FLORENCE—Florence Bank is pleased to announce it has hired a commercial loan officer and a branch manager.

Xiaolei Hua, of South Hadley, has joined the bank as vice president / commercial loan officer, while Shadia Coley, of Enfield, Connecticut, has been named branch manager / branch officer of the bank’s new Holyoke office set to open in 2026. 

Hua has 20 years of banking experience, and prior to joining Florence Bank, he held the positions of commercial credit officer, assistant vice president / portfolio manager and vice president / commercial lending. He is skilled in business development, relationship management, financial and credit analysis and underwriting.

In his new role, Hua will develop, manage and deepen client relationships while supporting the bank’s strategic growth goals. 

Hua holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a master’s in business administration from the same institution. He also attended the New England School for Financial Studies at Babson College, which trains banking professionals.

He is a board member and Finance & Investment Committee member for the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts and a board member and Finance Committee member for Tech Foundry. Hua has also been named a 40 Under 40 by BusinessWest.

Coley has over 10 years of banking experience and previously held the positions of assistant branch manager / business specialist and branch manager. In addition to managing Florence Bank’s newest branch, she will oversee community outreach and engagement, team leadership and coaching and customer service. 

She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Southern New Hampshire University and a master’s in business administration with a concentration in finance, also from SNHU. She sits on the board for Dress for Success Western Massachusetts.

President and CEO Matt Garrity is pleased to welcome the bank’s newest team members. “Xiaolei and Shadia come to us with a wealth of experience in banking,” said Garrity. “With their prior experience and stellar skillsets, I am confident they will provide exceptional service to Florence Bank’s customers.”

About Florence Bank

Florence Bank is a mutual savings bank chartered in 1873. Currently, the bank serves the Pioneer Valley through 12 full-service branch locations in Florence, Northampton, Easthampton, Williamsburg, Amherst, Hadley, Belchertown, Granby, Chicopee, West Springfield and Springfield. A Holyoke branch will open in the spring of 2026. Additionally, Florence Bank offers 23 ATMs and a wide range of financial services, including investment management through Florence Financial Group to consumers and businesses.

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FLORENCE—Florence Bank is pleased to announce the promotion of eight team members.

Sarah Darling of Greenfield was promoted to senior vice president; Tim Deshaies of Holyoke, Elissa Langevin of Wilbraham, Dave Limero of Whately and Erin Prickett of Springfield were named first vice president; and Kim Downing of Wilbraham, Alissa Fuller of Ware and Andrew Tulis of Northampton were elevated to vice president.

Darling joined the bank’s team in 1985 and has 40 years of banking experience. As the bank’s treasurer, she will continue to oversee financial management of the bank and its financial reporting. She currently serves as board member and treasurer for the Lilly Library in Florence.

With 39 years of banking experience, Deshaies manages branch operations to support the bank’s strategic goals. He will continue to manage projects, software programs, vendors and branch risk. Deshaies has a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in business administration from Western New England College. 

Langevin joined the bank’s team in 2007 and has 40 years of banking experience. As area manager and retail development director, she will continue to oversee the bank’s branch managers, providing leadership, employee development and training. She serves as treasurer and board member of the Belchertown Day School.

Limero joined the bank in 2015 and has 16 years of banking experience. Using his skills in project management, expense management, vendor contract negotiation and business process automation, he will continue to oversee all aspects of corporate project management, IT operations, deposit operations and business intelligence.

Prickett is a 15-year employee of Florence Bank and will continue to oversee and manage the bank’s compliance programs and digital banking initiatives, combining strategic thinking with extensive knowledge of banking regulations and a strong background in digital transformation. She has a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Connecticut and is a graduate of the New England School for Financial Studies.

With 41 years of banking experience, Downing oversees the Chicopee Branch and will continue to provide superior professional service to internal and external customers. This includes supporting and training her team and handling mortgage and home equity accounts. She serves as a board member for the Therapeutic Equestrian Center in Holyoke and committee member for The Chicopee Boys and Girls Club.

Fuller joined the bank’s team in 2022 and has 25 years of banking experience. She will continue to oversee Florence Bank’s overall compliance program and ensures adherence to federal and state regulations as well as the CRA regulation, which requires the bank to meet the credit needs within the communities it serves, particularly in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods. 

Tulis is a 14-year employee of Florence Bank and will continue to be responsible for ensuring compliance with laws and regulations by developing and adhering to policies and procedures that oversee the Bank Secrecy Act program, Anti-Money Laundering program and Office of Foreign Asset Control compliance. 

Matt Garrity, president and CEO of Florence Bank, said, “We are thrilled to announce these well-deserved promotions. They are all dedicated and valued team members who consistently deliver great results. They have been key assets to the bank for many years.”

About Florence Bank

Florence Bank is a mutual savings bank chartered in 1873. Currently, the bank serves the Pioneer Valley through 12 full-service branch locations in Florence, Northampton, Easthampton, Williamsburg, Amherst, Hadley, Belchertown, Granby, Chicopee, West Springfield and Springfield. Additionally, it offers 23 ATMs and a wide range of financial services, including investment management through Florence Financial Group to consumers and businesses.

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FLORENCE—Florence Bank announced it recently presented its 2025 Community Support Award to Alissa Fuller of Ware, a compliance and Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) officer since 2022.

The Community Support Award was established by the bank in 1997 as a means of formally recognizing team members who are active in the community and give their personal and professional time to local nonprofit organizations.

Each year, the award recipient selects an organization of his/her choice, and the bank donates $500 to that organization on the recipient’s behalf. Fuller chose to support The Care Center in Holyoke because she applauds its mission.

She supports many other nonprofits in the region with her time, serving on the advisory council for the Ronald McDonald House of Springfield; as a volunteer for the Amherst Survival Center, the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts and Community Action Pioneer Valley, where she assists with tax preparation. 

Fuller has 25 years of banking experience and has served in other roles, including loan operations manager. She oversees Florence Bank’s overall compliance program and ensures adherence to federal and state regulations as well as the CRA regulation, which requires the bank to meet the credit needs within the communities it serves, particularly in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods.

She has an associate degree in business administration from New England College of Business and Finance. In 2022, she obtained fair lending expert certification from Tuscan Club University.

“Alissa is a team member we are proud of as she has proven herself to be an active volunteer who supports area nonprofits and those they serve,” said Matt Garrity, president and CEO of Florence Bank. “She is well-deserving of the Community Support Award.”

About Florence Bank

Florence Bank is a mutual savings bank chartered in 1873. Currently, the bank serves the Pioneer Valley through 12 full-service branch locations in Florence, Northampton, Easthampton, Williamsburg, Amherst, Hadley, Belchertown, Granby, Chicopee, West Springfield, and Springfield. Additionally, it offers 25 ATMs and a wide range of financial services, including investment management through Florence Financial Group to consumers and businesses.

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FLORENCE—Florence Bank recently presented the 2025 President’s Award to three staff members for exceptional service. 

Established in 1995, the President’s Award recognizes outstanding performance, customer service and overall contribution to Florence Bank. Those named are nominated by their colleagues at the bank. 

This year’s award recognizes Brennan LaFlamme of Westfield, an IRA specialist in the bank’s main office in Florence; Bill Olejarz of Longmeadow, an information security risk analyst, also in the main office; and Katherine Ravenelle of Southampton, teller operations manager in West Springfield.

LaFlamme has six years of industry experience and has served as a teller supervisor and customer service specialist. Responsible for maintaining all IRA accounts and keeping up to date on regulations, he provides IRA trainings for customers and staff. Currently working toward a degree in cybersecurity at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, LaFlamme is active in the community, serving as a board member for the Therapeutic Equestrian Center in Holyoke.

With four years in the industry, Olejarz assesses cybersecurity risk to help protect sensitive data and systems, reviews vendor security and works with departments to support compliance and ensure security controls are in place to reduce threats. He is skilled at third-party risk management, regulatory compliance, cybersecurity and risk reporting, security awareness training and cross-department collaboration. He holds a master’s degree in cybersecurity management from Bay Path University, a bachelor’s in business administration from Western New England University and an associate degree in computer information systems from Springfield Technical Community College.

Ravenelle has 13 years of banking experience. She manages teller line operations to ensure quality service is provided while adhering to policies, procedures and security. She handles customer transactions, account openings and account servicing and is skilled at customer service as well as adapting to different markets and customer needs, branch operations, fraud prevention and detection.

Matt Garrity, president and CEO of Florence Bank, said, “We are very proud of these three individuals who gained notice from their peers because they are courteous, hard-working and dedicated to their areas of expertise. Their contributions to Florence Bank allow us to provide the superior customer service for which we are known.”

About Florence Bank

Florence Bank is a mutual savings bank chartered in 1873. Currently, the bank serves the Pioneer Valley through 12 full-service branch locations in Florence, Northampton, Easthampton, Williamsburg, Amherst, Hadley, Belchertown, Granby, Chicopee, West Springfield, and Springfield. Additionally, it offers 25 ATMs and a wide range of financial services, including investment management through FSB Financial Group (FSBFG) to consumers and businesses. Florence Bank is consistently voted best local bank by the readers of the Valley Advocate.

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FLORENCE—Florence Bank recently welcomed Callie Flanagan of Holyoke as vice president / small business lender in the Commercial Originations department of the Florence headquarters.

She has 13 years of small business lending experience and most recently worked at the U.S. Small Business Administration as lender relations specialist / Springfield branch manager.

Skilled at building relationships, credit analysis, underwriting, portfolio management and SBA lending, Flanagan has also served as a loan officer and director of lending at Common Capital. While in the latter role, she led a small lending team to achieve top lender in the state with the U.S. Small Business Administration for multiple loan products over multiple years.

“A small business lender works with small businesses in the community to obtain financing that will help that business launch, grow and expand,” Flanagan said. “I will assist with the direction and coordination of small business lending activities, and I look forward to counseling customers where possible regarding business management and financial matters.”

She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Fordham University and is vice chair of the Holyoke Economic Development and Industrial Corporation and a member of the Ladies’ Ancient Order of the Hibernians.

“We are excited to have Callie on our team. She brings excellent lender experience, SBA knowledge and passion and will surely be a valuable asset to our customers,” said Florence Bank President and CEO Matt Garrity.

Learn more at FlorenceBank.com.

About Florence Bank

Florence Bank is a mutual savings bank chartered in 1873. Currently, the bank serves the Pioneer Valley through 12 full-service branch locations in Florence, Northampton, Easthampton, Williamsburg, Amherst, Hadley, Belchertown, Granby, Chicopee, West Springfield, and Springfield. Additionally, it offers 25 ATMs and a wide range of financial services, including investment management through Florence Financial Group to consumers and businesses.

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FLORENCE—Florence Bank is pleased to announce that Amanda Constantilos has been promoted to manager of the bank’s King Street branch in Northampton.

Constantilos joined the bank’s team in 2016 as a senior teller, and since, she has served as a teller operations manager in the Granby branch and as a customer service representative and assistant branch manager in Hadley.

She has 19 years of experience in the banking industry and is skilled in customer service, team work, communication, problem-solving and employee development.

In her new role, which she assumed in May, Constantilos is responsible for leadership and team development, decision-making and community engagement. “I will make sure our customers feel welcome and taken care of from the moment they walk in,” she said. “It’s about building real relationships and helping our community with big and small needs.” 

Matt Garrity, president and CEO of Florence Bank, said, “We appreciate Amanda’s dedication to our customers, and we are proud to see her growing as a bank leader.”

About Florence Bank

Florence Bank is a mutual savings bank chartered in 1873. Currently, the bank serves the Pioneer Valley through 12 full-service branch locations in Florence, Northampton, Easthampton, Williamsburg, Amherst, Hadley, Belchertown, Granby, Chicopee, West Springfield, and Springfield. Additionally, it offers 25 ATMs and a wide range of financial services, including investment management through Florence Financial Group to consumers and businesses.

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FLORENCE—Florence Bank has promoted Candace Pereira of East Longmeadow to the role of vice president / commercial lender. 

Since 2018, she has worked at Florence Bank as assistant vice president / commercial portfolio manager in the Commercial Lending department. In her new role, Pereira will concentrate on commercial and industrial lending, and lending to women-owned businesses. 

Pereira holds an associate degree in finance from Springfield Technical Community College and a bachelor’s in business administration from the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She is currently pursuing an MBA from Isenberg as well.

Pereira began her career in banking in 2003 and has held various roles at mutually held and stockholder-owned banks in Western Massachusetts in both residential and commercial lending. 

Working at Florence Bank as a lender excites Pereira because she believes customers are better served with a mutual bank. “Decisions are made locally. The management team knows the market,” she said. “A mutual bank is also more invested in the community and its overall success. We give back to the community.”

Recently named an ambassador for the Springfield Regional Chamber of Commerce, Pereira is also a member of the 2017 class for BusinessWest’s 40 under Forty, and she attended the Springfield Leadership Institute. Pereira has served on various local boards over the last several years and has also volunteered as an athletic coach in East Longmeadow, where her daughter is a student. 

Matt Garrity, president and CEO of Florence Bank, said of Pereira, “Candace has a solid foundation in working directly with customers and understanding their financial situations. We are pleased to welcome her to our team of commercial lenders.”

About Florence Bank

Florence Bank is a mutual savings bank chartered in 1873. Currently, the bank serves the Pioneer Valley through 12 full-service branch locations in Florence, Northampton, Easthampton, Williamsburg, Amherst, Hadley, Belchertown, Granby, Chicopee, West Springfield, and Springfield. Additionally, it offers 25 ATMs and a wide range of financial services, including investment management through FSB Financial Group (FSBFG) to consumers and businesses. Florence Bank is consistently voted best local bank by the readers of the Valley Advocate.

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