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
Kofi Appiah Okyere, Treasurer
Clarence “Chip” Turner, Secretary
DIRECTORS
ASSOCIATE MEMBER
Pamela Crocker
EMERITUS
William A. Reifsteck
Board Election News 2024
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:
Pamela R. Crocker
Ms. Crocker was elected as a member of the Board of Directors in September 2023 and currently serves as a member of the Board Governance Committee. She served as an Associate Member of the Board of Directors since 2022.
Ms. Crocker is currently Associate General Counsel and Head of Intellectual Property, Marketing and Communications Legal at The Vanguard Group, Inc. Prior to joining Vanguard, Ms. Crocker was in-house counsel at the Eastman Kodak Company, where her roles included Assistant General Counsel and Vice President of the Legal Department, Chief Patent Counsel, Managing Director of Licensing and Litigation Operations, and Managing Director of Litigation. She has also served as a Member of the Boards of Directors of the American Intellectual Property Law Association and the Rochester Intellectual Property Law Association.
Ms. Crocker holds a B.S. in Optics from the University of Rochester, as well as a J.D., summa cum laude, from Syracuse University College of Law.
She resides in East Bloomfield, New York with her husband and they have two sons and a daughter.
Elizabeth A. Dudman
Ms. Dudman has served on the Board of Directors since 1994. She served as Vice Chairperson of the Board from 1996-1999, was elected Chair in 1999 and served in that capacity for 3 years. She is currently a member of the Board Governance Committee and has previously served on the Compensation and Legislative Committees.
Ms. Dudman previously worked at the University of Rochester as the Director of Real Estate Services. Prior to that, she worked for Wegmans Food Markets. In addition to her volunteer activities at The Summit, Ms. Dudman has participated on the Couples for Kids Golf Committee for the Rochester Chapter of the American Red Cross. She resides in Penfield, New York with her husband and family.
Augustin Melendez
Mr. Melendez has served on the Board of Directors since 2006. He also was the Treasurer from 2009 – 2011 and is currently a member of the Pension Committee. He also served on the CUSO Board from 2000 to 2005 and on the Financial Education Committee from 2004 to 2010.
Mr. Melendez is a retired Human Resource Executive. He served as Chief HROD Officer for the Hillside Family of Agencies. Prior to that, he was named President of Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection (HW-SC) in March 2013. He worked at Eastman Kodak Company for over 13 years in various HR leadership roles which included Global Chief Diversity Officer/Corporate Officer, as well as VP/HR for Global Manufacturing. He served as HR Director at Paychex as well as Chief HR Executive for the Rochester City School District.
Mr. Melendez volunteers his time in the community on numerous boards and committees. He served on the Board of Directors/Executive Committee and HR committee at Episcopal Senior Living, and has held Board positions at the United Way, PRYD and Leadership Rochester, where he was a founding member. He also currently serves on the Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Board as appointed by Governor Cuomo. In 2001, he was named the Hispanic Business Person of the Year by the Rochester Hispanic Business Association.
He holds a B.S. in Business Administration and Economics and a B.A. in Speech and Communications from Wagner College, as well as an M.S. in Human Resources and Development from St. John Fisher College.
Augustin and his wife, Linda Melendez, live in Webster.
Volunteer Nomination Certificate and Petition Guidelines
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 petition must be signed by 1% of our membership (at least 500) members. Signatures must be legible and include the member’s account number.
2. Included with your petition must be a statement of qualification and a biography with information about your current job, related credit union or financial experience and any other committee involvement.
3. Petitions must have been received by February 28, 2024 and sent to The Summit FCU, Canal Ponds Business Park, 100 Marina Drive, Rochester, 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.
