Ira Robbins

President & CEO of Valley National Bank

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  As President and CEO of Valley National Bank, Mr. Robbins works with Valley's Board of Directors and the senior management team to develop and lead Valley's strategic vision and direction, while promoting a culture that embraces corporate social responsibility.

  Mr. Robbins joined Valley in 1996 as part of the Bank's Management Associate Program and is a licensed CPA in New Jersey, a member of the New Jersey State Society of CPAs and the American Institute of CPAs. He serves as a board member for the Jewish Vocational Service of MetroWest NJ (JVS) and is also a member of the Morris Habitat for Humanity Leadership Council.

Robert J. Bardusch

Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

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  As COO, Mr. Bardusch plays a critical role working with Valley’s executive leadership team to deliver the bank’s strategic vision.  He focuses on integrating platforms, improving service delivery and efficiency, and fostering innovation to support the bank in operating with the right balance of quality, flexibility, control and cost.  In addition to these responsibilities, Mr. Bardusch leads Valley’s digital transformation projects and all technology and operations-based aspects of the bank.
  
   

Alan D. Eskow

Senior Executive Vice President and Corporate Advisor

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  As Senior Executive Vice President, Corporate Advisor, Alan Eskow provides support, insight and guidance to accelerate the execution of the Bank’s strategic initiatives.
  
  Alan joined Valley in in 1990 and is a licensed CPA in New Jersey and a member of both the American Institute of CPAs and the New Jersey State Society of CPAs.  He was designated the Controller in 1998 and Chief Financial Officer in 2000. 

Michael D. Hagedorn

Senior Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer

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  As CFO, Mr. Hagedorn leads all key finance and capital market strategies while working with the leadership team to define and execute all corporate planning initiatives. Mr. Hagedorn also oversees all aspects of financial reporting, accounting, corporate tax, corporate treasury, balance sheet management, wealth management and investor relations.
   
  Prior to joining Valley in 2019, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of UMB Bank and Vice Chairman of UMB Financial Corporation in Kansas City, Missouri for more than four years. In addition, Mr. Hagedorn served as CFO and CAO at UMB for 10 years prior to being named President and CEO.    
   
  He has been an active supporter of the local community, serving on the boards of the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, Kansas City Streetcar Authority, Kansas City Downtown Council, University of Kansas School of Business and several other philanthropic organizations. Michael is an accomplished professional who has been recognized by the Kansas City Business Journal as a CFO of the Year Honoree in 2009, 2010 and 2012 and by The Des Moines Business Record with their “40 Executives Under 40” honor in 2004.   
   

Tom Iadanza

Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Banking Officer

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  Mr. Iadanza joined Valley National Bank in 2012 through the acquisition of State Bank of Long Island and brings over 35 years of experience to his position. As Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Banking Officer, Mr. Iadanza will be responsible for Commercial Lending, Commercial Real Estate Lending, Consumer Lending, and Credit Underwriting encompassing all of Valley's markets in New Jersey, New York and Florida.

Ronald H. Janis

Senior Executive Vice President and General Counsel

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  Mr. Janis joined Valley in 2017 and is recognized as an expert in the field of bank and securities regulation and corporate governance. Before joining Valley, Mr. Janis served as a partner in the Corporate and Business Department of Day Pitney LLP for over 20 years where he represented Valley. As the Company's General Counsel, he is responsible for counseling senior management on a number of issues including acquisitions, federal securities law, regulatory matters and corporate governance.

  He is a member of the American Bar Association, Committee on Federal Regulation of Securities and an author for its Task Force on Governance Issues in Business Combinations. He also served two terms on the Banking Law Section of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York.

Yvonne Surowiec

Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer

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  Ms. Surowiec joined Valley in 2017 and brings more than 30 years of experience as a highly accomplished leader and human capital strategist to her role at Valley. As Chief Human Resources Officer, she fosters a culture of progressive innovation by leading all human resources functions including recruiting, talent management, leadership development, organizational design, training and retention. She is a member of the Advisory Board for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Essex, Hudson and Union Counties and holds certifications as a Senior Professional in Human Resources, Certified Compensation Professional and Certified Benefits Professional.

Joseph V. Chillura

Executive Vice President and President of Commercial Lending for Florida & Alabama

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  Mr. Chillura began his professional banking career in 1988 at First Union National Bank in the Corporate Training Program. Mr. Chillura was a successful corporate banker with First Union in Tampa through 1997 when he joined Manufacturers Bank of Florida in Tampa. He served as chief operating officer and senior lender as well as a member of the Board of Directors for Manufacturers, which was acquired in 2001. After the acquisition, he stayed on until 2007 and served as regional chief executive officer and president of the banks with more than $3 billion in assets and more than 400 employees.
  
  Mr. Chillura earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida. As a graduate of Jesuit High School, he currently serves on the President’s Cabinet and is a member of the Jesuit Alumni Association.  Additionally, Mr. Chillura serves on the boards of Lowry Park Zoo and Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla. He is also a member of the Tampa Yacht and Country Club and the Longboat Key Club.

Mitchell Crandell

Executive Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer

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  Mr. Crandell joined Valley in December 2005 as Assistant Controller, quickly progressed to Controller and has been our Chief Accounting Officer since November 2010. His depth and breadth of expertise spanning more than 25 years has been relied upon throughout Valley’s evolution.
  
  Mr. Crandell began his career in the financial services practice of KPMG LLP and serviced both large and small banking clients.  He subsequently held various positions, including the head of financial reporting and controller, at MB Financial, Inc. prior to joining Valley. Mr. Crandell is a licensed CPA in New Jersey and a member of the American Institute of CPAs.

Kevin Chittenden

Executive Vice President and Chief Residential Lending Officer

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  Mr. Chittenden joined Valley in 2016 and brings more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry, including retail banking management and consumer lending development to his position. As Chief Residential Lending Officer, Mr. Chittenden is responsible for shaping the strategic vision of the Bank's residential lending business. This includes oversight of the Bank's residential lending operations, sales, lending practices, policies, procedures and activities in the secondary market.

Mark Fernandez

Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer

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  Mr. Fernandez joined Valley National Bank as part of the merger of Valley and USAmeriBank. Prior to joining USAmeriBank, Mark founded the corporate advisory firm EMF Consulting, assisting organizations in marketing, community outreach and business development strategies. A 25-year veteran of the sports and entertainment industry, he is responsible for marketing strategy, brand management, communications, advertising, community impact and public relations.

  Most recently, he served for two years as the Board Chairman for the United Way Suncoast, having also chaired the United Way’s Annual Campaign and Tocqueville campaigns in recent years. In 2010 he was the inaugural recipient of the organization’s Community Advocacy Award.

  In addition to chairing numerous community leadership programs and civic activities, he serves on the Board of Directors for the Helios Education Foundation, University of South Florida Foundation, Tampa General Hospital Foundation, United Way Suncoast, Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, American Heart Association, Hillsborough Education Foundation, and the Tampa/Hillsborough Homeless Initiative.

Bernadette M. Mueller

Executive Vice President and Corporate Social Responsibility – CRA

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  Ms. Mueller joined Valley in 1992. Her overarching responsibilities include the planning and execution of philanthropic support and community development strategies, delivering solutions that help promote social and environmental change to fulfill the Bank’s commitment to its communities and employees.  Ms. Mueller is dedicated to building a culture that embraces corporate social responsibilities across the Bank’s four state foot print and continues the Bank’s commitment to the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA). In this role, she assists the Bank in attaining its strategic goal of assisting communities through financial and employee involvement in social, charitable and service organizations. 
  
  Ms. Mueller is involved with various philanthropic organizations and serves on the Board of Directors of the New York Mortgage Coalition and Junior Achievement of North Jersey and serves on the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) Community Banker’s Collaborative Council and the Building Alabama Reinvestment (BAR) Council. She was recognized in March 2011 as an honoree in the Financial Services category for the Garden State Woman of the Year.

Mark Saeger

Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer

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  Mr. Saeger joined Valley in 2015 as the Department Head of New York Commercial Lending and brings over 30 years of banking experience to his new role. As the Chief Credit Officer, he will be responsible for monitoring and managing the aggregate risk trends in the Bank's loan portfolio. He will also develop enterprise-wide credit underwriting policies and procedures that support Valley’s strong credit culture and growth plans.
  
  Mr. Saeger received a Bachelor’s Degree in International Economics from Georgetown University and a Master’s Degree from the Stern School of Business – NYU.

Melissa F. Scofield

Executive Vice President and Chief Risk Officer

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  Ms. Scofield is responsible for managing a number of independent control functions, including enterprise-wide Risk Management, Internal Audit, AML Compliance, Loan Review, Regulatory Compliance and Information Security. Prior to joining Valley, she served as an Assistant Deputy Comptroller for the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) in the New York Field Office, where she supervised a team of examiners and a portfolio of national banks and federal thrift institutions. Ms. Scofield served in various examining and supervisory roles at the OCC through her nearly 34 year career, primarily within Community and Mid-Size Bank supervision. She was commissioned a National Bank Examiner in 1989 and earned the credential to lead examinations of Federal Savings Associations in 2013.