Press Releases

Randall E. Black, CEO and President of FCCB (First Citizens Community Bank) recently announced the winners of several awards the Bank presents each year to honor their top performers. Amongst the coveted honors are the Employees of the Year, the Superior Team Spirit Award, the Outstanding Service Award, the President’s Award and the FCCB Volunteer of the Year award.

“We typically celebrate these awards together at our annual Employee Service Day each February,” said Black. “But the health and welfare of our employees, and their families, is always a top priority. With the uncertainty still surrounding COVID, we felt it was better to stay safe and hold a small recognition ceremony this year.”

The 2021 Employee of the Year Awards were awarded to Jami Tomczuk, Cash Management Supervisor, and Kelly Watkins, Deposit Operations Supervisor. Both Jami and Kelly are forward thinking, TEAM oriented leaders, who have accomplished superior performance not only personally, but within their departments utilizing their excellent leadership skills. When Jami joined the bank in 2017, her mission was to build a qualified team to help our business customers efficiently manage cash flow and create operational efficiencies. Under her leadership, the Cash Management Team has experienced significant growth. Kelly, who has been with the bank since 1998, is dependable, highly energized and proactive in mentoring her team and identifying ways to help the bank better serve their customers. And if there is a more efficient way to do something, you can count on her to develop it!

Heather Sargent, PR and Marketing Coordinator, has been with the bank since 2013 and was given the Superior Team Spirit Award for her willingness to step up and help her Marketing Team get the job done and take projects to the next level. Others see not only her enthusiasm, but her desire to help them succeed. Ronita Swenson, Administrative Assistant in the Bank’s Fivepointville office, was honored with the Outstanding Service Award. Year after year, Ronita assists not only lenders in the Bank’s Southcentral Region, but also the Fivepointville branch, other administrative assistants, and helps to train new employees whenever asked. 

Deb Donnelly, manager of the Bank’s LeRaysville and Rome offices, received the President’s Award for the way she embodies FCCB’s culture and core values. She has been the face of FCCB for many years. “In LeRaysville, you don’t just do business with FCCB, you do business with Deb Donnelly,” commented Black. “With Deb, you feel confident that the job will be done right, on time, and with your ultimate goal in mind.”  Deb has been a member of the FCCB Team for 38 years.

And Finally, Christine Menser, from the Bank’s Delaware Market, was named the Employee Volunteer of the Year. “Delaware may be a large market area, but Christine finds a way to be everywhere and know everyone,” stated Black.  In 2021, Christine was chosen as the Delaware Small Business Chamber Member/Ambassador of the Year for her dedication to helping the Delaware business community succeed. 

 “There is nothing more rewarding for any leader than to see the personal growth and development of their employees,” noted Black. “Selecting the top awards each year from so many talented and loyal employees is difficult to say the least. I guess that’s a good problem to have. These individuals are dedicated to our success and live the FCCB mantra of helping their teams, customers, businesses and our communities rise to a whole new level. It’s a lot more fun to celebrate when we’re together, but we’ve made it work and I hope these individuals understand how important they are to our Team.”

In addition, 30 employees were honored for their years of service, receiving extra vacation days and shares of Citizens Financial Services, Inc. (CZFS) stock for their loyalty. Some milestones were significant including five employees who were honored for 20 years of service - Kathleen Campbell, Marketing Manager, Jeff Carr, Chief Retail Banking Officer, Lauri Nelson, Compensation and Benefits Administrator, Marie Ackley, Genesee Senior Universal Associate and Kristie Saunders, Wellsboro Universal Associate II. Chris Landis, Senior Lending Officer was honored for 25 years of service, Gina Boor, Executive Administrator and Shareholder Service Officer and Wendy Southard, Information Security Officer were honored for 30 years of service, and Pam King was honored for an incredible 35 years of service serving the Ulysses market.

First Citizens Community Bank (FCCB) offers mortgage and real estate loans, high-interest rewards checking, trust and investment services, business loans, and cash management services that help businesses save time and money. They are headquartered in Mansfield, Pennsylvania, and currently operate 31 offices throughout Tioga, Bradford, Potter, Clinton, Centre, Union, Lebanon, Lancaster, Schuylkill, Berks, and Chester counties in Pennsylvania, Allegany County, New York, and New Castle, and Kent Counties in Delaware. For more information about First Citizens, call (800) 326-9486, visit www.myfccb.com or find them on Facebook and LinkedIn.