A Note from Our President
Dear members,
It is my privilege to serve you, our member-owners, as The Summit Federal Credit Union’s new President and CEO. All of us here at The Summit work for you and are dedicated to you, and we’re excited to carry on our mission to make your lives better and help you reach your financial goals.
Your needs are the guideposts we use to make every decision and action. We listen closely so that we can continually provide a positive experience for you. Our priority is to earn your trust each day, bringing you the most up-to-date, relevant services and products, and providing the friendly, personal attention for which we are known.
If you are not yet a member of The Summit, please take a look at our website to learn more about us, call our Member Services at (585) 453-7000 or (800) 836-7328, or come into any branch and speak to one of us in person. Or join today.
Thank you for being a member of our family, and for the opportunity to serve you.
Laurie Baker
President and CEO
Board of Directors
Our Board of Directors is a diverse team of volunteers who live and work throughout New York State from Buffalo to Syracuse and everywhere in between. They are lawyers, professors, agency presidents and community members. They provide knowledge and leadership to keep us focused on our members and our mission.
Current Board Members
EXECUTIVE
Mollene Benison, Vice Chair
Pamela Crocker, Vice Chair
Kofi Appiah Okyere, Treasurer
Clarence “Chip” Turner, Secretary
DIRECTORS
Board Election News 2025
Each year, the terms of several Summit Board Members expire and a Nominating Committee, comprised of Summit members, is formed to nominate members for the Board of Directors. This year, the Committee has nominated the following individuals:
Kofi Appiah Okyere, PHD CPA
Kofi has served on The Summit’s Board as Treasurer and member of the Executive Committee. He has also served on the Finance and Investments Committees. Before joining The Summit’s Board, he served on the Board of Syracuse FCU. He is one of National Association of Corporate Directors’ (NACD) Board Leadership Fellows. Kofi works at Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Management as a financial reporting professor. He is a member of several professional organizations including the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants (AICPA) and the American Accounting Association. He previously worked at Deloitte & Touche LLP.
Mollene Benison
Mollene was a member of the Supervisory Committee from August 2017 through June 2021. Mollene became an Associate Board Member in March 2019 and was elected to the Board in July 2021. She is currently a Partner in the Financial Assurance Practice at DeJoy & Co. CPAs, LLP. She graduated from SUNY Geneseo with her Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. Mollene currently volunteers as an Investment Committee member for the YWCA of Rochester & Monroe County, Audit Committee Chair and Chair-Elect of the Rochester Area Community Foundation, Business Advisory Council member of SUNY Geneseo, Committee member of the NYSSCPA and Board and Committee member of the Geneseo Foundation. Mollene lives in West Henrietta with her husband, Dan Lynck, with their daughter, Rachel.
Orlando Ortiz
Orlando became an Associate Board Member in February 2024 and was elected to the Board in September2024. He brings with him a wealth of experience in the real estate and manufacturing industries, as well as a dedication to his community. Orlando earned his B.S. in Manufacturing Engineering Technology and his M.B.A. in Operations Management from RIT. He currently serves on several local Boards and committees including Foodlink, PathStone, the RIT Alumni Association, RIT Board of Trustees, and is the President of the Puerto Rican Festival. He was the recipient of the RBJ’s “40 Under 40” award in 2020, was named the Next Gen Philanthropist of the Year in 2019, and Business Person of the Year by the Rochester Hispanic Business Association in 2019, among other accolades. Orlando lives in East Irondequoit with his wife, Denishea, and son, Esaias.
Tom Quirk
Tom was elected to the Board of Directors at the May 1995 Annual Meeting. He recently served for ten years as Board Chair and is currently the Chair of the Nominating Committee of the Board. He is retired from Bausch & Lomb and lives in Pittsford with his wife Molly and has 2 adult children, Clay and Meghan. Tom has been involved in various volunteer activities for other non-profit organizations. Tom currently volunteers for the Genesee Valley Conservancy, an organization whose mission is to protect the habitat, open space, and farmland of the Genesee Valley region.
Volunteer Nomination Certificate and Petition Guidelines
The Summit has volunteer opportunities in 2025! Under guidelines specified by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), members interested in petitioning to run for a volunteer position on the Board of Directors may do so by complying with these procedures:
1. A Volunteer Nomination Certificate and Petition must be signed by 500 members. Signatures must be legible and include the member’s address.
2. Included with your petition must be a statement of qualification and resume with information about your current job, related credit union or financial experience and any other committee involvement.
3. Petitions must be received by February 13, 2025, and sent to Chip Turner, The Summit FCU, Canal Ponds Business Park, 100 Marina Drive, New York 14626.
4. The election will not be conducted by ballot and there will be no nomination from the floor when the number of nominees equals the number of positions filled.
Supervisory Committee
The Supervisory Committee is a five-member committee of volunteer members who are appointed by The Summit Federal Credit Union’s Board of Directors. The committee works independently of the credit union’s management overseeing the work of internal and external auditors, and is responsible for ensuring that member assets are adequately safeguarded, accurate records are maintained, and proper business practices are followed.
In addition, reviewing and resolving member complaints that cannot be rectified through normal channels is another responsibility of the Supervisory Committee. However, most issues can be resolved efficiently by credit union staff in the branches, or through email at mservice@summitfcu.org or at (585) 453-7000 or (800) 836-7328.
If you are unable to resolve an issue or discrepancy in your account through normal channels, you may contact the Supervisory Committee at PO Box 26477, Rochester, NY 14626, Attn: Supervisory Committee.
Annual Reports
For more insight on our operations, feel free to review our current and past Annual Reports.
