UTICA — The board of directors of the Mohawk Valley EDGE recently elected Dr. Robert Geer, who is acting president of SUNYIT, and Chris Papayankos, who is SVP and commercial executive for Berkshire Bank, to fill vacant seats on the EDGE board. Geer was appointed acting president of SUNYIT by the SUNY board of trustees […]
UTICA — The board of directors of the Mohawk Valley EDGE recently elected Dr. Robert Geer, who is acting president of SUNYIT, and Chris Papayankos, who is SVP and commercial executive for Berkshire Bank, to fill vacant seats on the EDGE board.
Geer was appointed acting president of SUNYIT by the SUNY board of trustees on June 11, and he began work on Aug. 1. He holds a Ph.D. in condensed matter physics from the University of Minnesota, is vice president for academic affairs and chief academic officer at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) in Albany, and professor of nanoscience and a founding member of the CNSE faculty.
In his role at Berkshire Bank, Papayanakos services a region including Central New York and the Mohawk Valley, which encompasses the former Rome Savings Bank and Beacon Federal footprints. Berkshire has also recently announced the acquisition of 20 Bank of America branches in the Mohawk Valley, which are slated to become part of Berkshire in the first quarter of 2014. Papayanakos started with Berkshire Bank in December 2012. His banking career spans 30 years, most of which has been spent in this region with a six-year stint in the North Country.
These two new members bring the Mohawk Valley EDGE board total to 54 members, including four ex-officio, voting members.
“The EDGE board of directors is made up of community, business, and education leaders from Oneida and Herkimer counties. The addition of Dr. Geer and Mr. Papayanakos continue to strengthen the board and add valuable insight from industry and academia,” Steve DiMeo, president of Mohawk Valley EDGE, said in a news release.
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