Sandy Hook Resident Promoted To President Of First County Bank

By Nancy K. Crevier

Every time a new opportunity came along, “I raised my hand,” said Katherine A. Harris. Accepting new responsibilities and working hard throughout her 26 years in the banking business has paid off with the most exciting turn of her career yet, said Ms Harris, Tuesday, July 26.

On July 21, the board of directors of First County Bank, established in Stamford as the Stamford Savings Bank in 1851, named Ms Harris, of Sandy Hook, president and chief operating officer. She is the 11th president in the history of the bank, and the first woman president.

“It’s a ‘wow!’ to be the first woman president,” said Ms Harris.

According to the press release issued last week by First County Bank, as president and COO, Ms Harris will direct, control, and coordinate the bank’s daily operations. Her responsibilities include retail and small business banking, loan and deposit operations, compliance/risk management, marketing, human resources, and the First County Bank Foundation. She will participate in short- and long-term planning, ensure compliance with all applicable regulations, and participate in establishing overall direction and mission of the bank.

It is a big load, but one that Ms Harris said she feels prepared to take on. “I’ve had a path through the retail system. Along the way, I’ve picked up a lot of different aspects of the jobs, and I’ve never been afraid to take on new challenges.”

Along with her own work ethics, she credits her colleagues with her success. “Working with my peers, I realized I can’t do it alone. I’ve always had terrific people work with and for me,” Ms Harris said. Two of those at First County Bank who influenced her were former chairmen and CEOs Tom Bartram and Dick Taber. “I’ve worked with them a very long time. Tom was my mentor for at least ten years, and influenced me greatly. Dick is very committed to the community, so working with him and getting his energy for the community helped me a lot,” she said.

Rey Giallongo, named interim First County Bank chairman and chief executive officer, is another individual to whom Ms Harris is grateful. “Rey helped me to learn to integrate the retail and commercial side of banking, and how we will work together to move forward,” she said.

Along with Mr Taber, Ms Harris helped form the First County Bank Foundation in 2001. “The foundation is a love for me. It shows how much our bank is a part of the community. We work with the small businesses for loans, and we are helping new businesses, and helping new and current homeowners,” said Ms Harris. She is also a volunteer with the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship, an organization centered in White Plains, N.Y., and active in high schools in Norwalk, Bridgeport, and Stamford. “We work with students struggling in the regular high school environment and students who dream of having their own businesses one day, to help them launch their dreams,” Ms Harris explained. Her broad banking experiences are valuable to these students, and to her clients and co-workers.

Along her career path, she reached out to learn new skills. “I wanted to learn more about human resources, so I was given that responsibility. I reorganized the marketing department for the bank,” she pointed out.

It was under Ms Harris’s guidance that the bank grew from six to 15 branches, said Mr Giallongo. She brought a new service culture to First County when she joined in 1985 and cultivated a strong customer service training program and evaluation process. “Kathy was instrumental in driving growth at the bank,” added Giallongo.

She joined First County Bank as an assistant vice president and branch manager, coming from Sheridan Bank in Peoria, Ill. In 1998, she became senior vice president of retail banking, a position she held until June 2010, when she was promoted to executive vice president. From 1991 to 1998, Ms Harris was vice president and branch administrator, and from 1990 to 1991, she held the title of assistant vice president, regional manager.

Contrary to the popular myth of abbreviated bankers’ hours, her hours are long, said Ms Harris. When she has time, however, the mother of three adult sons enjoys kayaking on Rowledge Pond in Sandy Hook, or boating on Long Island Sound. “I love to play tennis, when I can find the time,” said Ms Harris, and having lived here just three years, she still enjoys exploring Newtown. “I enjoy the library and the Edmond Town Hall Theater. Where else can you go for a $2 movie? It’s just a nice community,” she said.

While exciting, being named president of First County Bank did not come as a complete surprise, she said. “We knew that Dick Taber and Tom Bartram were retiring. The succession plan really started four years ago. There were a number of insiders interviewing and testing. From that time, it has been, ‘Could this really happen?’” Ms Harris said.

The new regulatory environment means a new look at the way things are done, said Ms Harris, and while her position as president will require more time and energy, she welcomes the challenges with open arms. “I look forward to preserving the culture of a community bank and the good customer service for which we are known,” she said. “I look at this position as  ‘Hey! I can do this!’”

First County Bank is an independent mutual community bank with 15 branches in Stamford, Greenwich, Darien, New Canaan, Norwalk, and Westport.