Oak Ridge, NJ - May 29, 2009 – Thomas J. Shara, President and CEO of Lakeland Bancorp, has announced the appointment of Ronald E. Schwarz to the position of Executive Vice President and Chief Retail officer.
Ron has over 30 years of retail banking experience in Northern, New Jersey, most recently with Sovereign Bank where he held the position of Executive Vice President and Market Executive of Retail Banking for their Northern New Jersey division. In this capacity, he was responsible for all aspects of management for a 79 branch network and over $4 billion in deposits. Ron also has been actively involved in small business lending initiatives. Prior to Sovereign, Ron was Senior Vice President and Director of Retail Banking for Independence Community Bank. Other employment included positions with Broad National Bank, Urban National Bank, Midlantic National Bank and United Jersey Bank. “As we expand our network in existing and adjacent markets, Ron's experience will support our client acquisition process,” said Shara.
Ron is a graduate of the Stonier Graduate School of Banking and is the Chairman and member of the Executive Board for the Hudson County Community College Foundation and member of the Board of Trustees of the Jersey City Museum Board. Ron resides with his family in North Haledon, NJ.
Mr. Shara further announced the appointment of Jeffrey J. Buonforte to Executive Vice President, with responsibility for government and business services. “Looking at our strategic plan, we have identified a number of critical areas that would have a direct impact on Lakeland's continued success," said Shara. "Included in these initiatives are the expansion of municipal banking, wealth management and cash management in the high growth areas of Bergen, Passaic and Morris Counties," said Shara. "Having an executive level officer with the energy and experience that Jeff brings to this position is a reflection of its critical nature and gives us a strong competitive advantage," he noted.
Mr. Buonforte resides in Ramsey, NJ with his family.
Lakeland Bancorp, the holding company for Lakeland Bank, has a current asset base of $2.6 billion and forty-eight (48) offices spanning six northwestern New Jersey counties: Bergen, Essex, Morris, Passaic, Sussex and Warren. Lakeland Bank, headquartered at 250 Oak Ridge Road, Oak Ridge, offers an extensive array of consumer and commercial products and services, including online banking, localized commercial lending teams, equipment leasing, and 24-hour or less turnaround time on consumer loan applications. For more information about their full line of products and services, visit their website at www.lakelandbank.com.