Phyllis Hanlon

Special To Banker & Tradesman

Phyllis Hanlon is a freelance writer and a frequent contributor to Banker & Tradesman.
Phyllis Hanlon can be reached at editorial@thewarrengroup.com
Maria Alves

Maria Alves

For Maria Alves, it’s all about the customer. Her innate consideration for and desire to help others shines through in both her professional and personal lives. A graduate of Bay State College, Alves has also taken several accounting and management courses at Bryant...
Janis Dodge

Janis Dodge

During her college years, Janis Dodge thought she would pursue a career in either law or politics. But a job in the consumer electronics field steered her down a different path, and she wouldn’t change one minute of the journey. After college, Dodge accepted a...
Beth Ann Meehan

Beth Ann Meehan

As a little girl, Beth Ann Meehan vacationed on Nantucket Island and vowed someday to live there year-round. In September 1994, she kept that promise, established a career and became a champion for affordable housing. Meehan holds a bachelor’s degree in communications...
Timothy Telman

Timothy Telman

Although his career has followed a mostly financial path, Timothy Telman considers himself an entrepreneur first and a banker second. Telman received his undergraduate degree in economics from Boston College and continued his education at Babson College, where he...

Thomas Hankard

When someone says they like to work with people, you might imagine they would become a nurse, librarian or teacher. But for Thomas Hankard, a career in the financial industry has given him the best opportunity to share his penchant for helping people.

Michael Shuman

A natural-born problem solver, Michael Shuman never expected this innate quality to lead to a career in finance.

Lisa DonFrancesco

Lisa DonFrancesco

Before she knew what it meant to be a businesswoman, Lisa DonFrancesco knew she wanted to be one. Her father, who embodied superior work ethics and integrity throughout his career in insurance and investment sales, became the inspiration for her goals.

Cynthia B. Keliher

Cynthia B. Keliher

If you ask Cynthia Keliher the secret to her success, she will credit her parents for the great life she has. From an early age, she was taught to work hard, always be kind and value education. Those lessons have served her well.

Eleanor White

Eleanor White

Growing up on the south side of Chicago in one of the city’s only culturally diverse neighborhoods taught Eleanor White a valuable lesson: the problem of poverty and the need for publicly-assisted housing go hand-in-hand.

Tom Coots

Customers who do business at The Cooperative Bank sometimes encounter a Revolutionary War soldier manning the teller’s window. Not to worry – it’s just Assistant Vice President Tom Coots, still wearing historical attire from a reenactment.

Edward Lomasney

As a youngster, Edward Lomasney watched his parents leave for their jobs in the business community, impeccably dressed in their suits, an image that impressed him. Today, son imitates father and mother as he heads out the door each morning on his way to Eastern Bank and the business community.

Bruce Weisberg, RPA

Armed with a degree in hotel administration from the University of New Hampshire, Bruce S. Weisberg embarked on a career that would set the stage for his proclivity for helping people.

Catherine Goodall

After she graduated from high school in 1979, Catherine Goodall worked for a short time at Beneficial Finance before landing a job as a receptionist at Workers’ Credit Union. She wasn’t sure what the future held, but never expected she would still be with the credit union, albeit in a much different position, some 35 years later.

Michael Maestri

After Michael Maestri graduated from high school, he started taking accounting classes at Bentley University. But to cover his tuition, he needed to work part-time, so he applied for a teller’s job at Cambridge Saving Bank. Little did he know at the time that the decision would portend his future.

Saritin Rizzuto

More than 20 years ago, when she was a teenager, Saritin Rizzuto knew she was destined to help people. In her first job as peer leader for the Department of Public Health, she worked with at-risk youth in the community, educating them about violence prevention, substance abuse and teen pregnancy. That opportunity lit a fire for “doing for others.” Her subsequent activities, both professionally and personally, reflect her commitment to improving the lives of others.

Ray Wrobel

A college education can impart a solid academic foundation and help direct a person’s career track, but flesh-and-blood mentors have the ability to exert lifelong influence, and sometimes redirect the course. Just ask Ray Wrobel, vice president at Align Credit Union.

Carolyn Chodat

Carolyn Chodat

Anyone who knows Carolyn Chodat might assume her favorite children’s book was “The Little Engine That Could.” As an adult, she certainly exemplifies the determination and daring to pursue her goals that the tiny locomotive displayed.

Gail Roberts

Gail Roberts

Combine enthusiasm, professionalism and commitment and you have a formula for success. Just ask Gail Roberts, vice president of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Cambridge; she has been using this recipe for the last 30 years.

Maryruth Ryan

If you ask most teenagers what their future career paths might look like, chances are most of them will have no clear-cut idea. But for Maryruth Ryan, vice president of Bank of America Home Loans, that question, even at that time of her life, would have received a resounding answer – the real estate/mortgage business.

Sushil K. Tuli

Sushil K. Tuli, chairman and sole owner of Leader Mortgage Co. Inc., and president and CEO of Leader Bank, is a self-proclaimed entrepreneur.