Welcome to the neighborhood

Julieann M. Thurlow is the President and Chief Executive Officer at Reading Cooperative Bank (RCB). She joined the Bank in 1993 and rose through the lending ranks to become its president in 2006. At that time, the bank had four branches and $237.6 million in total assets, and now has assets of $580 million at 8 branches.

Julie is responsible for the strategic direction and management of the Bank. She continues to stand out among female bank presidents and has been profiled in both local and regional media. In 2014 and 2017, Julie was named by American Banker Magazine as one of the top 25 Women to Watch in Banking. Julie has earned a spot on the Commonwealth Institute’s Top 100 Women-Led Businesses in Massachusetts for the last four years running. She is the President of the Reading Cooperative Charitable Foundation and is active in identifying and supporting organizations and projects that improve the quality of life in and around our communities.

Julie is a board member for the American Bankers Association and presently serves on its Government Relations Council and Membership Council. She previously served on the ABA’s Professional Development Council, Mutual Advisory Council and the Financial Task Force for Regulatory Reform.

She serves the local banking industry as a member of the Board of the Cooperative Central Bank, and is chair of its Finance & Audit Committee. Julie is a Director at Atlantic Community Bankers Bank, which provides correspondent and other innovative services to banks and credit unions. Julie was a founding member of BancAlliance, Inc.

In 2014, Julie was named to the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston’s Community Advisory Council. She is a former trustee for the Cooperative Bank Employee Retirement Association and the Massachusetts Bankers Association’s Federal Liaison Committee. Julie was the Board President at VNA Middlesex East & Sawtelle Hospice House and is now the Chair of Lahey Hospital’s Continuum of Care Board which oversees homecare, hospice, and senior care in the Lahey system. She is a past Board member of Mission of Deeds, Reading-North Reading Chamber of Commerce, Wilmington Chamber of Commerce and Reading Lions Club.

In addition to an MBA from the Charles F. Dolan School of Business at Fairfield University, Julie has completed advanced studies at the Stonier National School of Banking, Massachusetts School for Financial studies and Harvard Business School’s Division of Continuing Education. Julie holds Series 6 and 63 securities licenses as well as Life, Accident and Health Insurance licenses on behalf of Reading Cooperative Bank. Her former employers include Lawrence Savings Bank, The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Boston Bank of Commerce and Winchendon Savings Bank.

Julie lives in Medford with her husband, Ray, and three children.

NMLS# 644106

Anthony J. Patti is a Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. He is responsible for the areas of Finance, Accounting and Treasury, Subsidiaries, and Facilities.

Prior to joining RCB, Anthony was a Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Medford Cooperative Bank and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Revere Federal Savings Bank. His duties at both institutions included: Asset/Liability Management, Regulatory and SEC reporting, Strategic Planning, and Information Technology and Security.

Anthony is currently a member of the Legal and Regulatory Compliance Committee of the Massachusetts Bankers Association, and a past member of the Mass Bankers Association Federal Liaison Committee.

In addition to a BA in Economics from Framingham State College and an MBA in Accounting from Southern New Hampshire University, Anthony has also attended various educational programs offered by the Massachusetts Bankers Association and is a graduate of The Senior Leadership Institute of the American Bankers Association. He is a former resident of Methuen and now resides in Derry, New Hampshire.

Maxine Hart, SPHR, is our Chief Human Resource Officer and is a Senior Vice President. Her responsibilities include creating and maintaining strong and motivated teams of employees that demonstrate the needed skills for the 21st century.

Immediately prior to joining the Bank, Maxine was the HR Director at Manet Community Health Center – a network of health centers for the medically underserved on the South Shore. Prior to that, and before moving to the U.S. in 2002, she worked in organizational development and change management for large corporations, government departments and non-profit organizations in Mexico and South Africa. Her work in South Africa included serving as deputy director for staffing in South Africa's first democratic election. She also developed culture change processes for 3,000 personal banking division employees at South Africa's 3rd largest financial institution.

Maxine earned her Bachelor's Degree in Social Work from the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa and her Masters in Adult Education and Community Development from the University of Manchester, UK. She also holds a Senior Professional Human Resources (SPHR) certification and is a Trained Mediator. Maxine lives in Newton with her husband, James Smith, and two children.

Bryan Greenbaum is Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, overseeing retail banking, deposit operations, information technology and security, and other key areas of the bank. Before becoming COO, he was Senior Vice President of Retail Banking. Before joining RCB, Bryan was Senior Vice President at Central Bank in Somerville, Massachusetts where he headed retail banking and managed the performance and profitability of the retail branch network, internet banking, marketing, and the non-deposit investment program. He had a similar role at Abington Savings Bank, and worked at other community banks in the area as well. Bryan currently serves as an executive board member of the Massachusetts School Bank Association.

Glenn Strauss is a Senior Vice President and Chief Lending Officer. He oversees all commercial and residential lending operations at the bank. He is a highly experienced bank lending professional, having come to RCB from Salem Co-operative Bank in Salem, NH, where he worked as a Senior Vice President/Senior Commercial Lending Officer and Department Head. While at Salem Co-operative, Glenn handled all aspects and activities for the Commercial Lending Division, including sales and portfolio growth, customer retention, loan servicing, budgeting, and strategic planning. Glenn also worked more than 15 years at Pentucket Bank in Haverhill, MA as the Senior Vice President/Massachusetts Market Manager and Commercial Loan Team Leader.

Glenn has managed teams of commercial lenders, servicing both new and existing commercial and consumer relationships through a strong referral network and market presence. Glenn is a longtime Wakefield resident and is highly active in the community. He was on the Board of Directors at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Salem; is a member of the Greater Salem Chamber of Commerce; and is a Loan Advisory Board Member at the Merrimack Valley Planning commission. Glenn graduated from Bentley University with a BS in Business Administration and a concentration in Finance.

Paul is a Vice President and the Chief Credit Officer. He has over 15 years of experience in banking, predominately in the commercial field. Paul is responsible for conducting high-level analysis on commercial and business loans. His primary duties include utilizing and maintaining the bank’s system to spread and analyze borrowers’ financial statements, assisting Commercial Lending Officers in supporting existing relationships, and reviewing new business loan opportunities. Paul has successfully completed a formal credit training program, coupled with the completion of several RMA classes focused on credit risk management. He graduated Cum Laude with a BBA degree in Finance & Operations Management from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Paul resides in Burlington, MA with his wife and three daughters. He’s actively involved in youth soccer as a coach and board member.  In his free time, he enjoys fishing and various outdoor activities.

Shanna Cahalane is Vice President and Director of Marketing, responsible for overseeing RCB's marketing communications, public relations, and community relations activities.  Prior to joining Reading Cooperative Bank, Shanna held a public relations, marketing, and development position with The Wellness Community-Greater Boston and with Hill & Partners, where she focused on new business development and client services. Shanna holds a master’s degree in communications management from the Simmons College School of Management and lives in Belmont with her husband, Michael, and their twin girls.

Maria Costa is Vice President of Residential and Consumer Lending at RCB, where she supports the lending team and implements best practices in loan operations-related processes and procedures for originating, processing, underwriting and closing first and second mortgages, home equities, and consumer loan products. With 30 years of industry experience, Maria enjoys a challenge and has a track record of success in community banking. She lives in Somerville with her husband and daughter. She devotes her non-working time to her family and enjoys cooking and traveling.

NMLS# 1007672

Teresa Cunha is Vice President and Branch Administrator, responsible for the overall operation of all RCB branches, including sales and customer service. She also acts as the liaison between retail staff and the bank’s back-office operations and Chief Operating Officer. Tess has 29 years of banking experience and has held positions at several local banks. She also has a license to sell life insurance in Massachusetts and is a notary public. Tess earned a BS in psychology from Boston College and an MS in management at Lesley University. She lives in Peabody with her husband, Eugene, and her son, Jared. In her free time, Tess volunteers with her son’s school and enjoys running, travel, and spending time with her family.

NMLS# 1276478

Donna Dickie is a Vice President and the Loan Servicing Manager at Reading Cooperative Bank. Her management and organization of the loan servicing team ensures that the entire loan operation process runs smoothly, that it adheres to RCB’s high standards of quality control and meets all regulatory requirements. Prior to joining RCB, Donna worked at Danversbank, where she was the recipient of the Customer Service Award, and at Saugusbank, where she was recognized as Employee of the Year. Most recently, Donna managed the loan operation at Wakefield Cooperative Bank.

Judy Hildreth is Assistant Treasurer, Controller, and Supervisor of the Accounting Department. Her responsibilities include supervising daily accounting activity and preparing reports for various regulatory agencies. Judy is a graduate of the New England School of Financial Studies at Babson College and a lifelong resident of Reading, where she lives with her husband, John, and their two children.

Larry Keenan is Vice President of Deposit Operations and Cash Management, responsible for overseeing the administration of all personal deposit accounts and business cash management products at RCB. He has 25 years of similar banking experience, including 17 years at First Federal Savings Bank of Boston and 8 years at Saugusbank as Vice President of Retail Banking. Larry holds a BS in accounting from Boston College and an MS in finance from Northeastern University’s Graduate School of Business Administration. He lives in Ayer with his wife, Marianne and enjoys golf, music, and cooking.

Karen Tavernese is Vice President, Compliance Officer for RCB, where she’s responsible for overseeing and implementing all regulatory compliance-related processes, policies, and procedures, including chairing the Compliance Committee. Karen also manages the BSA analyst and internal audit program, including development, implementation, and ongoing monitoring to ensure that Reading Cooperative Bank is in compliance with banking laws and regulations. Karen has 22 years’ experience in banking, including 9 years at Bank of Boston. She joined RCB in 2001 as a branch manager and opened the North Reading branch before becoming Compliance Officer in 2014. Karen lives on the North Shore and enjoys photography and spending time with her family.

Forest Wallace is Vice President and Director of Information Technology, responsible for planning, developing, and overseeing all of RCB’s technology needs. His 20 years of experience come from a combination of IT leadership roles at local banks and positions at information security and technology companies. He holds a BS in business administration from Western New England University. In addition to his work at RCB, Forest is the Chairman of Special Funds at the Mystic Valley Masonic Lodge in Arlington, and races sailboats, which he’s been doing since age seven. Forest currently lives in Andover with his wife and 3 children.