Crestmark announced a series of staff promotions and appointments at its corporate offices in Troy.
“This group of Crestmark professionals continues to support Crestmark and the business owners we help with outstanding expertise and service,” said Mick Goik, Crestmark president and chief operating officer. “We are proud of their ongoing development and we appreciate their contributions to Crestmark.”
Gail Brelin has been promoted to officer of the bank, and continues to serve as legal compliance officer. She reports to Stacey Farmer, first vice president, senior counsel. Brelin joined the Crestmark legal compliance team in 2010. She has also chaired Crestmark’s Teach Children to Save Campaign for many years. Previous positions include supervisor – office services for BBDO Detroit.
Megan Chmiel has been promoted to vice president, internal audit officer in the risk management department. She reports to Phil Yanick, senior vice president and chief risk management officer. Chmiel joined Crestmark in 2002 as a debtor analyst, and was promoted to client analyst in 2007. In 2014, she joined the Risk Management Division as a junior internal auditor, where she was promoted to internal audit officer in 2015, and to assistant vice president in 2016. Chmiel earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Defiance College.
Jenna Comaty has been promoted to assistant vice president and continues to serve as Crestmark’s Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) specialist in the risk management department, where she reports to Phil Yanick, senior vice president and chief risk management officer. She joined Crestmark in 2010 as a debtor analyst, and became a client analyst in 2011. Comaty joined the Risk Management Division in 2015, and was promoted to officer of the bank in 2017. Previously, she worked at Genisys Credit Union as an operations support representative; and for Extra Credit Union as a marketing coordinator. Comaty has a bachelor’s degree in international global studies from Michigan State University and a master of management in finance from Walsh College, and recently earned a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) certification.
Ryan Coughlin has been promoted to vice president, business intelligence analyst, from assistant vice president. He reports to Jack Talkington, executive vice president and chief financial officer. Coughlin joined Crestmark as a debtor analyst in 2010, and was later promoted to field examiner and financial analyst officer. In 2015, he was promoted to business intelligence analyst, and then to assistant vice president in 2017, where he says his responsibilities include “turning data into decisions.” Coughlin earned a bachelor’s degree in economics with a minor in physics from Kalamazoo College.
Tiffany Farmer has been promoted to assistant vice president, risk management loan review and internal audit. She reports to Phil Yanick, senior vice president and chief risk management officer. Farmer joined Crestmark in 2014 as risk management loan review officer/internal auditor. Previously she worked for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC); as the deputy county auditor for the Butler County Auditor Office; and various roles at Prestige Technical Services. Farmer has a bachelor’s degree in finance from Miami University and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard University.
Katie Genthe has joined Crestmark as senior accountant and assistant vice president, in the corporate accounting group in Troy. She reports to Keith Lidtke, first vice president and controller. Previously she worked in accounting roles with the Great Lakes Water Authority; senior fund administrator for UMB Fund Services; and senior financial analyst for North Shore Bank. Genthe earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Wisconsin.
Doug Kollman has been promoted to first vice president, business control administrator from operations manager. In this new role, he reports to Sharmen Hall, first vice president, information security officer; and he is responsible for establishing control procedures and managing ongoing compliance for the entire company. This is an expansion of his recent position as quality control and collateral risk manager. In 2016, Kollman was promoted to first vice president, operations manager, client services, from vice president, operations supervisor. Kollman joined Crestmark in 2001 and worked in several roles supporting operations. Previously, Kollman worked for the Minnesota office of Manchester Commercial Finance. He has an associate’s degree in business management and sales from Rasmussen College in Minnesota.
Shane Mullen was promoted to senior field examiner and officer of the company. He reports to Andy Swanson, senior vice president and field exam manager, and is based at the company’s offices in Boynton Beach, Florida. Mullen joined Crestmark as a junior field examiner in 2014, and was promoted to a staff field examiner in 2015. Mullen earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Louisiana State University.
Tim Pavkovich was promoted to vice president, debtor credit manager, from assistant vice president. He joined Crestmark in 2011 as an invoice analyst, and has since served as a payment analyst, debtor analyst, and debtor credit analyst officer, before being promoted to assistant vice president in 2016. Previously, Pavkovich worked for Affinity Group/St. Cletus Credit Union (now Michigan Legacy Credit Union) in compliance and member services. He has a bachelor’s degree in psychology, history and geography from Central Michigan University.
Dennis Prestel has been promoted to vice president, senior risk management officer in the corporate risk management department. There, he reports to Phil Yanick, senior vice president and chief risk management officer. With more than 35 years of experience in commercial and consumer lending and equipment leasing, Prestel has extensive knowledge of risk assessment, business development, credit underwriting and analysis, and government-guaranteed programs. He joined Crestmark in 2014 after working for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Bridge Business Bancorp, Fifth Third Bank and Wachovia Small Business Capital, among others. He holds a master’s degree and bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Michigan.
Stacey Seltzer was promoted to officer, marketing assistant, and reports to Lisa Beattie, senior vice president, marketing and communications director. Seltzer joined Crestmark in 2014 with the company’s acquisition of TIP Capital, where she was an account manager and inside sales representative; and in 2015 joined the corporate marketing and communications department as a marketing assistant. Previous positions include sales assistant and customer service representative for AJM Packaging, customer service representative for Pentastar Aviation, and human resources team member for Target Corporation. Seltzer earned a bachelor’s degree in English language and literature from the University of Michigan.
Susan Witkowski has been promoted to vice president, marketing project manager, from assistant vice president. She joined Crestmark in 2017 as marketing project manager, and reports to Lisa Beattie, senior vice president, marketing and communications director. Previous marketing and branding experience includes: marketing account manager for LevelSet Solutions; vice president and director of operations/marketing for Alternative Revenue Development; senior manager, client services for BBDO Detroit; advertising manager for Jacobson Stores; and account executive/creative lead for Matthews & Miller. Witkowski earned a bachelor’s degree in advertising from Michigan State University and a master’s degree in management from Walsh College.