The Board of Directors of Washington Trust has announced the following promotions:
Janell Hayes Bruno, of Westerly, R.I., has been promoted to Vice President and Mortgage Officer. She joined the Bank in 2002 as a servicing specialist in the Secondary Market Department; became a mortgage originator in 2005; and earned the title of Assistant Vice President and Mortgage Officer in 2007. Bruno is responsible for originating mortgages and equity loans. She has a bachelor's degree from the University of Rhode Island, and is a board member of the Westerly Education Endowment Fund, and a member of the Mystic Rotary Club.
Lawrence W. Orlando, of Westerly, R.I., has been promoted to Vice President, Buildings and Facilities. Orlando joined the Bank in 1990, was promoted to Assistant Facilities Supervisor in 1996, and Facilities Supervisor in 2000. He was promoted to Officer in 2001, and to Assistant Vice President, Buildings and Facilities in June 2007. Orlando is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of all Bank facilities, as well as vendor management in those efforts. He is Vice President of the Westerly Track & Athletic Club, is a board member of the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center, and is a volunteer for the Westerly Land Trust and the Westerly Fire Department.
John F. Harvey, of Franklin, Mass., has been promoted to Vice President, Merchant Services. Harvey joined the Bank in 2007 as Assistant Vice President and Merchant Services Manager and has more than 25 years of experience in the payments industry. He manages the sales and operations of the Bank's Merchant Services department, as well as working with new and existing merchants. Harvey has a B.S. in business administration from Central Connecticut State University.
Christy L. Birchell, of Westerly, R.I., has been promoted to Assistant Vice President, Marketing, where she is responsible for overseeing sales and marketing support for business development teams throughout the Bank. Birchell joined the Bank in 1996 in the Mortgage department and moved to the Marketing department in 1998. She was promoted to Marketing Officer in 2004. Birchell graduated from the American Bankers Association School of Bank Marketing and Management at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., in 2007, where she earned the designation of Certified Financial Marketing Professional. She is a member of the New England Financial Marketing Association.
Beth K. Frenette, of North Stonington, Conn., has been promoted to Assistant Vice President, Cash Management, where she is responsible for the servicing of both new and existing commercial and municipal customers within the cash management portfolio. Frenette joined the Bank in 1988 as a member of the PRO-Team working in various functions throughout the branch network, and other departments. In her tenure with the Bank, Frenette has held the positions of customer service representative, and Account Information Center Supervisor and Officer, before joining the cash management team in 2007. She holds an associate's degree from Community College of Rhode Island is Chairman of the Columbus Day Parade Committee in Westerly, R.I.
Jane McGregor, of Richmond, R.I., has been promoted to Assistant Vice President, Treasury, where she is responsible for asset/liability management, balance sheet budgeting and forecasting, cash management activities and wholesale funding and investment portfolio accounting. She is the Bank's primary resource for asset/liability management modeling and analysis, and is actively involved in the Bank's ALCO and Pricing Committee meetings. McGregor holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Rhode Island College and is parish auditor for St. Joseph's Church.
Carolyn Creighton, of Green Hill, R.I., has been promoted to Assistant Vice President, Audit, where she is responsible for testing departments' adherence to the Bank's internal controls, security measures, and operating procedures. She also works closely with the Compliance department to ensure that new regulatory requirements are followed. Creighton joined the Bank in 2002 with an extensive background and in-depth knowledge of retail banking functions and branch operations. She was promoted to Senior Auditor in December 2006 and to Audit Officer in December 2007. Creighton holds a B.A. in History and Political Science from Salve Regina University.
Christine M. Brierly, of Carolina, R.I., has been promoted to Small Business Lending Credit Officer, where she is responsible for developing and analyzing credit information in a diverse portfolio of loans. Brierly joined the Bank in August 1999 in the Mortgage department and moved to the Secondary Market Department in 2000. In 2007, she joined the small business lending team as a Small Business Lending Associate. Chris holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Rhode Island.
Michael C. Conti, of Cranston, R.I., has been promoted to Loan Operations Officer, where he is responsible for set-ups of all new commercial and consumer loans, and residential mortgages, as well as post-closing quality control. Conti joins the Bank with more than 13 years in the banking industry, most recently as banking officer at Bank of America in Providence, R.I.
Christina A. Nicodemus, of Charlestown, R.I., has been promoted to Account Information Center Officer, where she is responsible for assisting customers through the Bank's call center, as well as supporting the Bank's online banking and bill payment services. Nicodemus joined the bank in 2005 and was promoted to Account Information Center Supervisor in 2009.
Elizabeth M. Turner, of Brooklyn, Conn., has been promoted to Risk Management Officer, where she participates in all functions of the risk management team, including special assets, managed assets, and appraisal and environmental administration. Turner holds a B.S. from the University of Connecticut and is a volunteer coach with her local youth basketball program
The Washington Trust Company is a subsidiary of Washington Trust Bancorp, Inc., a $2.9 billion corporation headquartered in Westerly, Rhode Island. Founded in 1800, Washington Trust is the oldest community bank in the nation and is the largest independent bank headquartered in Rhode Island. A state-chartered bank, Washington Trust offers a full range of financial services, including business banking, personal banking, and wealth management and trust services, through its offices located in Rhode Island, southeastern Connecticut and Massachusetts. The Corporation's common stock trades on The NASDAQ Global Select® Stock Market under the symbol WASH. Web site address: www.washtrust.com.