Charles J. Perrillo, Jr
28 Cottonwood Drive
Williston, VT 05495
Bio
Charlie leads Community Bank’s Trust Investment group which provides financial planning and investment management solutions to individuals and institutional clients alike. He specializes in asset management for a wide range of non-profit organizations and is responsible for oversight of the bank’s Trust Investment policy and procedures.
Charlie has spent the past 24 years with Community Bank’s Trust Department and is a 30-year investment industry veteran. He holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ designation and is a member of the Financial Planning Association.
He is actively involved in a number of community service initiatives which include serving as past President of Worcester Baseball Organization, fundraising for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life and volunteering for Saturday’s Bread.
Charlie earned a BA from the State University of New York at Albany and an MBA in Finance from Russell Sage.
Christine Petras AFIM®
5 Ford Avenue
Oneonta, NY 13820
Bio
Christine has investment management responsibilities for accounts located throughout our New York and Northeast, Pennsylvania footprints. She is also the investment groups’ internal interface with our Ops team and handle much of our investment compliance reporting.
She began her banking career in 2010 as a Junior Trust Investment Analyst with Wilber National Bank. Following the Community Bank merger, she was promoted to Trust Investment Officer and most recently to Trust Investment Officer 3 in 2020. Christine plays a key compliance role as co-chair of our Annual Investment Review Committee (AIR). She is also a member of our Trust Investment Committee, Asset Allocation Committee, Equity Review Committee and Mutual Fund Committee.
Christine received a B.A. in Mathematics from SUNY Geneseo in 2006 and received Cannon Financial Institute’s Accredited Fiduciary Investment Manager (AFIM) designation in 2017.
Janet Arnold CTFA
1 Steuben Square
Hornell, NY 14843
Bio
Janet Arnold is a Trust Officer at Community Bank, N.A. and is responsible for personal trust administration, investment and individual retirement account administration, estate planning and settlement, retirement planning, and supplemental needs trust. She has more than 30 years of experience in the financial industry and has been with Community Bank, N.A. since 2020.
Janet holds her ABA Certification in Trust, and is a Certified Trust & Financial Advisor.
Jennifer Critti-LeBeau CTFA
5 Ford Avenue
Oneonta, NY 13820
Bio
Jennifer is a seasoned Senior Trust Officer at Nottingham Trust, bringing a wealth of experience since she began her career in Trust and Investments in 1996. As the head of the Oneonta team, she oversees all aspects of client relationship management, including individual accounts, retirement accounts, trusts and estates. Jennifer excels in understanding the unique challenges faced by both individual and institutional clients, offering a wide range of tailored financial solutions.
A Certified Trust and Fiduciary Advisor (CTFA), Jennifer attended Empire State College for Business Administration. Her commitment to her community is evident through her active participation as a board member and volunteer for various non-profit organizations.
John Jones CTFA
5 Ford Avenue
Oneonta, NY 13820
Bio
John started working at Wilber National Bank in 2000 as a teller in the Sidney Office, shortly before receiving his B.S. in Finance and Economics from Niagara University in 2001. He held various positions on the retail side including customer service agent, customer service representative, customer service loan representative, and branch manager prior to moving to the Trust Department in 2010.
In the Trust Department, John has held various roles, initially working as retirement services manager responsible for the IRA program. After the merger with Community Bank in 2011, John became a Trust Administrative Officer and attained his Certified Trust and Fiduciary Advisor (CTFA) designation. John has since transitioned to the investment side where he is responsible for the investment management of over 300 accounts across our New York footprint. John is a member of our Trust Investment Committee and performs analysis of our approved list stocks and mutual funds as a member of our Equity Review and Mutual Fund Committees.
Karen Dovey CTFA
300 West Water Street
Elmira, NY 14901
Bio
Karen Dovey is a Trust Officer at Community Bank N.A. and is responsible for personal trust administration, estate planning and settlement, retirement planning and supplemental needs trusts. She has more than 30 years of experience in the financial industry and has been with Community Bank N.A. since 2009.
As a lifelong resident of Chemung County, Karen is extremely involved in her community outside of the office. She has served as board member for Family Services of Chemung County for many years and is a volunteer for Catholic Charities.
Karen holds an A.S. in Liberal Arts from Corning Community College and earned her CTFA designation through ABA Institute of Certified Bankers. In addition, she attended New York State Bankers Trust Administration and Cannon Trust School.
Thomas LaPage CTFA
64-70 Market Street
Potsdam, NY 13676
Bio
Thomas has over 18 years’ experience in the Trust and Wealth Management industry, managing wealth for clients, trustees, executives and non-profits. Thomas joined Community Bank in 2009, where he currently serves as Regional Manager for the trust department, overseeing the Potsdam and Watertown regions as well as participating as a member of our Discretionary Payment Committee and Unique Asset Committee. He specializes in personal trust administration, estate planning and settlement and charitable trust planning, as well as corporate investments, and pension plans.
Thomas’ educational credentials include a B.S. in Finance from Clarkson University, with a CTFA designation from the ABA Institute of Certified Bankers. He is also a graduate of the New York State Bankers Trust School, and Cannon Trust School. Currently, he is taking courses to obtain his CFP® designation.
Brett Zielasko, JD, CTFA
182 Main Street
Oneida, NY 13421
Bio
Brett is a Certified Trust & Financial Advisor based in our Oneida, NY Trust office. He joined Community Bank Trust Services in 2015 through our acquisition of Oneida Savings Bank, where he served as Vice President & Department Head for the Oneida Savings Trust Department. Brett has over a decade of experience in the trust and investment industry and currently serves as Vice President and Senior Trust Officer for our Central New York region. Brett holds a BA from SUNY Oswego and a Juris Doctorate degree from the Western New England College School of Law. He is also a member of the Estate Planning Council of Central New York, the New York State Bar Association, Oneida Healthcare Foundation (Board Member), and Builders of the Arc Foundation (President/Board Member).
Adam C. Niebanck, CFP®
5 Ford Avenue
Oneonta, NY 13820
Bio
Adam is a Senior Portfolio Manager, managing many of our significant individual and institutional relationships across our New York footprint. He is also a key member of our Trust Investment Committee, Asset Allocation Committee and provides individual stock analysis for our Equity Review Committee.
Before joining the trust division in 2007 Adam was a registered representative in the INVEST Financial program. Immediately prior to joining the bank, he held various positions in the investment field, including insurance sales, tax preparation and financial planning. Other work experience includes a six year period as the Financial Officer and a partner in an Environmental Consulting firm in Oakland, CA from 1994 until moving to upstate New York in 2000.
Adam received his B.A. in Political Studies and Business from PACE University in Manhattan in 1992. In June of 2012, he received his Certified Financial Planning (CFP) designation.
Paul Wood CFP®, CTFA, CPWA®
5 Ford Avenue
Oneonta, NY 13820
Bio
Paul serves as Market Manager overseeing our Oneonta trust team. He joined us in 2016 after working as Senior Vice President, Trust for National Bank of Delaware County. In this capacity Paul managed a small trust business for five years, responsible for managing a variety of trusts (individual trusts, private foundations, cemeteries). He also held securities licenses while there.
Prior to that, he worked for a consulting company that served medical professionals, working with their accountants and attorneys to facilitate succession planning and practice sales. He previously spent five years in a paralegal capacity for a local law firm specializing in real estate transactions, business transactions, and estate planning.
As a result, Paul has developed good working relationships with a variety of area attorneys
Paul has successfully completed requisite educational requirements through the American College of Financial Planning to apply for the Accredited Estate Planner designation through National Association of Estate Planners & Councils (not yet applied) – Coursework required Advanced Estate Planning and also included Charitable Planning/Giving
He received the Certified Professional Wealth Advisor designation through Yale SOM Executive Education. In achieving this designation, he deepened his understanding of the needs of high net worth (HNW) clients. As an example, planning for closely held business owners & executives and opportunities for multi-generational client engagement for increased account retention.
Paul is a graduate of Southern New Hampshire University , earning a BS in Business Administration and lives in Walton NY where he is actively involved within his community
David LaForest CTFA, MBA
4996 Main Street
Manchester Center, VT 05255
Bio
David serves as Regional Manager covering Southern Vermont, Springfield, Mass and NY’s Capital District. David joined CBNA in 2017 with the acquisition of Merchants Bank. Prior to joining Merchants Bank in 2011, David was a Senior Vice President and Regional Manager with People’s United Bank having worked there for 20 years.
Over the course of the 30 years, a few of David’s experiences are:
Award winning history of sales/retention throughout his career
Trust operations experience – Institutional Trust desk and Security Movement and Control desk
Created process and procedure for the Fiduciary Tax Department for Peoples United Bank (then Chittenden Bank) including developing an admin training program to standardize processing and reduce errors. Completed a similar process here at Community Bank.
Served on three different committees to implement core trust accounting system conversions and a variety of third party supporting fintech conversions.
Involved in creation of departmental budgeting, marketing campaigns, goal setting and strategic planning
David holds a CTFA (Certified Trust and Financial Advisor) designation from the American Bankers Association. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree from Castleton University and a MBA from University of Phoenix.
David Rice
4996 Main Street
Manchester Center, VT 05255
David joined Merchants Bank as a teller in 2013 after graduating from Southern Vermont College with a bachelor's degree in Political Science. He transferred to the Trust Department in 2016 as a Trust Administrator. In David’s administrative role, he is responsible for opening and closing trust accounts, processing disbursements, and has become well versed in process management. David also is a contributor to additional projects including the Advisor Engine Project (Junxure) and the Synergy Project. David hopes to work towards a Trust Officer Position as he continues to develop his foundational trust knowledge.
David has a strong knowledge of retail banking/services with 9 years banking experience including 6 years with trust. David has shown very strong customer service skills and enjoys providing customers with a personal experience.
David is also a professional bowler and percussionist who lives in Bennington, VT with his wife Heather and daughter Olivia.