Our People

Beginning her career as a teller in 1985, JoAnn is currently located in Canton, New York, working in the Business Banking Department, alongside an amazing group of teammates and supervisors. Previously working in the Loan Operations Department, JoAnn appreciated how everyone came together as a team to achieve their end-of-year goals. She learned a lot about the work ethic and company culture through this team’s supportive nature and is proud to call many of those people her friends today. Some of the best advice she received came from a former boss who simply told her to believe in herself. A simple, yet encouraging phrase that can change the trajectory of a person’s career, and that’s exactly what it did for JoAnn.

Karen originally started working for the company in 1987 as a part-time teller, and since then has worked her way up to the corporate level. Beginning in November of 2025, Karen switched to working remotely from South Carolina. She admires the company’s reputation, and the opportunities to grow within. One of her proudest moments was at the 150 Year Anniversary Event, when she received several hugs from fellow CFSI employees that were at the other end of the audits she participated in over the years. Her coworkers are reliable and committed to their work which has made her appreciate the company and value her work even more.

Yvonne is currently located at the Nottingham Trust branch in Olean, New York, but began working for CFSI as a teller in 1988. Grateful for the opportunity she was given many years ago, Yvonne had just moved to the area with only 2 years of prior banking experience. Over the years, she has grown personally and professionally, witnessing many procedure changes within the company, from local to country-wide divisions. Throughout all these changes Yvonne has acquired a lot of knowledge by resolving issues and researching within her various roles. After being given such an amazing opportunity, she finds pride in hiring team members that excel at their jobs and are willing to learn. There is great value in the co-workers that truly care and show it in the small ways. Yvonne is proud of the time and effort she has given to Community Bank throughout her career and has always given it her best. 

Currently located at the Olean North Union Street Branch, Tracie started her journey with CFSI when she was 21 years old as a full-time teller in 1989. Over the last 37 years she has had the opportunity to grow as a person, and advance in the company alongside some very exceptional people, she now refers to as her family. A major highlight in Tracie’s career happened when she was promoted to an Assistant Vice President. It wasn’t so much the title, but the recognition for all her hard work, dedication, and loyalty to Community Bank that mattered the most. Tracie is beyond grateful for being able to stay with the company and help make Community Bank the place it is today.  

Gina is located in Massena, New York. She originally started working for the company in 1989 as a teller at one of the branches when it was still named St. Lawrence National Bank. It has been an honor for her to see the company grow, and she is proud to have been a part of that growth. Gina has always enjoyed her job, and one of her favorite parts is the people she works with. They have become a second family to her, and she loves having fun and encouraging one another. Gina shows up every day with a smile on her face and does her best no matter what. She lives by the phrase, “treat everyone as you would want to be treated”. Community Bank is about bringing people together and helping others, which has made it an honor to work for such a strong and reliable company. 

Violet joined the CFSI family in March of 1990 as a secretary in Commercial Loans. On the day of her interview, she spoke with Jane Black and expressed her interest in moving back home to become established in the area once again. Violet and Jane are still friends to this day, which shows how much of a family Community Bank is. There is no “I” in team. Strong communication and teamwork are crucial to succeeding, which has allowed Violet to grow and learn throughout her time with the company, as well as building friendships along the way. Serving the community is a major part of CFSI, and one Violet has a lot of personal experience with working in Regulation E. Within the research and documentation that the role comes with, you never know what you’ll find, but in the end it’s important to remain patient and understanding when dealing with customer needs.

Deanna started at the company in 1991 as a Loan Operations Clerk, and currently resides in Olean, New York in the Loan Operations Department. She enjoys providing solutions, helping others, and finds a great deal of satisfaction in understanding challenges, determining resolutions, and sharing knowledge to make a positive impact. Deanna takes great pride in the meaningful presence Community Bank has with their Operations Center, being a service-oriented company. When working with the community, it’s important to be a good listener, keep an open mind, and value others’ perspectives. Those are three things Deanna emphasizes and strives to always implement into her work.

Throughout Kerrie’s career, she has been able to experience the sense of community and family-oriented work CFSI has to offer, which has built the foundation of the work she does today. Originally starting as a call-in teller in 1992, Kerrie now works in Watertown as a retail banking training manager. She is passionate about her job because she gets to support people and watch them develop and grow within the company. The feeling of helping others has driven her to continue working at CFSI over the years.  Along with that, she has personal experience seeing her fellow coworkers come together to support one another, and the community, regardless of whether the community members were customers or not. That’s what makes CFSI so special, is the fact that the employees are willing to help others simply because it’s the right thing to do. 

Lisa has been with the company for over 30 years, starting out as a teller in 1994. Since then, she has been able to advance her career and has been fortunate enough to have amazing supervisors that saw potential in her and continuously encouraged her professional development. A major highlight in her position is contributing to her unit’s success. There is a rewarding feeling that follows being an HR business partner, that revolves around solving and aligning strategy with business outcomes, while simultaneously making a meaningful difference for both the employees and the leaders she supports. Lisa’s coworkers are extremely supportive and always willing to lend a hand. 

Gretchen is located in Olean, New York and began working for CFSI as a Loan Operations Insurance Representative in 1994. One of the best parts of Gretchen’s job is the feeling she gets when she has truly helped someone. She also loves getting to meet new customers and hearing their stories. The relationships she has formed since becoming a member of the CFSI family has kept her here for all those years. They’re not just co-workers for Gretchen; they are some of her closest friends. Working through rough times, such as the pandemic, has made her appreciate her work even more, because she was able to ease a lot of anxiety for customers with an instrumental group of people behind her every step of the way. 

Lynne works at the Dewitt headquarters and first joined the team in 1994 as a senior auditor. She loves her job because of all the people she gets to interact with between branches, departments, and her own branch admin team. A proud moment in Lynne’s career happened when she was selected for her current role, as the VP/Asst. Director of Branch Administration. She cherishes her position because of the ability she has to help branches and drive positive changes for them. Lynne believes there are more than two sides to every story, and that compromises often lead to the best outcome.