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About Us

 

History

Established in 2007, The Bank of Princeton opened its Chambers Street doors for business on the 23rd of April. Since then, the Bank has grown to include twenty branch locations that serve Mercer, Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Hunterdon,
Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, and Somerset counties in New Jersey along with four branches in the Montgomery County and Philadelphia markets of Pennsylvania. Today, The Bank of Princeton is comprised of twenty-four branch locations and a
comprehensive Operations Center headquartered in Princeton.
 

Biographies – Directors

Richard J. Gillespie is the retired Founder and President of Gillespie, Inc. Started in 1973, the agency grew to become one of the 75 largest advertising agencies in the United States with annual billings in excess of $200 million. The agency was acquired by McCann-Erickson in 1998 and Mr. Gillespie served on both the North American and Worldwide Boards of the firm’s direct marketing division before retiring in 2005. Highly experienced in financial services marketing, Mr. Gillespie has worked with many major banks and financial services companies including Capital One, The Bank of New York, Household and MBNA, to name a few. He was elected to the New Jersey Advertising Hall of Fame. He has served as Vice Chairman of MediGuide America since 2006.  He has also served as President of RG Development, a real estate development firm with interests in New Jersey, since 2006.  Richard Gillespie has served on our board of directors since 2007.  Mr. Gillespie is qualified to serve as a director due to his previous board experience, his familiarity with the financial services industry and his business ties to our market.

Stephen Distler spent 25 years in the financial services industry.  From 1984 to 2002 he worked at Warburg Pincus, LLC, one of the world’s pre-eminent private equity investment firms, principally serving as Managing Director and Treasurer.  He is an active venture investor and a member of the board of directors of Apex Learning, Inc. and Teachers Support Network, Inc., two for-profit education companies.  Since 2008, he has been co-owner of Elements, a restaurant in Princeton, NJ. Stephen Distler has served on our board of directors since 2007.  Mr. Distler is qualified to serve as a director due to the broad experience garnered during a lengthy career in the financial services industry, his business evaluation and development skills and his ties to the local business community.

Ross Wishnick was a homebuilder for 25 years specializing in the development of active adult communities.  He was a senior executive with Crestwood Village, Inc. (1978-1997), a New Jersey developer and one of the pioneers in that segment of the homebuilding industry.  In addition, Mr. Wishnick was a founding director of Windsor, New Jersey-based First Washington State Bank (1988-2005).  For 15 years, he helped grow the bank from one branch to fifteen branches and from $3 million in assets to $500 million.  He served on the loan, personnel and technology committees during his tenure.  For the past nine years, Mr. Wishnick has been a member of and now chairs the Princeton Human Services Commission (2009-present), which provides services to youths and seniors in general assistance and advocacy for this segment of the local population.  As part of this Commission, Mr. Wishnick took the lead on founding Send Hunger Packing Princeton (2013-present), which provides supplemental weekend food packages for students receiving free and reduced lunches.  Mr. Wishnick is also a member of the advisory board of the Princeton Education Foundation (PEF) (2010-present).  PEF supports excellence in Princeton Regional Schools by contributing raised funds for capital improvements, educational programs and teacher support.  Mr. Wishnick is also a member and treasurer of the Princeton Democratic Municipal Committee (PDMC) (2008-present) which is an elected position representing District 2.  Ross Wishnick has served on our board of directors since 2007 and currently serves as Vice Chairman.  Mr. Wishnick is qualified to serve as a director due to his commercial real estate development skills, his previous bank director experience and his ties to the local community.  
Judith A. Giacin has been a member of the Certified Public Accounting firm Horvath & Giacin, P.C. since its founding in 1989.  She has been a Certified Public Accountant for over 35 years helping clients to achieve both personal and corporate financial goals.  She is currently a member of the New Jersey Society of Certified Accountants Peer Review Executive Committee and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountant.  Ms. Giacin earned her Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from Rutgers University.  Judith A. Giacin has served on our board of directors since 2007.  Ms. Giacin is qualified to serve as a director due to her expertise and skills as a Certified Public Accountant, her familiarity with our operations, her business ties to our market and her involvement in local community activities.  The board of directors has determined that Ms. Giacin is an “audit committee financial expert,” as defined in the regulations of the SEC.
Janet Lasley worked in the construction industry for over 25 years. She was the founder and President of Lasley Construction, Inc., established in 1985 and co-founder and Co-President of Lasley Brahaney Architecture and Construction, established in 1998. Her company has focused primarily on custom residential renovations and the construction of new homes. After a brief stint at college, Ms. Lasley left to become a political activist and carpenter’s apprentice. After years of field work as a carpenter, she moved into a variety of management positions in several local construction companies. Ms. Lasley was active on the Board of Directors of the Foundation at the University Medical Center at Princeton. She participated in and chaired several charity events, often devoted to raising awareness and money for cancer care and research. She also was involved in several non-profits such as HomeFront, the Elizabeth Glazer Pediatric AIDS Foundation, the Stony Brook Watershed, and the Rocky Hill Planning Board. 

Robert N. Ridolfi is the managing member of the law firm Robert N. Ridolfi, LLC, specializing in land use and real estate law.  Since 1974, he has been both a licensed attorney in the State of New Jersey and a member of U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey.  He is a 1970 graduate of Princeton University and a 1974 graduate of the University of Denver’s College of Law.  Since 1974, Mr. Ridolfi has been a member of both the New Jersey Bar Association and the Mercer County Bar Association, where for several years he served as Chairman of the Real Estate Section.  In 2014, he was appointed a member of the Mercer County Judicial and Prosecutorial Due Diligence Committee.  Mr. Ridolfi is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of the Princeton Symphony Orchestra and has served as the attorney for the Mercer County Planning Board since 2007.  Mr. Ridolfi has also been a Life Governor of the Board of Trustees for the Princeton Charter Club since 2002.  He has had significant experience in complex residential and commercial financing transactions.  Throughout his career, Mr. Ridolfi has been active in numerous communities as well as charitable and educational organizations in the Hopewell area.  Robert N. Ridolfi has served on our board of directors since 2007.  Mr. Ridolfi is qualified to serve as a director due to his skills in the area of real estate law, his familiarity with our operations and his deep ties to the local community.

Since 1997, Stephen K. Shueh has been a Managing Partner of Roundview Capital, a money management firm for high net worth families and institutions.  Mr. Shueh received an A.B. with honors from Princeton University, and earned an M.B.A. from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where he was the recipient of the Dean’s Award.  He helped create, and currently serves on, the investment committee to manage capital for Grounds for Sculpture, which was founded in 1992 by artist and philanthropist John Seward Johnson II.  He has chaired the Endowment Management Committee for the United Way of Greater Mercer County since 2009.  He has been active with the Princeton YMCA since 2003, and served as Chairman of the Joint Trustees of the Princeton YMCA/YWCA in 2015.  Mr. Shueh has served as President of his graduating class at Princeton University since 2002.  He was on the board of the Nassau Hockey League from 2013 ‑ 2016, the Montgomery Basketball Association since 2014, and the Montgomery Township Education Foundation since 2013.  In 2016, he joined the Montgomery Township Recreation Committee to help manage the township’s significant investments in its parks and recreational facilities.  He currently serves as Chairman of the Recreation Committee.  He also serves on the board of directors for the various funds managed by Lightbox Ventures.  Lightbox is an early-stage venture firm in India.  The firm was founded in 2014 when Lightbox raised a fund to acquire Indian investments made by venture firms Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB) and Ram Shriram’s Sherpalo Ventures. Stephen Shueh has served on our board of directors since 2008.  Mr. Shueh is qualified to serve as a director due to his business development skills, his familiarity with our operations, and his ties to our market.

Martin Tuchman has served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Tuchman Group, a firm with holdings in real estate, banking and international shipping, since 2007.  He has served on Board of Directors of Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure, LLC, a NYSE listed company, since May 2015.  Mr. Tuchman served as Vice Chairman of First Choice Bank in Lawrenceville, New Jersey from December 2008 to April 2015, and served as Chairman of First Choice Bank from April 2015 to December 2016.  He  served on the Board of Directors of Yardville National Bancorp from 2000 to 2007.  He served on the Board of Directors of Horizon Lines, Inc. from November 2011 to May 2015 and on the Board of Directors of SeaCube Container Leasing Ltd., from March 2011 to April 2013.  Mr. Tuchman holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and a M.B.A. from Seton Hall University.  Mr. Tuchman joined our board in September 2017.  Mr. Tuchman is qualified to serve as a director due to his previous board experience, his experience as a bank director, his extensive business leadership experience and his ties to our market.

 
 

Biographies - Officers

Edward Dietzler currently serves as the Bank’s president and chief executive officer.  Mr. Dietzler joined the Bank in September 2009 as Senior Vice President of Corporate Development and was promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer in March 2011.  He became Acting President in January 2012 and was promoted to President of the Bank in May 2012.  In June 2012, Mr. Dietzler was appointed to the board of directors of the Bank.  In January 2018, he was named chief executive officer of the Bank. Prior to coming to the Bank, he was the Managing Director at Bear Stearns Bank and Trust in Princeton, NJ from November 2007 through August 2008. While at Bear Stearns he was responsible for all aspects of banking and mortgage operations.  From May 2003 through October 2007, he was with Yardville National Bank as First Senior Vice President of Capital Markets, where he oversaw the balance sheet and capital management.  Prior to that, Mr. Dietzler was with GMAC Mortgage as the Director of Risk Management from December 1997 through May 2003 and was responsible for derivative trading and balance sheet management. Mr. Dietzler is a graduate of Widener University where he earned a Master’s degree in Business Administration.  Throughout his career, Mr. Dietzler has been active in numerous community, charitable and educational organizations in the local area.  Mr. Dietzler is qualified to serve as a director due to his role as the president of the Bank, his business development skills, his familiarity with our operations and his ties to our market.  Under the Banking Act, the president of the Bank is required to be a director.

Mr. Tonkovich joined the Bank in 2012 as Senior Vice President and Credit and Workout Director.  He became Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer on February 25, 2019.  He has over 30 plus years’ experience in the banking industry which included managing teams of commercial lenders, workout staff, and leasing divisions and serving as liaison to internal and external audit groups.  His prior experience includes Summit Bank, where he was formally credit trained and went on to lead a commercial lending group. He also spent 17 years at Santander Bank where he managed the workout, leasing and aviation groups. He received degrees in finance and economics from Mount Saint Mary’s University in 1986. He is a current member of Robert Morris Association and Turnaround Management Association. 
Mr. O’Donnell has over 19 years of experience in the financial services industry.  Before joining The Bank of Princeton in February 2014, Mr. O’Donnell managed the Compliance Department at Cenlar FSB from September 2012 to January 2014 in his role as Assistant General Counsel.  Prior to that, Mr. O’Donnell served from July 2009 to August 2012 as Chief Legal and Compliance Officer at First Bank, a community bank located in Hamilton Township, NJ.  Prior to that, Mr. O’Donnell served from January 2001 to June 2008 as the Chief Legal Officer and Secretary of Yardville National Bank, a community bank located in Hamilton Township, NJ, where he oversaw the Legal, Compliance and Risk Departments of that bank.  Mr. O’Donnell is actively involved in a number of community and charitable organizations in Mercer County, NJ, and serves on the boards of the 200 Club of Mercer County, Notre Dame High School, and the Friendly Sons & Daughters of St. Patrick of Mercer County.  Mr. O’Donnell received a Bachelor’s of Business Administration in Accounting degree from the University of Notre Dame and a Juris Doctorate degree from St. John’s University School of Law.  
 From February 2013 to May 2016, Mr. Rapp served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Shore Bancshares, Inc. in Easton, Maryland, a bank holding company and a reporting company under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.  From 2010 to 2012, Mr. Rapp served as the Chief Financial Officer and one of the four executive founders of World Currency USA in Marlton, New Jersey, a provider of foreign currency exchange services to financial institutions, where he was responsible for the financial operations, including raising capital to fund the start-up operation.  Between 2005 and 2010, he served as the Chief Financial Officer of Harleysville National Corporation, a regional banking corporation in Harleysville, Pennsylvania, where he managed all financial functions including controller, treasury and shareholder relations.  Between 1980 and 2005, Mr. Rapp held a variety of roles with various financial institutions, including as Chief Financial Officer, Senior Vice President & Chief Accounting Officer, Chief Operations Officer and Controller.
Ms. Adkins joined The Bank of Princeton in February 2009 as Vice President, Commercial Lender with 30 years of banking experience. She is formerly of Peapack-Gladstone Bank, where she was also a Vice President, Commercial Lender. Ms. Adkins is a graduate of Douglass College at Rutgers University, where she earned a BA in Economics.
Barbara A. Cromwell joined The Bank of Princeton in February 2007 as Senior Vice President and currently serves as the Director of Market Development. She brings with her over 30 years of experience in the banking industry. Ms. Cromwell previously was a Senior Vice President for Yardville National Bank where since 1998 she successfully managed sales teams and developed new primary markets for the bank. Under Ms. Cromwell’s leadership the Hunterdon Market grew to over 360 million in deposits in three years, with seven branch locations. Prior to Yardville, Ms. Cromwell spent 8 years at Summit Bank as a Vice President in the Princeton Market. While at Summit, she served on the Board of The Borough Merchants for Princeton as Treasurer and participated as an active member in the Princeton Chamber of Commerce. More recently she has co-chaired the Hopewell Harvest Fair. Ms. Cromwell currently is a board member of the Hopewell Valley Education Foundation, Corner House Foundation, and The Arc of Hunterdon County. She is an active member of the Pennington Business and Professional Association. She participates on several committees within the organization and has served on the Board as Treasurer. Throughout her banking career, Ms. Cromwell remained active in the community and continues to support various business and charitable organizations in both Mercer and Hunterdon Counties. 
Kris Muse joined the Bank of Princeton in March 2007 as a Senior Vice President and Commercial Lending Officer. Ms. Muse has been a community Banker for more than 22 years primarily serving the Burlington, Camden and Mercer County areas. Prior to The Bank of Princeton, Ms. Muse worked for Commerce Bank N.A. for 13 years and was responsible for small business relationships and most recently working with the Healthcare Group. Ms. Muse has taken her healthcare expertise and currently leads the healthcare initiative at The Bank of Princeton. Ms. Muse maintains a community presence as a member and Board Member of the Princeton Rotary and Board member of the YWCA Trenton. She also remains active in those events supporting the Healthcare industry. 
Karen D. Pfeifer joined the Bank in December 2007 as Assistant Vice President, Compliance Officer. A career banker with over twenty-four years of bank operations experience, Ms. Pfeifer assumed Operations duties in December 2009 and continues to serve as Compliance Officer for the bank. She began her career in bank operations with United Jersey Bank in Hackensack and then spent 10 years with Nat West Bank in South Plainfield. She has also worked for Fleet Bank and Summit Bank, managing large deposit operations departments at both banks. Ms. Pfeifer also spent 2 years as a Project Manager in the Operations department at First Morris Bank and Trust. 
 
Anna Maria Miller joined The Bank of Princeton in 2011. Ms. Miller maintained positions in Human Resources for more than 20 years. She has held a number of key management roles in various industries, such as financial services, management consulting, higher education, and the entertainment industry. She specializes in organizational development, executive coaching, career transition and strategic planning. She has worked for leading companies such as, Right Management, Rutgers University, PNC Financial, Time Warner, United Jersey Bank and Booz Allen & Hamilton. She has an excellent track record of recruiting and retaining employees throughout her career. She holds an MA in Organization Development & Training and a BA in Psychology both from Montclair University and a Certification in Human Resources Management from Cornell University. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Initial Incorporators:

Andrew M. Chon
Gregg E. Chaplin
Peter M. Crowley
Stephen Distler
Richard Gillespie
Bumsung Han
John Horvath
Kevin R. Kenyon
W. Andrew Krusen, Jr.
Janet Lasley
Emmett Lescroart
Dennis Machulsky
Casey K. Min
J. Scott Needham
Henry S. Opatut
Robert N. Ridolfi, Esq.
James M. Riley
Jeffrey H. Sands
Eric L. Steinfeldt
Ross E. Wishnick
 

Advisory Board Princeton:

George L. Bustin
Barbara Cuneo
Peter J. Dawson
Robert Dunn
Paul Gerard
Michael Goodman, Esq.
Yongkeun Joh
Martin Kahn
Emmett Lescroart
Lance Liverman
Jerry MacLean
J. Scott Needham
Nelson Obus
Joseph Ridolfi
Chetan Shah, MD
Scott Sipprelle

Directors:

Richard Gillespie , Chairman
Stephen Distler , Vice Chairman
Ross E. Wishnick , Vice Chairman
Judith A. Giacin
Janet Lasley, In Memoriam
Robert N. Ridolfi
Stephen K. Shueh
Martin Tuchman

Advisory Board New Brunswick:

Sam Boraie
Thea Berkhout
James Decker
Glynn Dwyer
Jonathan Glick
Ninfa Mueller
Ros Neal
Beverly A. Poelstra
Mark Sherman
Pam Stefanek
H. Edward Wilkin, III