chairmen’s  2021 Eugene Ball Award during the 45th annual Chair’s Roundtable Forum in Denver, Colo. 

Smith was elected as board chairman of First New York Federal Credit Union in 1990. Soon after, he become involved with the National Association of Credit Union Chairmen (NACUC) and began attending the Chair’s Roundtable Forums. In 1998, he was elected to NACUC’s board of directors serving as Chairman from 2003 to 2007.

Smith has served with First New York Federal Credit Union for more than 50 years beginning as a volunteer field rep. Before he was elected to the board of directors in 1984, he served on the  supervisory committee. Smith spent more than 25 years as an educator and school principal in  the Schenectady City School District.

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Michael R. Testa, CRPS, the principal/senior financial advisor of Tailored Wealth Solutions in Saratoga Springs has been ranked in the top 50 Forbes Financial Security Professionals.

Testa made the list at number 49 with a total Value of Policies at $415 million.

He has been in the financial industry for 16 years. His services for helping families and business owners organize their finances and keep their financial goals long term is just part of what he does. Testa utilizes his resources with the Tailored Wealth Solutions firm to provide the right solutions for clients.

His areas of concentration include personal retirement planning, business succession/ exit planning, comprehensive asset management, insurance protection/ wealth transfer planning, education planning and investment portfolio construction.

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Saratoga Hospital has named Daniel Madden director of environmental services. 

The hospital also promoted Sarah Bunzey of Hadley to director of women’s health services. 

He brings extensive experience managing healthcare environmental services operations, most recently as director of environmental services at Ellis Medicine in Schenectady.

Previously, Madden served as a regional director of operations and regional manager for Crothall Healthcare, which provides environmental and other core support services to hospitals and healthcare systems. In those roles, he oversaw environmental services for 21 upstate New York healthcare institutions.

 Madden has a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Guilford College in North Carolina and an Associate of Applied Science in public health technology/environmental science from Hudson Valley Community College. He lives in Saratoga Springs.

Bunzey has worked at the hospital since 2004, most recently as a clinical coordinator in women’s health services.

She began her Saratoga Hospital career as a hospice nurse on a medical/surgical floor. Two years later, Bunzey joined women’s health services as a labor and delivery nurse. She has worked in perinatal nursing ever since.

 Bunzey has an associate degree from SUNY Adirondack and a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Western Governor’s University in Salt Lake City. She is certified in inpatient obstetric nursing, electronic fetal monitoring and as a lactation counselor.

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First New York Federal Credit Union announced that Michael McGuire has joined its team as the vice president of IT operations and support services.

McGuire will provide oversight of the credit union transactional process systems, support member services to include core processing, real estate and commercial lending, debit and credit card services, and electronic services. He will also be responsible for timely completion and accuracy of operational and project related tasks and functions.

He will work to ensure complete and accurate maintenance of documentation, procedures, logs, reports and monitor processes to ensure desired results and performance. He will assist with refinement of current systems and processes, and develop a familiarity of knowledge network structure, security, and technical processes and interfaces.

His experience includes Northeast Association Management as director of technical operations, and the Whitney Young Health Center as the chief information officer.

McGuire received his Bachelor in Science in Information Technology and Management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

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Dr. David Mobarek and Dr. Yasmin Mohamed have joined Saratoga Hospital Medical Group Primary Care – Wilton. The practice now has 14 providers who see patients of all ages.

Also, Dr. Jennifer Bayron, a fellowship-trained breast surgeon, has joined Saratoga Hospital Center for Breast Care.

Mobarek came to Saratoga Hospital after a residency in family medicine at Ellis Medicine in Schenectady. A graduate of New York’s Stony Brook University, Mobarek earned his medical degree from American University of Antigua College of Medicine. He is board certified by the American Board of Family Medicine.

Prior to joining Saratoga Hospital, Mohamed practiced family medicine for five years at Northwell Health on Long Island, where she also served as a regional medical director.

Dr. Riju Banerjee has joined Saratoga Hospital Medical Group – Cardiology. He is one of 11 providers in the growing practice.

Also, Dr. Meghan Monthie and Dr. Bernard P. Possidente have joined Saratoga Hospital Medical Group Primary Care – Scotia-Glenville.

A graduate of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Banerjee completed an internship and residency at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and a cardiology fellowship at Albany Medical Center. He is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, the National Board of Echocardiography and the Certification Board of Nuclear Cardiology.

Banerjee is a member of the American College of Cardiology. He sees patients at Saratoga Hospital Medical Group – Cardiology at 254 Church St.

He also provides cardiology consultation to inpatients and outpatients at Nathan Littauer Hospital in Gloversville. This service is provided by agreement with Saratoga Hospital in its capacity as an affiliate of the Albany Med Health System.

Flatley Read Inc., an environmental and community development services firm based in Schuylerville, hired Colin McKnight as director of community development programs.

McKnight, formerly the deputy director of the New York State Rural Housing Coalition, will be working with small municipalities across New York state on issues such as affordable housing, historic preservation and other challenges to thriving, vital neighborhoods. 

A graduate of the College of St. Rose and Hudson Valley Community College, McKnight is a HUD-Certified HOME Program trainer/compliance reviewer, a NeighborWorks-certified homebuyer group educator, and an experienced trainer and technical assistance provider in affordable housing development and preservation, economic development, and Main Street Revitalization.  

He has worked with the Housing Assistance Council of Washington, D.C. on assessment and capacity-building work for HUD grantees in California, Wisconsin and Indiana. 

McKnight has assisted communities to secure funding for historic preservation projects, tourism facilities, multifamily housing projects, single family rehabilitation, and nursing home expansion. He has also taught grant writing to community volunteers in partnership with USDA Rural Development.

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NBT Bank announced Mark Sidoti has joined the company as a community banker.

He is based at the NBT office located at 295 Broadway in Saratoga Springs.

As community banker, Sidoti will be responsible for managing customer relationships and serving as a financial partner for the Saratoga Springs and Glens Falls region.

Sidoti brings more than 30 years of business development and sales experience in the telecommunications, payroll, outsourcing, and employee benefits industries.

An active member of the community, he serves as the treasurer of the Glens Falls Civic Center Foundation board, and as an ambassador for the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce.

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Upstate Agency LLC announced that Kevin Rucinski recently joined the team as commercial lines practice leader.

Rucinski will be responsible for the management, leadership and growth of the commercial lines division, including oversight of day-to-day operations, projects and profitability goals. He will develop and execute both strategic and tactical plans to ensure long-term success, client retention and growth of the commercial lines practice.

Rucinski brings more than 14 years of insurance experience in the greater Capital Region to the company.

He is certified through the International Risk Management Institute (IRMI) as a construction risk insurance specialist (CRIS), and through the National Underwriter Company as a commercial lines coverage specialist (CLCS). He is licensed with the New York State Department of Financial Services as a property and casualty insurance agent/broker.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Roger Williams University in Bristol, R.I. He currently lives in Wilton.

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First New York Federal Credit Union announced that Brandon Talar has joined its Lending Department as a mortgage loan originator

Talar is responsible for new residential mortgages and identifying, developing, and maintaining a network of business relationships for the credit union. He will meet with prospective borrowers, analyzing credit and financial data and determining borrower financing objectives and goals.

His work experience includes Lia CJDR as a finance manager; NorthStar Chevrolet as a finance director/sales manager; Goldstein Auto Group as a finance manager and Northeast Acura as a sales associate.

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NBT Bancorp Inc. announced that Scott A. Kingsley has been appointed executive vice president and chief financial officer.

Kingsley will join NBT’s executive management team and be based at the company’s headquarters in Norwich, NY.

He brings 35 years of experience to his new role, including 16 years as a member of the leadership team at Community Bank System, Inc. where he served as chief operating officer and prior to that as chief financial officer.

Kingsley started his career with PricewaterhouseCoopers and was employed there for eight years before joining the Carlisle Companies, Inc., a large publicly traded manufacturer and distributor, where he served first as corporate controller and then as chief financial officer of its Carlisle Engineered Products operating division.

A Certified Public Accountant, Kingsley earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting at Clarkson University. He is a community leader and volunteer, serving on the Crouse Health Foundation Board of Trustees and on the Audit and Finance Committee for the Catholic Diocese of Syracuse. He also volunteers with OnMyTeam16, a nonprofit organization supporting children in the fight against cancer, and is currently training for the 2021 Boston Marathon as part of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute team.

Roohan Realty announced that Jeana Labas has joined the team as a licensed real estate salesperson.

Labas has been with Kodiak Construction for seven years as office manager and client selection representative. She helps new construction clients throughout the process of building a home. She also joins Roohan Realty as Kodiak Construction’s seller agent, while maintaining her office manager duties.

The Saratoga Springs native attended Clarkson University, and returned to the area after school to build a home in Wilton.

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Timothy E. Blow, executive vice president and chief financial officer at Ballston Spa National Bank (BSNB), has announced his retirement effective Dec. 31.

Since joining BSNB in 2005, his responsibilities include strategic financial planning and oversight of the finance, IT, operations, compliance, and facilities functions.  Blow’s leadership at BSNB caps a 33-year career in the Capital Region working in audit, advisory and corporate banking roles.

“Tim’s contributions have been instrumental in helping BSNB achieve high levels of fiscal and operational effectiveness, the development of a sophisticated technology infrastructure, market expansion, and record financial performance. Of particular note was Tim’s leadership in the development of the company’s new corporate headquarters building in 2011,” said Christopher R. Dowd, president and chief executive officer at BSNB.

Roohan Realty announced that Jaime Williams has joined the team as a licensed real estate salesperson.

For more than 17 years, Williams has worked at Franklin Community Center, a nonprofit human service agency in Saratoga Springs. She was involved in program management, fundraising and development.

During her tenure, she had the opportunity to form many lasting relationships with both donors and clients, and those relationships were the highlight of her time there. In addition to her involvement with Franklin Community Center, she also serves on the board of directors for the Ballston Spa Education Foundation.

Jaime is originally from Massachusetts and moved to Ballston Spa in 2003.