CONTACT: Elizabeth Eckel, SVP Marketing, 401-348-1309
DATE: January 5, 2006
Washington Trust Promotes Two Executive Vice Presidents
Westerly, Rhode Island... The Washington Trust Company announced the following employees have been promoted:
Stephen M. Bessette, a resident of Charlestown, R.I.,
has been promoted to executive vice president, consumer lending.
He is responsible for overseeing consumer, mortgage and small business
lending, as well as merchant card services.
Bessette joined Washington Trust in February 1997, bringing more
than 25 years of financial experience to the senior management team.
He previously served as president of New England Pacific Mortgage
Company in Warwick, R.I., and as president of Old Stone Mortgage
Corporation in Seattle, Wash.
Bessette received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Providence College
in 1969. He is chairman of the board of the South Shore Mental Health
Center and a director for the RI Council of Community Mental Health
Organizations, Rhode Island Mortgage Bankers Association, Rhode
Island Appraisal Review Board and the Freddie Mac Regional Lending
Advisory Council.
B. Michael Rauh Jr., a resident of Narragansett, R.I., has been promoted to executive vice president, sales, service & delivery. He is responsible for overseeing the Bank's branch network, account information center, cash management and deposit products. He also oversees all electronic delivery of bank services, including online banking, ATMs, debit cards and the automated phone system. Rauh is also responsible for coordinating sales and business development activities for the Bank's product and service lines, and the development and implementation of sales measurement and reporting systems.
Rauh is a facilitator of the Washington County Regional Planning
Council, and is a member of the board of directors for Save the
Bay and Grow Smart Rhode Island. He has also been appointed by the
Governor to the Statewide Planning Council and the Public Advisory
Committee for the RI Bays, Rivers and Watersheds Coordination Team.
He is a member of the Narragansett Lions Club and an associate member
of the Westerly Fraternal Order of Police. A graduate of the University
of Rhode Island with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics, he
serves on advisory councils to both the University's president and
the dean of the College of Arts & Sciences.
The Washington Trust Company is the largest independent bank headquartered
in Rhode Island. A state-chartered bank, Washington Trust offers
a full range of financial services, including wealth management,
through its 16 branch offices located in Rhode Island and southeastern
Connecticut. Founded in 1800, the Bank is a subsidiary of Washington
Trust Bancorp, Inc., whose common stock trades on The NASDAQ Stock
Market® under the symbol WASH. Web site address: www.washtrust.com.
