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, 2022.

Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland

Dwight E. Smith, president and chief executive officer, Sophisticated Systems, Inc., Columbus, Ohio, was reappointed chair of the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland for 2022. 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 reappointed deputy chair of the board for 2022. 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.

Jacqueline Gamblin, chief executive officer, JYG Innovations, Dayton, Ohio was elected a director.

Ana Rodriguez, senior vice president and chief human resources officer, The Lubrizol Corporation, Wickliffe, Ohio, was appointed a director, completing an unexpired term through December 31, 2021, and then beginning a new three-year term on January 1, 2022.

Eddie L. Steiner, president and chief executive officer, CSB Bancorp, Inc., Millersburg, Ohio, was reelected a director.

You can find more information on the Cleveland board here.

Cincinnati Branch, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland

Rachid Abdallah, chair and chief executive officer, Jedson Engineering, Cincinnati, Ohio, was reappointed chair of the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Cincinnati Branch, for 2022, and was reappointed a director. Abdallah has been a director of the branch board since 2019.

Archie Brown, president and chief executive officer, First Financial Bancorp, Cincinnati, Ohio, was appointed a director.

More information on the Cincinnati board is available here.

Pittsburgh Branch, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland

Vera Krekanova, chief strategy and research officer, Allegheny Conference on Community Development, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was appointed chair of the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Pittsburgh Branch, for 2022, and was reappointed a director.

Sanjay Chopra, chief executive officer, Cognistx, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was appointed a director, completing an unexpired term through December 31, 2021, and then beginning a new three-year term on January 1, 2022.

Nishan J. Vartanian, chair, president, and chief executive officer, MSA Safety, Inc., Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, was appointed a director.

Kathy Wilson Humphrey, president, Carlow University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was appointed a director.

Additional information on the Pittsburgh board can be found here.

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.

Find additional information about the members of the boards of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland and its branches here.

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, 513.455.4479