Cleveland Fed announces appointments to Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh boards

The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland announced the following appointments to its main office board of directors and its branch boards in Cincinnati and Pittsburgh effective January 1, 2021.

Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland

Dwight E. Smith, president and chief executive officer, Sophisticated Systems, Inc., Columbus, Ohio, was appointed chair of the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland for 2021. Smith served as deputy chair of the Cleveland board from 2018 to 2020 and as a director of the board since 2017. Smith also served as a director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Cincinnati Branch, in 2015 and 2016.

Doris Carson Williams, president and chief executive officer, African American Chamber of Commerce of Western Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was appointed deputy chair of the board for 2021 and was reappointed a director. Williams served as the chair of the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Pittsburgh Branch, in 2016 and 2017. Williams also served as a director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Pittsburgh Branch, from 2014 to 2017.

Cain Hayes, president and chief executive officer, Gateway Health, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was appointed a director.

Dean Miller, president and chief executive officer, First National Bank, Bellevue, Ohio, was reelected a director.

Heidi Gartland, chief government and community relations officer, University Hospitals, Cleveland, Ohio, was elected a director.

Visit the Cleveland Board of Directors page for more information.

Cincinnati Branch, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland

Rachid Abdallah, chair and chief executive officer, Jedson Engineering, Cincinnati, Ohio, was appointed chair of the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Cincinnati Branch, for 2021. Abdallah has been a director of the branch board since 2019.

Ashish Vaidya, president, Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, Kentucky, was appointed a director.

Alfonso Cornejo, president, Hispanic Chamber Cincinnati USA, Cincinnati, Ohio, was reappointed a director.

David Evans, president and chief executive officer, TESSEC LLC, Dayton, Ohio, was reappointed a director.

Visit the Cincinnati Board of Directors page for additional information.

Pittsburgh Branch, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland

Dmitri Shiry, retired partner, Deloitte LLP, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was reappointed chair of the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Pittsburgh Branch, for 2021. Shiry has been a director of the branch board since 2016.

Earl Buford, chief executive officer, Partner4Work, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was appointed a director.

Christina Cassotis, chief executive officer, Allegheny County Airport Authority, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was appointed a director.

Suzanne Mellon, president, Carlow University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was reappointed a director.

Visit the Pittsburgh Board of Directors page for more information.

Reserve Bank Directors

Each Reserve Bank’s main office has a nine-member board of directors. Three directors are elected by and representative of the member banks in each Federal Reserve District. The other six directors represent the general public, with due, but not exclusive, consideration to the interests of agriculture, commerce, industry, services, labor, and consumers. Of the six, three are elected by member banks, and three are appointed by the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors in Washington DC.

Main office directors’ responsibilities include making recommendations to the Board of Governors regarding the Federal Reserve’s discount rate on primary credit; providing information about regional business conditions; and overseeing the Bank’s budget and finances.

Each Reserve Bank branch has a five- or seven-member board of directors whose members provide input regarding local business conditions and their respective industries. They also help to identify opportunities that connect the Federal Reserve to the general public.

Visit Our Directors page for more information about the members of the boards of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland and its branches.

Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland

The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland is one of 12 regional Reserve Banks that along with the Board of Governors in Washington DC comprise the Federal Reserve System. Part of the US central bank, the Cleveland Fed participates in the formulation of our nation’s monetary policy, supervises banking organizations, provides payment and other services to financial institutions and to the US Treasury, and performs many activities that support Federal Reserve operations System-wide. In addition, the Bank supports the well-being of communities across the Fourth Federal Reserve District through a wide array of research, outreach, and educational activities.

The Cleveland Fed, with branches in Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, serves an area that comprises Ohio, western Pennsylvania, eastern Kentucky, and the northern panhandle of West Virginia.

Media contact

Doug Campbell, doug.campbell@clev.frb.org, 513.218.1892