SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Richard Shirtz, the Central New York (CNY) regional president for NBT Bank, plans to begin transitioning toward retirement, the bank announced Thursday.
David Kavney, who serves as NBT’s regional president in the Mohawk Valley, will succeed Shirtz in the CNY regional leadership role, while maintaining his current role in the Mohawk Valley, per a bank news release.
Kavney assumes his additional responsibilities in April with continued support from Shirtz, Florence Doller, senior vice president & director of corporate communications at NBT Bank, told CNYBJ in an email message.
Shirtz is concluding a banking career that spans more than 40 years, including nearly a decade of service to NBT. Shirtz has served as the leader of NBT’s commercial-banking business in Central New York and provided executive leadership for other business units in the region since 2013.
“Professionally, Rick played a critical role in transitioning employees and customers into NBT when we expanded in Central New York and has since grown our team and customer base through excellent leadership and expertise,” Sarah Halliday, president of commercial banking at NBT Bank, said in the release. “Personally, his deep connections within the community and countless hours spent mentoring and developing his team will leave a lasting impact on both our organization and all who he has interacted with during his career.”
Kavney, who will lead NBT’s Syracuse and Mohawk Valley regions, joined NBT Bank in 2019 and has more than 30 years of experience in commercial banking in the Mohawk Valley and Central New York.
“I am honored to take on this expanded role and to be able to serve these two markets I have had the pleasure of calling ‘home,’” Kavney said. “With the strong foundation Rick has built, I look forward to continuing to work alongside our talented and experienced Mohawk Valley team and to begin working with our Central New York team to deliver the highly personalized and responsive community banking that has been the hallmark of NBT Bank’s success.”
Shirtz had this to say about the transition to Kavney. “Having worked closely with David as the Mohawk Valley regional president these past few years, I can say with the utmost confidence that there is no one better for this job,” Shirtz said. “His significant financial services experience in greater Syracuse and in the Utica-Rome area position him to be able to deliver unique and personal leadership to both our customers and employees in these unique regions.”
Besides his banking duties, Shirtz has remained actively involved in the community as immediate past chair of Syracuse Stage, VP of the board of directors for The First Tee of Syracuse, a member of CenterState CEO partners advisory committee, and a member of the Syracuse Roman Catholic Diocese investment committee, NBT Bank said.
About NBT Bank
Headquartered in Norwich, NBT Bank offers personal banking, business banking, and wealth-management services from branches in seven states, including New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine and Connecticut.
The bank and its parent company, NBT Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ: NBTB), had assets of $12 billion as of Dec. 31, 2021.