Community Bank N.A. has promoted BRETT ZIELASKO to VP and market manager for Community Bank N.A. Trust Services. In his new role, he will continue to be responsible for trust and estate planning and administration, and will now manage IRA administration for Trust, as well as business-development efforts within the Oneida market. Zielasko previously served as trust officer and has been with Community Bank since 2015 when the bank acquired Oneida Savings Bank. He worked for five years for Oneida Savings Bank, where he was also a trust officer. Zielasko received a bachelor’s degree in history from SUNY Oswego and a juris doctorate from the Western New England School of Law. 

Solvay Bank has made several internal promotions. DANITA BALDWIN was promoted to banking officer, retail-operations specialist. She joined the Solvay Bank team in 2000.

LISA COE was promoted to banking officer, commercial-banking specialist. She has been supporting the commercial-banking team since 2015.

JUSTIN STENERI was promoted to VP, commercial-loan officer. He joined Solvay Bank’s commercial-lending team in 2019.

TREVOR BACON has joined Solvay Bank as VP, commercial real-estate officer. He has previous commercial-banking experience and is a graduate of SUNY Oswego. 

Tioga Downs Casino Resort and Vernon Downs Casino Hotel have added ROBERT OTTO as regional director of security. He will oversee security operations at both venues. Otto brings more than 30 years of law-enforcement experience, which includes a distinguished career with the Philadelphia Police Department. A graduate of Chestnut Hill College with a degree in criminal justice, Otto joined the Philadelphia Police Department as an officer and rose through the ranks to lieutenant, where he assisted with the oversight of all investigative and specialized tactical units for the entire department. He has extensive education in his field, having attended the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command, the Penn State University Police Executive Development Program, and the Penn State University Police Supervisory Program. Otto has also received numerous commendations and awards from the Philadelphia Police Department, community organizations, private-sector organizations, and local and state legislative bodies such as the Philadelphia City Council and state representatives.

GENEVIEVE HALPENNY, associate, has joined Barclay Damon’s intellectual property litigation and patents & prosecution practice areas. Her primary office is in Syracuse. Halpenny, who holds a Ph.D. in chemistry in addition to her juris doctorate, advises clients seeking or leveraging patents, providing actionable business and legal advice based on patentability, freedom to operate, and infringement analyses. She works with clients to protect their patent, trademark, and trade-secret rights in matters before federal courts, state courts, and the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Halpenny also has experience advising on protecting and monetizing client technologies in licensing agreements and contracts, as well as in conducting trademark-availability searches and registering trademarks with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.