Lakeland Bank associates Julie Koop, Karen Garrera, Ron Krauskopf and Marlena Taglieri.
Oak Ridge, N.J. – July 6, 2023 – Thomas J. Shara, President and CEO of Lakeland Bank, is pleased to announce that Karen Garrera, Executive Vice President and Chief Retail Officer, Julie Koop, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Ron Krauskopf, First Senior Vice President, Group Leader – Specialty Lending Teams and Marlena Taglieri, Senior Vice President, BSA/Fraud Officer, recently graduated from the American Bankers Association (ABA) Stonier Graduate School of Banking and the Wharton Leadership Program held at the University of Pennsylvania.
“Our associates are the key to our success so being able to offer opportunities for our team members to expand their professional development is one of our top priorities at Lakeland,” said Shara. “The Stonier Graduate School of Banking is an intensive three-year program that focuses on preparing students to be future industry leaders, and I congratulate Karen, Julie, Ron and Marlena on this prestigious accomplishment.”
Karen Garrera began her career with Lakeland Bank in 2000 through the acquisition of Metropolitan State Bank as Vice President and Regional Administrator for the Southern Region. In 2007, Garrera was promoted to Senior Vice President, Regional Administrator and to First Senior Vice President and Senior Regional Administrator in 2016. She was promoted to Executive Vice President, Chief Retail Officer in 2020 and is responsible for leading Retail Sales, Retail Administration, Business Development, Community Development, Small Business Banking Sales and Branch Administration. She is a board member for Chilton Medical Center Foundation. Garrera resides in Frankford Township, N.J.
Julie Koop began her career with Lakeland in 2017 as Vice President – Human Resources Business Partner and was promoted to Senior Vice President – Human Resources in 2020. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Rutgers University and is a designated Senior Certified Professional by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). Koop is a certified Six Sigma Green Belt.
Ron Krauskopf joined Lakeland in 2019 as Senior Vice President and Team Leader of the Healthcare Lending business vertical. In 2022, he was promoted to First Senior Vice President, Group Leader – Specialty Lending Teams. Krauskopf earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Economics at The College of New Jersey. He is a previous member of the Advisory Council for Rutgers School of Public Health and currently sits on the Advisory Board for the Stillman School of Business at Seton Hall University. Krauskopf resides in Montville, N.J., where he coaches youth athletics.
Marlena Taglieri joined Lakeland Bank in 2005 as a Credit Analyst Trainee and transferred to the BSA department in 2006. Over the course of her career, she was promoted to positions with increasing responsibilities within the BSA department. She was promoted to her current role in 2018. Taglieri received the NJBankers Rising Star Award and is the charter representative for Cub Scout Pack 17 and assistant treasurer for the FBI Newark Citizens Academy Alumni Association. She resides in Rockland County, N.Y.
About ABA’s Stonier Graduate School of Banking
Offered in partnership with the Wharton School, the ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking trains the future leaders of the industry. To date, Stonier has educated more than 25,000 professionals. Most are vice presidents or senior vice presidents; one in five is an executive vice president, chairman or CEO. Attendees are from community and regional banks, money center banks and international financial institutions, and last year’s class attracted students from eight countries. Roughly 17% of attendees are from regulatory agencies, and all attendees are committed to taking their skills to the next level to advance their organization and their career.
Graduates of the program receive a Stonier diploma as well as a Wharton leadership certificate. For more information on the program, visit www.abastonier.com.
About Lakeland Bank
Lakeland Bank is the wholly-owned subsidiary of Lakeland Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:LBAI), which has over $10 billion in total assets. With an extensive branch network and commercial lending centers throughout New Jersey and Highland Mills, N.Y., the Bank has been offering business and retail banking products and services for over 50 years. Business services include commercial loans and lines of credit, commercial real estate loans, loans for healthcare services, asset-based lending, equipment financing, small business loans and lines, and cash management services. Consumer services include online and mobile banking, home equity loans and lines, mortgage options and wealth management solutions. Lakeland is proud to be recognized as a Best-In-State Bank by Forbes and Statista for the fifth consecutive year, named a Best Bank To Work For by American Banker and Best Companies Group, rated a 5-Star Bank by Bauer Financial and named one of New Jersey’s 50 Fastest Growing Companies by NJBIZ. Visit LakelandBank.com for more information.
