Saratoga National Bank and Trust Co. recently appointed A. Kishani Choudhury as branch manager of the Clifton Park office.
Choudhury joined the bank in 2018 as a business development officer and was most recently branch manager of the Schenectady Office.
In her Clifton Park Office role, she manages the staff and branch operations to deliver quality customer service while strengthening established relationships. She brings almost 20 years of banking experience to the position.
Choudhury is active in her community, serving on the Women In Business committee for the Southern Saratoga Chamber, as a member of Schenectady Business and Professional Women’s Club, a member of Business Network International and as a children’s ministry leader in her church. She currently lives in Malta.
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Upstate Agency LLC part of the Arrow Family of Companies, recently welcomed Matthew S. Ellis as senior commercial lines account manager.
Ellis is responsible for servicing a dedicated book of existing clients, which includes processing service-related needs and marketing renewals, as well as developing new business.
Ellis brings more than 10 years of local commercial lines insurance experience as an account manager and in commercial lines marketing. He is a licensed property and casualty agent and broker and is a designated certified insurance service representative.
He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from The College of Saint Rose and lives in Schuylerville.
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Monika Cronin, Alex Cooley and Melissa Shufelt of the Monika Cronin Team have joined up with Sterling Homes Real Estate, the Ballston Spa brokerage.
Cronin began her real estate career in the Capital District after her move from Chicago 15 years ago. She holds several designations, including Certified Real Estate Team Specialist (C-RETS), Real Estate Negotiation Expert (RENE), Seller Representative Specialist (SRS) and Certified New Home Sales Professional (CSP).
She has been the co-chair of the Saratoga Hospital Gala since 2021 and has been active with the committee of Equine Advocates since 2008. She and her husband are longtime supporters of organizations including the American Cancer Society, The Center for the Disabled, Saratoga Hospital and Albany Medical Center, and Siena College.
Cooley, of Saratoga Springs, holds the Military Relocation Professional (MRP) designation that allows him to help active duty and retired veterans with their real estate needs.
Shufelt has experience in real estate from Albany to Lake George and surrounding counties. She resides in Gansevoort with her husband, Matthew, and their children.
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Carmen Aybar has been appointed assistant vice president, market manager of retail banking and Laura Stewart has been named assistant vice president, market manager of retail banking at Ballston Spa National Bank.
Aybar will be responsible for aligning retail strategic goals in the bank’s southern branch locations to daily activities and deliverables that drive production and colleague engagement.
Bringing more than 10 years of banking experience to BSNB, Aybar worked most recently as a branch manager for a regional financial institution. Aybar also brings experience from managing her own small business located in the Dominican Republic.
In her past roles, Aybar was responsible for evaluating business structure, workflow, organization, training programs for employees, and overall efficiency. She provided clients with plans objectively outlining strategies and business model solutions for growth and success. Aybar earned a liberal arts degree from St. Petersburg College located in Florida.
With more than 20 years of experience in retail management, Stewart joined BSNB in 2015 in the retail banking department. Most recently she held the position of relationship manager in both the Milton Crest and Galway offices where she provided client services and operational leadership. She earned an associate’s degree in business administration from Schenectady County Community College. Stewart also completed the Bishop House Leadership Program and is the former president of the Galway Lioness Club. She is now an active member of the newly forming Galway Rotary Club.
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The Moreau Community Center recently announced the appointment of four members to the board of directors. This brings the number of board members to eleven.
Liz Wilcox is a 20-year resident of South Glens Falls and has a long history of volunteerism with arts and cultural organizations in the area.
She is the co-founder of Art in the Public Eye and former co-owner of Samantha’s Cafe and Catering. Formerly, with the Girl Scouts, Wilcox now works in community engagement for Glens Falls National Bank.
Gail Crandall brings over twenty years of experience as a staff member and volunteer with the Painted Pony Ranch and Adirondack Stampede Committee.
A lifelong resident of the area, Crandall plans on retiring from a career with New York state at the end of the year and dedicating her energies to family and helping others.
Amy Palmer is an 18-year resident of South Glens Falls and has an extensive background in healthcare as a registered nurse with training in emergency care, dialysis, and conscious sedation training.
Currently, she is a field staff supervisor for HCR Homecare located in Glens Falls.
Dan Biddiscombe is a graduate of South Glens Falls High School, holds a degree in Sociology and Ethics, and currently is part of the management team at Common Roots Brewing.
Biddiscombe has vast experience in event coordination and is a long-time volunteer with the South High Marathon Dance Volunteer/Events Committee.
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The Fingerpaint Group announced the hiring of Leo Tarkovsky as chief commercial officer.
Tarkovsky, a transformative business leader, joined Fingerpaint Group from WPP where he led enterprise-level healthcare growth efforts across all operating companies and disciplines worldwide.
At WPP, he also chaired the Healthcare Community, composed of all global healthcare agencies and client leaders.
Prior to WPP, Tarkovsky served as group president at IPG’s McCann Health, building and running several McCann Health agencies that, under his leadership, grew a stunning 300 percent.