Oak Ridge, N.J. –March 13, 2015 – Thomas J. Shara, President and CEO of Lakeland Bank, is pleased to announce the following promotions and appointments.
Stacey Bestafka appointed to Assistant Treasurer, Audit Officer in the Audit department based in Milton. Bestafka joins the Bank with over 25 years of banking experience most recently with Accountemps where she was assigned to Lakeland Bank. Prior to that, she was a Consultant with Account Principals assigned to the internal audit department of Sterling National Bank in Montebello, N.Y. She began her career at Hudson City Savings Bank in Paramus, N.J. as a Loan Processor quickly advancing to Staff Bank Auditor, and in 2001 was promoted to Assistant Vice President. Bestafka attended Bergen Community College and Berkeley College. In past years, she was active with the Girl Scouts of America and St. Joseph’s School parent activities. Bestafka is a resident of Bogota.
Raymond Cordts promoted to Senior Vice President, Business Development Officer based in Sparta. Cordts began his career in 1969 as a mail clerk with National Community Bank in Ridgefield, N.J. In 1983, he joined National Bank of Sussex County (NBSC) as Branch Manager of the then newly acquired Sparta office, and advanced to the position of Vice President, Branch Administrator and a member of the NBSC management team. Lakeland Bank acquired NBSC in 2000, and Cordts was named Business Development Officer. A graduate of Ridgefield High School, Cordts graduated from the American Institute of Banking and studied business administration at Upsala College. He is an active member of the community serving as Trustee for Newton Medical Center Foundation; Trustee for SCARC Foundation Board; Trustee for Patriots’ Path Council, Boy Scouts of America; Director of Sussex Rural Electric Cooperative; and past President of Sussex County Chamber of Commerce. Cordts resides in Frankford.
Julie Fleming appointed to Assistant Vice President, Senior Credit Analyst for Commercial Loans in Newton. Fleming was most recently Senior Credit Analyst, Assistant Vice President at First Bank in Denville, and prior to that was with Lakeland Bank as a Senior Credit Analyst. Her career began in 1984 at Independence Bank in Ramsey where she advanced to the position of Credit Manager. After the acquisition by Commerce Bank in 1991, she was promoted to Regional Credit Manager. In 1998, Fleming joined The CIT Group in Parsippany as a Loan Account Manager, and in 2000 joined FleetBoston Financial in Glen Rock as Underwriter, Vice President. Fleming spent 10 years in real estate sales before returning to banking in 2012. She has a bachelor’s degree from St. Thomas Aquinas College, and is a member of United States Tennis Association and Lake Mohawk Yacht Club. Currently residing in Sussex County, Fleming previously lived in Bergen County.
Robert Keyes promotedto Assistant Treasurer, Portfolio Manager for the Commercial Lending Team based at the Bernardsville office. He joined Lakeland Bank in 2013 as a Senior Credit Analyst, and prior to that he was a Credit Analyst TD Bank in Manhattan, N.Y. for three years. Keyes earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the College of New Jersey. He is a resident of Morristown.
Nina Luongo promoted to Vice President and Cash Management Sales Manager in the Government, Financial Services division based in Montville. Luongo began her career with Lakeland Bank in 1988 as Branch Manager of the Wyckoff Office. She was promoted to Vice President in 2009 and named Area Manager of Wyckoff and Park Ridge Offices in 2011. Prior to joining the Bank, Luongo was a Manager with Fleet Bank in the Wyckoff market. Luongo is a member of the Montvale Chamber of Commerce, Park Ridge Chamber of Commerce and Wyckoff Chamber of Commerce. She has served as Secretary/Treasurer of the Angels of Hope Foundation since 2004. Luongo is a resident of Ramsey.
About Lakeland Bank
Lakeland Bancorp (NASDAQ: LBAI), the holding company for Lakeland Bank, has $3.5 billion in total assets with 51 offices spanning eight northern New Jersey counties: Bergen, Essex, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren. Lakeland Bank, headquartered in Oak Ridge, offers an extensive array of consumer and commercial products and services, including online and mobile banking, localized commercial lending teams, an expanded residential mortgage lending platform and 24-hour-or-less turnaround on consumer loan applications. For more information about the full line of products and services, visit LakelandBank.com.
