Lee Bank Announces Multiple Staff Promotions, New Hire

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Susie Brown, Paula Lewis, Paula Miller and Kathy Kelly.

LEE, Mass. — Lee Bank recently announced the promotion of three key leaders within the company and the addition of a mortgage officer to support its continued growth in 2017.

Susie Brown has been named to the position of senior vice president, human resources and administration, Paula Gangell-Miller has been named to the position of vice president, community banking-retail operations, and Paula Lewis has been named to the position of first vice president, retail lending. They have a combined 70 years of tenure with Lee Bank, one of the few remaining local and independent full-service banks in the Berkshires.

In addition, Kathy Kelly has joined Lee Bank as a mortgage officer in its Pittsfield office. Kelly has been a mortgage professional for most of her banking career, with First Agricultural Bank, Legacy Banks and most recently Berkshire Bank.

Brown has been employed at Lee Bank for more than 37 years and has worked in many areas of the bank, including operations, human resources, building and maintenance, security, and administration. As senior vice president of human resources and administration, Brown will continue to oversee human resources, administration and security, and management of board meetings and governance processes for Lee Bank and its holding company, Berkshire Financial Services.



Gangell-Miller joined Lee Bank 29 years ago and has been involved in many facets of the bank throughout the years, having held positions as teller, operations supervisor, community banker, branch manager and area manager, in addition to her new role as vice president of community banking - retail operations.

Lewis joined Lee Bank in 2012 as vice president of mortgage loan operations. In her new position as first vice president of retail lending, she will oversee residential lending and will sit on Lee Bank’s ALCO committee as well as its executive loan committee.

"I am pleased to announce these well-deserved promotions and to welcome Kathy Kelly to the Lee Bank team," said President Chuck Leach. "I'm confident that Kathy will not only mesh with but also enhance our culture just as Susie Brown, Paula Lewis and Paula Gangell-Miller have for many, many years. Lee Bank is very fortunate to have an extremely valuable culture of loyal, dedicated employees who are not only outstanding contributors in the workplace, focused on continued excellence in serving our customers, but also to our Berkshire community," Leach said.


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Community Hero of the Month: Officer Joshua Tracy

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
LEE, Mass.—Lee Police Department patrolman Joshua Tracy has been selected for the February Community Hero of the Month. 
 
The Community Hero of the Month series runs for the next 9 months in partnership with Haddad Auto. Nominated community members and organizations have gone above and beyond to make a positive impact on their community. 
 
Tracy has been an officer in the Berkshires for seven years, working for multiple departments including North Adams, Pittsfield, and as of approximately 5 months ago, Lee. 
 
Prior to being an officer, Tracy served 12 years in the Army National Guard. He became an officer when he left the service because it not only allowed him to help others, which he knew he enjoyed, but allowed him to utilize his military training. 
 
When on a call, Tracy knows he is likely walking into someone's worst day, which is why he strives to be a dependable person for the people out in the community, he said. 
 
"I think the thing that I think about the most of making an impact is showing up on these calls that we go on and de-escalating and calming the situation down," Tracy said. 
 
"You know, most of the time when we show up, it's because someone's having one of their worst days or just a really bad day."
 
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