Kearny Financial KRNY

Craig L. Montanaro was appointed to serve on the Board of Directors of Kearny Financial and the Board of Directors of Kearny Bank in 2010. Mr. Montanaro joined Kearny Bank in 2003 when Kearny acquired West Essex Bank where he served as Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. He was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Kearny Financial and Kearny Bank in April 2011. Prior to that time, he had served as President and Chief Operating Officer since April 2010. He previously performed the duties of Senior Vice President and Director of Strategic Planning for Kearny Bank and Kearny Financial from 2005 to March 2010 and from 2003 to 2004 served as Vice President and Regional Branch Administrator. Mr. Montanaro serves as President and member of the Board of Directors of the KearnyBank Foundation. Active in community and professional organizations, he serves as Chairman of the Chilton Hospital Foundation as well as a Trustee Emeritus of the Wood-Ridge Memorial Foundation. Mr. Montanaro is also a member of the Boards of Directors of Junior Achievement of New Jersey, New Jersey Bankers Business Services and New Jersey Bankers where he serves as Chair. He is a graduate of Syracuse University earning a Bachelor's Degree in finance and marketing and in 2000 received his MBA from Fairfield University. He also received a Graduate Degree in banking from the National School of Banking at Fairfield University. Craig L. Montanaro is the son of Director Leopold W. Montanaro.

Keith Suchodolski serves as Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Kearny Financial Corp. and Kearny Bank, a position he has held since July 2024. In this role, he is responsible for executive oversight of the Company's retail and commercial banking division, human resources, marketing, corporate finance and corporate administration, and plays a key role in executing the Company's strategic and operational vision. Mr. Suchodolski previously served as Chief Financial Officer of the Company from July 2018 to June 2024 and held several other senior financial positions since joining Kearny in 2013, including Chief Accounting Officer and Controller. Mr. Suchodolski has over 25 years of experience in the banking industry and prior to joining the Company, he served in various accounting and finance roles at financial institutions in the Mid-Atlantic region. Mr. Suchodolski holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University and a Bachelor of Science degree from Ramapo College of New Jersey. He also holds a post-graduate certificate in Advanced Accounting from the University of Maryland.

Patrick M. Joyce was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Lending Officer of Kearny Financial and Kearny Bank in April 2014, having previously served as Senior Vice President and Chief Lending Officer of Kearny Bank since 2002 and as Vice President of Loan Originations from 1999 to 2002. He was formerly employed by South Bergen Saving Bank where he served as Assistant Corporate Secretary and as a Loan Originator and joined Kearny Bank when South Bergen Savings Bank was acquired by Kearny Bank in 1999. He joined South Bergen Savings Bank in 1985.

Anthony V. Bilotta, Jr. was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Banking Officer of Kearny Financial in July 2022, having previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief Banking Officer of Kearny Bank since June 2018. He is an experienced banker with more than 45 years of banking experience. Mr. Bilotta previously held the role of Executive Vice President and Director of Retail Banking at Peapack Gladstone Bank where he was responsible for all aspects of retail banking, sales development, corporate marketing, business development, treasury management and government banking from 2013 until his appointment as an executive officer of Kearny Bank. Prior to Peapack Gladstone Bank, Mr. Bilotta held executive positions at a variety of financial institutions.

Sean Byrnes was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Kearny Financial and Kearny Bank in July 2024 after serving as Executive Vice President and Deputy Chief Financial Officer since July 2023. He previously served as Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer of Kearny Bank since 2020. Prior to joining Kearny Bank, Mr. Byrnes held senior financial roles at Amboy Bank, Cantor Commercial Real Estate and Prudential Financial. Mr. Byrnes holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Pace University and a Bachelor of Science degree from Ithaca College. In addition, he is a Certified Public Accountant registered in the State of New Jersey and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

Joseph P. Mazza was appointed to serve on the Board of Directors of Kearny Financial and the Board of Directors of Kearny Bank in 1993. He was the sole owner of a dental practice in Rutherford, New Jersey from 1971 to 2021. Dr. Mazza also serves on the Delta Dental of New Jersey, Inc. Board of Trustees, where he served as Chairman of the Audit Committee and currently serves as Chairman of the Strategy Committee. In 2019, he was elected to the Board of Directors of Flagship Health Systems, Inc. and in 2025, he was elected to the Board of Directors of Delta Dental of Connecticut. He is also on the Board of Directors of the Rutherford Senior Citizens Center (55 Kip), a regional senior center. He served in the U.S. Army from 1969 to 1971, both in the U.S. and abroad, and then continued to serve in the U.S. Army Reserves as a Lieutenant Colonel through 1993. Dr. Mazza is a graduate of Seton Hall University and the University of Pennsylvania.

Theodore J. Aanensen was appointed to serve on the Board of Directors of Kearny Financial and the Board of Directors of Kearny Bank in 1986. He served as Chairman of the Board of Kearny Bank from January 2000 through January 2004 and as Chairman of the Board of Kearny Financial from March 2001 through January 2004. He is a co-owner of Aanensen's, a luxury home remodeling and custom cabinetry company established in Kearny, New Jersey in 1951, serving as President since 1982. Mr. Aanensen is a graduate of Upsala College.

John J. Mazur, Jr. was appointed to serve on the Board of Directors of Kearny Financial and the Board of Directors of Kearny Bank in 1996 and was appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors of Kearny Financial and Kearny Bank in 2004. He currently serves on the Board of the Meadowlands Chamber of Commerce as well as the Board of Regents at Felician University. Mr. Mazur was the President/Chief Executive Officer of Elegant Desserts, a wholesale bakery located in Lyndhurst, New Jersey, which opened in 1994 and sold gourmet cakes locally and nationally until it was sold in 2017. He continued as President of the new company through March 2020. From 1976 to 2003, he was also a partner and general manager of Mazur's Bakery, in Lyndhurst, New Jersey, a family-owned business that operated from 1936 until 2003 when it was sold. Mr. Mazur is a graduate of Villanova University.

Raymond E. Chandonnet was appointed to serve on the Board of Directors of Kearny Financial and the Board of Directors of Kearny Bank in 2015. He is the founder and sole practitioner of BankStrategies.net, an advisory company he started in 2014 that provides balance sheet and technology strategy consulting to banks, credit unions and FinTech/BankTech companies. From 1992 to 2014, Mr. Chandonnet served as head of Bank Balance Sheet Strategy for Sandler O'Neill & Partners, JPMorgan Securities, Lehman Brothers, First Union Capital Markets and FHLB Boston. The roster of banking-related clients he has worked with over his career includes banks and credit unions, Federal Home Loan Banks, regulators, public accounting firms and FinTech companies. Mr. Chandonnet has been a frequent publisher and speaker on a wide range of issues related to bank financial management and technology utilization. He holds a Masters of Science in Data Science from Merrimack College in North Andover, MA, a Masters of Science in Finance from Bentley University in Waltham, MA, and a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science from Merrimack College. He also serves on the Board of Advisors for the School of Engineering and Computational Sciences at Merrimack College.

John F. McGovern was appointed to serve on the Board of Directors of Kearny Financial and the Board of Directors of Kearny Bank in 1999. He has worked as a self-employed Certified Public Accountant (CPA) since 1986 and Certified Financial Planner (CFP) since 1995 and holds the designation of Personal Financial Specialist (PFS) from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Since 2001, he has been a federally registered investment advisor. Mr. McGovern is also the owner of McGovern Monuments, Inc., a monument sales and lettering company located in North Arlington, New Jersey that has been family owned and operated since 1924. Mr. McGovern is involved in local and community organizations, including the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants. He has been designated as an audit committee financial expert under the Securities and Exchange Commission's rules and regulations.

Christopher Petermann was appointed to serve on the Board of Directors of Kearny Financial and the Board of Directors of Kearny Bank in 2015. He is a Certified Public Accountant, a Partner of PKF O'Connor Davies, Advisory, LLC, a member of the firm's Executive Board and serves as Senior Advisor of Client Services. He has over 30 years of specialized experience in accounting for exempt organizations and private foundations, as well as closely held businesses and financial services entities. He holds a number of professional committee and community board positions including involvement with the NJ Symphony Orchestra, along with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants. In 2022, he was appointed to the Board of American Capital Management, Inc. Mr. Petermann holds a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Bucknell University.

Catherine A. Lawton was elected to serve on the Board of Directors of Kearny Financial and the Board of Directors of Kearny Bank in October 2018. Prior to her retirement in 2019, Ms. Lawton was a principal in the investment banking group of Sandler O'Neill + Partners, L.P. (Sandler O'Neill), a full-service investment bank serving the financial institutions industry. During her 25-year career at Sandler O'Neill, Ms. Lawton was responsible for providing a wide range of investment banking services to community banks, including general strategic planning, mergers and acquisitions, and public and private capital raising transactions. From 1993 to 2004, Ms. Lawton also served as Sandler O'Neill's General Counsel. Prior to joining Sandler O'Neill, Ms. Lawton spent nine years in the corporate and banking group of a large New York law firm advising financial institutions and prior to that was a Certified Public Accountant with KPMG. Ms. Lawton holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Georgetown University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law.

Leopold W. Montanaro was appointed to serve on the Board of Directors of Kearny Financial and the Board of Directors of Kearny Bank in 2003. He also serves as a director of the KearnyBank Foundation. Mr. Montanaro is retired and was the Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of West Essex Bancorp, Inc. and West Essex Bank where he was employed since 1972 until that bank was acquired by Kearny Financial in 2003. He also served in the U.S. Naval Submarine Service. Mr. Montanaro is the father of Craig L. Montanaro, President and Chief Executive Officer of Kearny Financial and Kearny Bank.

Melvina Wong-Zaza was appointed to serve on the Board of Directors of Kearny Financial and the Board of Directors of Kearny Bank in June 2023. She currently holds the position of Senior Director, Strategic Global Clients at CMA-CGM Group, a global shipping company where she provides executive leadership and innovative solutions to global clients in Asia, Europe and USA markets. Her career spans over 30 years in senior management and executive roles bridging sales, strategic marketing/pricing, customer service/documentation center management and e-commerce. Ms. Wong-Zaza is experienced at developing and expanding new markets with a focus on establishing long-term profitable client relationships.

Curtland E. Fields was appointed to serve on the Board of Directors of Kearny Financial and the Board of Directors of Kearny Bank in June 2023. He is President, Chief Executive Officer and Trustee of the Turrell Fund, an endowed private foundation serving children and their families in New Jersey and Vermont. Mr. Fields has also been a Trustee of the Fund since 1997, and he was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of the Fund in 2005 after a distinguished career with AT&T. Mr. Fields served as President of the $4 billion Consumer Services Division at AT&T and prior to that as President of AT&T's largest operating region in the Midwest. His experience at AT&T included assignments of increasing responsibility in finance, operations and marketing and included key assignments in the Office of the Chairman. Mr. Fields holds an undergraduate degree in architecture and engineering, with high honors, from Princeton University. He also holds a master's in business administration, in finance and marketing, with honors, from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Charles J. Pivirotto was appointed to serve on the Board of Directors of Kearny Financial and the Board of Directors of Kearny Bank in 2018. Mr. Pivirotto served on the Board of Clifton Bancorp Inc. and Clifton Savings Bank and was the Audit Committee Chairman from February 2007 until the bank was acquired by Kearny Financial in 2018. Mr. Pivirotto is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and is the managing shareholder of Pivirotto & Company, CPA's, PA. Mr. Pivirotto has been awarded a Certificate of Educational Achievement by the American Institute of CPA's Continuing Professional Education Division for Tax Planning and Advising for Closely Held Businesses. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants. Mr. Pivirotto is a graduate of William Paterson University.

Erika K. Parisi was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of Kearny Financial and Kearny Bank in July 2019, having previously served as Executive Vice President and Director of Customer Relationship Management Analytics of Kearny Bank since June 2016. She has also served as Executive Vice President and Branch Administrator of Kearny Bank since April 2014, as Senior Vice President and Branch Administrator of Kearny Bank since 2002 and Vice President and Branch Administrator from 1999 to 2002. She was formerly employed by South Bergen Savings Bank as Vice President/Branch Administrator and joined Kearny Bank when South Bergen Savings Bank was acquired by Kearny Bank in 1999. She joined South Bergen Savings Bank in 1991. Ms. Parisi holds a Bachelor of Science degree, majoring in accounting, from the State University of New York at Albany.

Thomas D. DeMedici was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer of Kearny Financial and Kearny Bank in June 2017, having previously served as Senior Vice President and Chief Credit Officer of Kearny Bank since September 2010. He is a seasoned banking professional with over 35 years of banking and lending experience. During his career, Mr. DeMedici has held previous executive officer positions at other banking institutions including President and Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President/Chief Lending Officer.

Timothy A. Swansson was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Technology and Innovation Officer of Kearny Financial and Kearny Bank in July 2019. He previously served as Senior Vice President and Chief Technology and Innovation Officer of Kearny Bank since 2017 and had also served as Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer; Senior Vice President and Director of Information Technology; and 1st Vice President and Director of Information Technology. He was formerly employed by a technology service provider and had been working directly with Kearny Bank since 2003 until he was appointed an officer of Kearny Bank in 2008.

Cassia J. Beierle, Esq. was appointed Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Kearny Financial and Kearny Bank in July 2025, having previously served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel since August 2022. Ms. Beierle oversees the Bank's legal function and provides strategic legal counsel on a wide range of matters, including corporate governance, regulatory compliance, risk management and employment law. Prior to joining Kearny Bank, Ms. Beierle was employed by Investors Bank where she served as Deputy General Counsel since 2021 and Assistant General Counsel since 2018. There she played a key role in cross-functional legal operations until the bank's acquisition in April 2022. Her legal career spans both private practice and in-house counsel roles, with a focus on financial institutions. Ms. Beierle earned her Juris Doctor from Brooklyn Law School and holds a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University. She is admitted to practice law in both New Jersey and New York.