Officers
Caroline Carpenter is President of National Bank of Middlebury, headquartered in Middlebury, VT. She has been part of the banking community in Addison County since 1991 serving at Vermont Federal Bank before joining the National Bank of Middlebury in 1997. Caroline is a graduate of the University of Vermont and the New England School of Banking at Williams College. Currently she is a director of Community Financial Services Group (CFSG) and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston (FHLBB).
Heidi Stumpff is a banking executive with over 25 years of commercial banking and real estate finance experience. In her current role as the Regional President of Vermont, Heidi has the privilege of collaborating with customers, colleagues, and community partners to deepen relationships and ensure the delivery of high-quality financial services. In addition to her Regional President role, Heidi serves as the Commercial Banking Manager for Vermont.
Heidi’s journey with M&T Bank began in 2022 following its acquisition of People’s United Bank, where she served as the Senior Vice President and Region Manager of Commercial Real Estate. She has been with the combined organization for 13 years.
Contributing to communities and neighbors through financial literacy and empowerment, as well as fostering small business generation, are steadfast pillars of Heidi’s leadership philosophy. She proudly serves on several non-profit boards in the Green Mountain State. Heidi holds a Bachelor of Arts from Eckerd College, with a double major in International Business and Spanish.
Christopher Caldwell is the president and CEO of Community National Bank, a $1.2B bank in northern Vermont. He also is a member of the Board of Directors for the bank. Prior joining the bank and moving to Vermont in April 2021, he was the Senior Vice President and Senior Lender for MutualBank which became a part of Northwest Bank in Muncie Indiana. With over 30 years of experience in banking, Caldwell started as a part-time teller before moving through the branch system. He has spent the last 20 years working primarily in the commercial lending functions before becoming senior lender at his most recent post prior to his move.
Caldwell and his wife, Bettie, live in Newport with their dog. They love Vermont living including golf, skiing, boating, snow shoeing, and hiking.
Executive Council Members
IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIRPERSONS
Steve Kendall is an Executive Vice President, Sr. Residential and Consumer Loan Officer and member of the Senior Management team at Union Bank, where he has been employed since 2002. A life-long Vermonter, Steve has been in community banking for over thirty-five years, having started his career with Vermont National Bank in 1989. Steve’s banking experience includes commercial lending, branch management, and mortgage and consumer lending. Steve is a graduate of Champlain College, Franklin Pierce University, and the Stonier Graduate School of Banking. He is a past Chair of the Vermont Bankers Association Mortgage Committee and past Chair of the Vermont Mortgage Bankers Association. Throughout his life he has been a volunteer member or served on the board of multiple community service or non-profit organizations. He currently serves as the Chair of the Shelburne Planning Commission, Board President of Vermont Repertory Theatre, and board member of the Shelburne Community and Economic Development Committee and Lyric Theatre Company. He is a past Board Chair and Treasurer of Lyric Theatre Company. Steve has previously been a volunteer member or served on the board of Essex Rotary, Fairfax Business and Professional Association, Essex Business and Professional Association, Champlain Islands Parent Child Center, Meals on Wheels, Chittenden County United Way, Little League, and the National Ski Patrol. Steve lives in Shelburne with his wife, Kelly.
ELECTED MEMBERS
Don Baker, bio coming soon!
James Brown started work at The Bank of Bennington in 2001 as its credit officer and was named President and CEO in 2008. He is a graduate of Saint Lawrence University with a BA in Economics and received his MBA from the University at Albany. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Southwestern Vermont Health Care and Bennington County Industrial Corp.
Thomas Gallagher, bio coming soon!
Lorenzo Wilhite is the President and CEO of Wells River Savings Bank, where he has served since 2007, first joining the bank as a branch manager. He has dedicated more than 31 years to community banking, beginning his career as a teller at a small family-owned bank in Nebraska before moving with his family to Vermont in 2001, where he was born. A graduate of the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Colorado, Lorenzo believes strongly in the values of community banking and strives to live those values every day. He also serves on the Bank Innovation and Solutions Committee for the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA), and the Government Relations Council for the American Bankers Association (ABA). Lorenzo lives in Thetford Center with his wife Karla.