NBT Bank has promoted PAUL MERENESS to senior credit officer and PAIGE REINA to credit support manager, respectively.

Mereness is based in Norwich and Reina is in the Utica–Rome area. Mereness is responsible for credit underwriting for NBT’s largest commercial relationships and supporting the bank’s relationship managers across its seven-state footprint. He joined NBT Bank in 2010 as a credit analyst and has held positions of increasing responsibility since then, most recently as senior credit support manager. He was promoted to VP in 2021. Mereness holds a bachelor’s degree and MBA from College of Saint Rose.

Reina is responsible for training and overseeing NBT’s commercial-credit analysts and managing underwriting and approval workflows in collaboration with the bank’s commercial-lending teams across its seven-state footprint. Reina began her tenure at NBT in 2014 in the bank’s Management Development Program and later joined the Credit Department as a credit analyst in 2015. Most recently, she held a managerial position as a credit support team leader. She was promoted to assistant VP earlier this year. Reina holds a bachelor’s degree from Siena College and an MBA from Utica University.

MEGAN K. THOMAS recently joined the Onondaga County Water Authority (OCWA) as general counsel and director of education, at its Northern Concourse location in North Syracuse. OCWA says it provides drinking water to residents, businesses, and industries in Central New York in a manner protective of water resources and the environment.

JENNIFER STOWELL joined OCWA as director of HR and insurance at its Northern Concourse location in North Syracuse.

MICHELLE K. MITCHELL recently joined Syracuse University Libraries as reference and instruction librarian. In this role she will be responsible for supporting student achievement and success through reference support, outreach and liaison partnerships, and instruction. Prior to joining Syracuse University, Mitchell was the education librarian at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina and instructional services librarian at SUNY Morrisville. Mitchell obtained her master’s degree in library and information sciences from Simmons College in Boston and holds a bachelor’s degree from Le Moyne College.