SYRACUSE, N.Y. — M&T Bank announced it has appointed Melissa F. Zell to its Directors Advisory Council for the Central New York region.
The 10-member council meets regularly throughout the year to provide M&T Bank management with insight on a wide range of business, client, and community matters, the bank said in a news release.
Zell is the president and chief operating officer of the Pioneer Companies, a Syracuse–based real estate development and property management firm. In this role, she has led a number of projects, including turning the upper floors of the 21-story State Tower Building, the tallest in the city, into high-end apartments, per the release.
“Melissa brings a wealth of experience, from knowledge of local real estate to an understanding of the needs of the community, as well as the insights that come from running a successful real estate business. She will be a great addition to our council, helping us to continue our commitment to being an advocate for community growth,” Allen Naples, M&T Bank regional president for Central New York, said.
Zell first worked for the Pioneer Companies in the early 1990s as a construction manager and later as a project manager, before leaving to pursue a career in architecture. As an architect, she worked in New York and California on large institutional and corporate projects. Zell then worked as a sole practitioner, completing several residential projects throughout the United States and France, where she lived with her family for 10 years. She returned to Pioneer as an asset manager and later was promoted to her executive position.
In addition to Zell, M&T Bank’s Directors Advisory Council for the Central New York region includes James V. Breuer, Hueber-Breuer Construction; Carl Byrne, Byrne Dairy; Mara Charlamb, United Radio; James (Jim) Fox, O’Brien & Gere; Karyn Korteling, Pastabilities; Robert (Luke) Lewis, Lewis Custom Homes; Robert H. Linn; formerly with Ernst & Young; Joseph Mancuso, Hancock & Estabrook; and Richard J. Zick, Utica First Insurance.
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Photo credit: M&T Bank
