Hopewell Valley Community Bank Directors and Officers

Locally owned…locally operated. These are our founders, the people with the vision that made Hopewell Valley Community Bank become a reality. Many of these folks may be familiar to you.

Patrick L. Ryan is the founding Chairman of the Board and a director since the Bank’s inception. He was formerly the Executive Vice President of the Ritchie & Page Distributing Company of Trenton. A graduate of Hopewell Valley Central High School, the University of Virginia (UVA) and the UVA School of Law, he is a member of the New Jersey State and Virginia Bar Associations. Mr. Ryan holds numerous Board and Officer positions in a variety of state and local business, civic and charitable organizations. He is a former federal criminal investigator and retired major in the US Army Reserve, Military Police Corps.

James Hyman is the founding President/CEO and a director since the Bank’s inception. He has over thirty-four years experience in the New Jersey banking industry, previously serving as the President and CEO of First Community Bank of Clinton, New Jersey. A graduate of Rutgers University, he is Treasurer and a member of the board of the New Jersey Bankers Association, the Chairman of the Hunterdon County Chamber of Commerce, member of the board of the Mercer County Chamber of Commerce, Chairman of the Hunterdon Regional Community Health Organization and a Past President of the Community Bankers Association of New Jersey.

Joseph E. Gonzalez, Jr. is a founding director of the Bank. Now retired, he was the President of the New Jersey Business and Industry Association (NJBIA), the largest business organization in New Jersey with over 16,500 members. He was born in Plainfield, New Jersey, and is a former member of the Plainfield City Council. A graduate of Gettysburg College, he earned a masters degree from the Rutgers Eagleton Institute of Politics. Before joining the NJBIA in 1983, he served for 13 years as the Executive Director of the New Jersey General Assembly’s Republican membership.

John G. Hansbury, Sr. is a founding director of the Bank. He is a self-employed financial planner and insurance consultant with over 34 years experience in the financial field. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Horizon Blue Cross/Blue Shield of New Jersey and sits on its Audit and Finance Committees. Mr. Hansbury is a former Trustee of the New Jersey Police and Fireman’s Retirement System, former Chairman of the Hopewell Township Zoning Board of Adjustment and a Past President of the Ewing Kiwanis Club. He attended Rider University and was the Chairman of the Mercer County Republican Committee for ten years.

Christina F. McManimon is a founding director of the Bank. She is the retired owner and manager of the Book Peddlers in Pennington. She is a 1969 graduate of Trinity College in Washington, D.C. Ms. McManimon was a member of the Pennington Borough Council and served as the council person in charge of public safety. She was also a member of the Pennington Economic Development Commission, the Planning and Zoning Boards of Pennington, New Jersey, and the Village Center.

Steven J. Picco is a founding director of the Bank. He is the Market Managing Partner in the Princeton, New Jersey, office of the law firm of Reed Smith LLP, specializing in environmental and commercial law. He is a graduate of Rider University and the Seton Hall University School of Law and is active in several community and public service boards. He currently serves as Chairman of the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Hamilton Health Care Corporation, President of the American Credit Association and Chairman of the North East-Mid West Institute, a Washington D.C. policy research organization.

Robert F. Prewitt is a founding director of the Bank. He is the Vice President of Dana Communications, an advertising and public relations firm located in Hopewell Borough. He is a graduate of DePauw University and holds a masters degree in public policy management from Stanford University. Mr. Prewitt is a former member of the board of the Stony Brook Millstone Watershed Association and is very active in a wide variety civic and charitable organizations in the Hopewell area, including the Board of The Opera Festival of New Jersey. He is also the former President of the Hopewell Valley Board of Education.

Eugene Ragazzo became a director of the Bank in August, 1999. He is a principal owner of the Hopewell Pharmacy and Drugs Are Us Inc. Mr. Ragazzo is a Registered Pharmacist who specializes in custom compounding; he graduated from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy. He is a member of the New Jersey Independent Pharmacy Alliance and the Hopewell Business Association.

Judith M. Persichilli, Director Emeritus, is a founding director of the Bank. She is the President and CEO of Saint Francis Medical Center in Trenton, New Jersey. Ms. Persichilli is a graduate of the Saint Francis Hospital School of Nursing and Rutgers University College of Nursing with a Bachelor’s of Science Summa Cum Laude in Nursing. Additionally, she is a graduate of Rider University where she obtained a Masters of Arts Degree in Administration. A member of many professional organizations, she is a member of the Board of Trustees of Rider University as well as a member of the Boards of New Jersey Health Care Administration, the Kerney Foundation, and Angel’s Wings, Inc.

Kathryn N. Ryan, Director Emeritus, is a founding Incorporator of the Bank. She is the spouse of the late Thomas J. Ryan who was the founder, CEO and principal owner of the Ritchie & Page Distributing Company of Trenton from 1963 to 1997. Mrs. Ryan is a graduate of Rosemont College of Rosemont, PA. She is a longtime resident of Hopewell Township and former board member of Catholic Charities and Child Guidance of Trenton.

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Hopewell Valley Community Bank OfficerS

A friendly smile. Time to listen. Willingness to help. These are some of the keys to our success at Hopewell Valley Community Bank. These are also the traits of the leaders we have onboard to serve you. Meet our team.

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