Our Team

Thomas W. Wirth, CFA

Thomas W. Wirth was promoted to Executive Vice President, Division Manager of the Wealth Management Group at Chemung Canal Trust Company in 2015. He began his career at Chemung Canal in 1987 and joined the Investment Department in 1990 as a Portfolio Manager and was elected Trust Investment Officer in 1993. In 1996, Mr. Wirth became the Finance/Asset/Liability Manager and Bank Portfolio Manager and was elected Assistant Vice President. In 1998, he was elected Vice President and in 1999 returned to the Investment Department as the Investment Services Department Manager and Senior Investment Officer, and was promoted in 2004 to Senior Vice President.

Mark Lasch, CTFA

Mark Lasch joined Capital Bank in July 2017 as a Senior Vice President and Regional Executive of the bank’s Capital Region Wealth Management Group. Mr. Lasch was most recently a Senior Vice President and Senior Trust Officer with Key Private Bank and has nearly 35 years of wealth management and estate planning experience. Before his nearly 24 years at Key, Mr. Lasch held positions at Norstar Bank and Fleet Bank while also spending 12 years working in the surety bond industry. Mr. Lasch received his Bachelor of Arts degree from LeMoyne College in Syracuse, New York. He grew up in the Albany area and presently serves on the boards of the Albany Symphony Orchestra, where he chairs the Finance Committee, and the Finance Committee of 15-LOVE. He is a past Trustee and past Treasurer of the Fort Orange Club in Albany and he currently serves as its Vice President. Mr. Lasch earned his Certificated Trust & Financial Advisor (CFTA) designation in 1999 and has successfully completed the Cannon Financial Institute’s Advanced Planning Program.          

Victoria Harkins

Victoria Harkins has been in the financial services industry in the Capital Region of New York for more than 20 years. Ms. Harkins’ banking experience has been centered in providing the community with financial services from consumer and commercial lending to private banking and trust services. Ms. Harkins has been a member of the Wealth Management Group at Capital Bank since 2011. She is an active participant in Albany Rotary, Living Resources and Soroptimist of Saratoga; and currently serves on the Board for Ronald McDonald House Charities, Colonie Senior Services Centers, Inc., Women’s Employment Resource Center, and the Estate Planning Council. Ms. Harkins earned a M. Ed. degree from the State University at Buffalo and a B. S. degree from CW Post, Long Island University. She has attended the Cannon Financial Institute, completing the following coursework: Financial Advisors Trust Course; Trust Fundamentals; and Special Needs Trusts.

J. Edmond Morton, IV, CTFA

Ed Morton was named Binghamton Regional Wealth Management Group Executive in 2012 and was promoted to Senior Vice President in 2015. He joined Chemung Canal Trust Company in 2009 with 15 years of experience in the wealth management field, mainly in Philadelphia, PA. Mr. Morton held positions at Sovereign Bank Private Client Services as Vice President and Market Manager; Bank of America Wealth Management as Vice President and Team Leader; and BNY/Mellon Wealth Management as Assistant Vice President and Relationship Manager. Mr. Morton earned his B.S. degree in Business Management from Cornell University. He currently serves as Board Member and Treasurer of the UHS Foundation, Board Member and Treasurer of the Binghamton Club, Board Member and Treasurer of The Edwin A. Link Foundation, Trustee and Finance Commissioner of the Village of Owego, Board Member of the Tioga County Chamber of Commerce, and as Trust Officer of the Fannie C. Hyde Charitable Trust.  

Peter Capozzola, CFA

Peter Capozzola joined Capital Bank in May of 2019 as the Senior Investment Officer in the bank’s Capital District. Mr. Capozzola was most recently a Vice President with Glens Falls National Bank and President of North Country Investment Advisers. Prior to Glens Falls National Bank, Peter held positions as a Credit Analyst with Key Bank; Oppenheimer & Company and Smith Barney. Peter holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation awarded by the CFA Institute. Peter earned an M.B.A in Portfolio and Investment Analysis from the Lubin Graduate School of Pace University and is a graduate of the State University of New York at Oneonta with a B.A. in Business-Economics. Peter is a Board Member of Shelters of Saratoga and currently serves as its President.  Peter is the past President of the JDRF Adirondack Chapter as well as a former Board member of the Children’s Museum of Saratoga.

Joseph J. Tascone

Joseph Tascone returned to Chemung Canal Trust Company in September 2015 as the Investment Services Department Manager and Senior Investment Officer of the Wealth Management Group. He previously served in that same position at CCTC from 1987 to 1999. Mr. Tascone has more than 39 years of investment experience, including six years as the Chief Investment Officer at Rockland Trust Company in Massachusetts, and has held senior investment management positions at Key Trust Company and Bank of America/U.S. Trust for national institutional accounts. He began his investment career in 1981 at M&T Bank in Buffalo, New York, and has also worked in the public accounting and insurance industries. Mr. Tascone received his Bachelors of Business Administration from St. Bonaventure University and is a U.S. Navy veteran.

Michael D. Blatt, CFA

Michael D. Blatt joined Chemung Canal in 1999 as a Portfolio Manager, was elected Assistant Vice President in 2000, and was promoted to Vice- President, Senior Investment Officer in 2005. Mr. Blatt has more than 26 years of analytical and investment experience.  His key responsibilities include recommending and monitoring stocks for the Guidance List in addition to managing client accounts. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst and earned his B.S. in Finance from Penn State and M.B.A. from Duke University – Fuqua School of Business. Mr. Blatt currently serves on the board of the Science & Discovery Center and Catholic Charities of Steuben County.

John E. Shea

John Shea joined Chemung Canal Trust Company in 2014 with more than 20 years of Relationship Management experience. Mr. Shea held positions at Wilmington Trust as Assistant Vice President and Senior Private Client Adviser; BNY Mellon As Vice President and Sr. Consultant within BNY Mellon’s Global Risk Solutions group; ITS Associates as Relationship Manager; State Street Bank as a Senior Portfolio Accountant; and SEI as Portfolio Accountant. In November 2017, Mr. Shea began his new role with Chemung Canal Trust Company as an Investment Officer. Mr. Shea earned a B.S. degree in Accounting with a minor in History from the University of Scranton, as well as an MBA from Boston University with a concentration in Finance and Investments.  Mr. Shea is the Vice President of the Binghamton Boys and Girls Club.

Kevin W. Brimmer

Kevin W. Brimmer joined Chemung Canal Trust Company in 2011 as part of the Trust Operations Department within the Wealth Management Group. He joined the Investment Department in 2013 where he continues to serve as an Assistant Vice President and Investment Officer. Mr. Brimmer holds a B.S. in Business Economics from the State University of NY at Cortland. Mr. Brimmer currently serves on the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Committee for the bank.

Shelby Fay, CFP

Shelby M. Fay joined Chemung Canal Trust Company in the summer of 2015. Mr. Fay has served in several capacities within the bank.  Mr. Fay was promoted to Investment Officer in March of 2021.  He is primarily responsible for the discretionary management of investment portfolios, trusts, and IRAs. In addition to this, Mr. Fay is responsible for identifying equities and mutual funds that are candidates for inclusion in our Guidance Lists. Mr. Fay is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®).  He is a graduate of Elmira College where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Economics and a minor in Business Administration.

Christopher K. Kelly, AIF^®, QPFC, QKA, CEBS

Christopher K. Kelly joined Chemung Canal Trust Company in 2011 as a Senior Retirement Plan Manager.  Mr. Kelly was promoted to Assistant Vice President in 2013 and then to Vice President and Retirement Services Department Manager in 2014.  In 2018, Chris was promoted to Senior Vice President.  Mr. Kelly has been working with employer-sponsored retirement plans since 1996 with firms such as Aon Hewitt, Diversified Investment Advisors (Transamerica Retirement Services), Baker Tilly, and MetLife. Mr. Kelly holds the Accredited Investment Fiduciary, Qualified Plan Financial Consultant, Qualified 401(k) Administrator, and Certified Employee Benefit Specialist designations. He earned an MBA from Georgia State University and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign. Mr., Kelly is a member of the American Retirement Association (ARA), American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries (ASPPA), and the National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA),   Mr. Kelly is a member of the Ithaca Rotary Club.

Lauren Zell, CPC, QPA, CEBS

Lauren Zell joined Chemung Canal Trust Company in 2013 as a Senior Retirement Plan Manager. Lauren is responsible for managing and delivering our suite of administration, consulting, investment, education, and compliance services to our retirement plan clients. She has more than 30 years experience in the retirement plan industry with The Standard and United Retirement Plan Consultants. Lauren holds the Certified Pension Consultant, Qualified Plan Administrator and Certified Employee Benefit Specialist designations. She earned a BA from Wesleyan University. Lauren is a member of the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries (ASPPA). She holds appointments as a test judge and competition judge for figure skating and volunteers in the skating community in that capacity.

Michael C. Steffens, QKA

Michael C. Steffens joined Chemung Canal Trust Company in 2015 as a Retirement Plan Manager. His responsibilities include managing compliance, government forms, daily administration, and day-to-day customer service for clients. Mr. Steffens came to Chemung Canal Trust Company with more than 20 years of experience in a variety of retirement plan administration and consulting roles in Washington State, Indiana, and Alabama. Mr.  Steffens holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Georgia and a Master’s Degree from Indiana University, as well as the Qualified Pension Administrator, Qualified 401(k) Consultant and Qualified 401(k) Administrator designations.  Mr. Steffens is a member of the National Tax-Deferred Savings Association.

William D. Roe

William D. Roe joined the Retirement Services Group as a Retirement Services Specialist and IRA Administrator in 2016. He began his career with Chemung Canal Trust Company in 2014 as a Trust Operations Associate in the Wealth Management Group. Mr. Roe earned a Bachelor of Science from SUNY Oneonta in 2012 and earned a designation of Certified IRA Specialist (CIS) in 2016. Additionally, Mr. Roe currently coaches the junior varsity lacrosse team for Elmira High School.

Nathan Gage

Nathan Gage joined Chemung Canal Trust Company in 2019 as a Retirement Plan Advisor.  Mr. Gage is responsible for working with plan sponsors and plan participants to ensure optimal outcomes with their retirement plans.  Mr. Gage has over 20 years of experience in the retirement plan industry with firms such as C&N Bank, Seligman Data Corporation and Citistreet.  

Sara Soprano, QKA

Sara Soprano joined Chemung Canal Trust Company in 2014 and in 2015 she took on the role of a Recordkeeper in the Retirement Service Group.  Ms. Soprano currently is a Retirement Services Plan Manager.  Her responsibilities include managing and delivering our suite of administration, consulting, investment, education, and compliance serves to retirement plan clients. 

Catherine B. Crandall

Catherine Crandall joined Chemung Canal Trust Company in 2008 as Vice President / Sr. Trust Officer of the Trust & Estate Administration Department and was named Department Manager in 2009. Ms. Crandall previously worked for Registered Investment Advisor John G. Ullman & Associates, Inc. as an Account Executive and Chief Compliance Officer. She is licensed to practice law in New York, having earned a Juris Doctorate degree from Albany Law School at Union University, an LLM from Columbia University Law School, an LLM in Taxation from New York University School of Law, an M.B.A. from the University of Rochester–William E. Simon Graduate School of Business Administration, and a B.A. from St. Lawrence University. In addition, Ms. Crandall is a Certified Trust & Financial Advisor and a Certified Financial Planner™. Ms. Crandall currently serves on the board of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Rochester.

Gregory Stewart

Gregory Stewart joined Chemung Canal Trust Company as a Senior Relationship Manager in 2016 and was elected Vice President the same year. He brings more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry, most recently at BNY Mellon where he held roles in business development, and relationship, and product management. Mr. Stewart graduated with first-class honors in Economics from the University of Birmingham (UK) and is also a regular member of the CFA Institute.   Mr. Stewart is a volunteer in local youth soccer activities. 

Heidi Wahl, CFP

Heidi Wahl joined Chemung Canal Trust Company in 2012. Prior to becoming a Relationship Manager in the Estate Administration department, she was a Financial Advisor in the CFS Group. Ms. Wahl has more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. Ms. Wahl holds a B.S. from Summit University. In 2010, she completed her Certified Financial Planner certification and now manages the Financial Planning Services offered by Chemung Canal Trust Company.

Michael L. Hart, CTFA

Michael Hart was promoted to Vice President, Senior Relationship Manager for the Wealth Management Group in 2021.  He began his career at Chemung Canal Trust Company in 2008 and joined the Wealth Management Group in 2009. In 2013, Mr. Hart was promoted to Associate Relationship Manager and then Assistant Vice President in 2014.  Mr. Hart holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Buffalo with a minor in Finance.  He earned his Certified Trust and Financial Advisor (CTFA) designation in 2014.  Additionally, Mr. Hart serves as a board member and Treasurer of Woodbrook Assisted Living.

Andrea McClure

Andrea McClure joined Chemung Canal Trust Company in December 2014 as Manager of Tax Services. She has more than 25 years of experience and previously was a Senior Tax Accountant at Market Street Trust Company. Ms. McClure has been preparing taxes for 20 years, and in March of 2011, she became an Enrolled Agent. This is the highest
credential the IRS awards, and it gives her the ability to practice before the IRS. Ms. McClure earned her A.A.S. in Accounting from Alfred State College and a B.S. in Accounting from Elmira College. She previously served as Treasurer of Cub Scout Pack 63 in Corning, New York.

Patrick J. McFarland

Patrick J. McFarland joined the Wealth Management Group as a Trust and Estates Relationship Manager in January 2021.  Mr. McFarland began his career with Chemung Canal Trust Company in 2012 in the Security Department after graduating from Ithaca College in 2011 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance and Marketing.  Mr. McFarland was promoted to Physical Security Office in 2014 and Corporate Safety and Security Officer in 2016.     Mr. McFarland received the Certificate of Security Management Training from the National Association for Bank Security and the Certificate of Banking and Law Enforcement Awareness Training in Robbery Prevention and Awareness from the Albany Police Department.  Mr. McFarland is a member of the Certified Fraud Examiners, American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS), Southern Tier Financial Institution/Law Enforcement Information Committee, Steuben County Financial Institution Law Enforcement Cooperative and the Capital District Bank Security Officer’s Association.