Impressia Bank Announces Advisory Board

An award-winning director of documentary films at Finish Line Features, Robin is a champion of the women’s perspective. Robin’s film $avvy investigates the historical, cultural, and societal norms around women and money. With incisive humor and captivating honesty, $avvy questions why women often take a backseat to managing their money and reveals why it’s increasingly critical for women to take the reins of their financial future.

Robin’s TED Talk, the Likeability Dilemma for Women Leaders, has more than 2 million views on ted.com. Her films and speeches illuminate pressing societal issues such as equality, financial savviness, the gender gap in tech, implicit bias, and the likability dilemma. Robin is a diplomat for the American Film Showcase and has presented at The White House, NASA, SXSW, Google, Amazon, and US Embassies worldwide.

With a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience and a doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Rochester, Dr. LaVigne has spent more than 30 years in both the private and public sectors creating new products and start-up businesses. Her for-profit experience includes co-founding health informatics businesses employing more than 100 people, two initial public offerings, and product development in large biomedical companies. In 2014, after heading economic development at the University at Buffalo, she became the President and CEO of Launch NY, which she co-founded in 2012 to serve high-growth potential startups in the western half of New York. Launch NY is a nonprofit venture development organization that has provided pro bono mentoring and the most active seed fund in the state to over 1500 companies. As a U.S. Treasury-designated Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), Launch NY offers specialty accelerator programs including Emerging Cleantech Opportunity Incubator and Founders Go Big for underrepresented entrepreneurs. She is past chair of the New York State Economic Development Council (NYSEDC) and a member of the Board of Directors for Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center, the State Science and Technology Institute (SSTI), Upstate Venture Connect, and Western New York Venture Association.

Anne Richie is the founder and Managing Director of The Mezzanine Fund, providing flexible debt capital to support the over-performance of over-looked businesses. The fund focuses on lower-middle-market companies with scaling strategies. She is also the founder of ACR Capital which advises growth companies on their capital strategy.

For more than 20 years, Anne managed distressed loan portfolios for Citicorp, Wells Fargo, and KeyBank, completing capital restructurings ranging from $10 – $200 million for companies in more than 20 industries. After a successful career in corporate banking, she served as chief restructuring officer and chief financial officer for a private equity-owned jet engine parts manufacturer with $27 million in revenue that spun off from TRW.

More recently, Anne was a venture partner for JumpStart, a non-profit venture capital firm working with companies across three technology funds. Through the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Initiative, Anne also advised 100+ companies per year. Anne serves on several for-profit and not-for-profit boards.

As an entrepreneur and US Army Reserves veteran, Erin changed her life when she joined an Athena Powerlink Panel in 2014. Erin was paired with a commercial banker from Impressia’s sister division, ERIEBANK, opening her eyes to the importance of a relationship with her bank.

Their collaboration supported the exponential growth of Erin’s business. Erin’s mission is to grow women-owned businesses, helping them achieve more. Sharing her time between homes in Waterford, PA, Willoughby, OH, Covington, LA, and Santa Barbara, CA, Erin works individually advising clients on their business model, reviews their bookkeeping, and makes recommendations to make them more profitable.

As a founding member of Impressia Bank’s steering committee, and an advocate of both Impressia Bank and ERIEBANK, Erin has been an ambassador for Impressia Bank since its inception. Erin serves as a bridge between the roots of Impressia Bank and the future.

Betsey Locke is a Brand and Marketing Strategist who helps leading financial services organizations build and activate their brands and discover the “power of purpose.” Her experience spans brand management, creative development, channel strategy, content strategy and execution, internal and external communications, engagement and activation strategy, and customer insight. Whether developing insights to serve as the foundation for wealth management brands, partnering with financial influencers to connect with next-gen communities, creating unique ways to support small business customers, or developing a compelling branded content strategy, Betsey brings a depth of experience and understanding of why and how people choose and remain loyal to banks and financial institutions, and of how to deliver a brand in a digital world. Betsey is also passionate about championing women’s careers. She is a member of Chief, and founder of Bravogals, connecting women with mentors to help them amplify their impact personally and professionally.

As president of US Ceiling Corp, Melissa James-Geska sets and defines the strategic vision of her award-winning social impact construction company, bringing an unwavering commitment to change lives, empower communities, and help priority populations build economic self-reliance. For more than two decades, Melissa has served as a role model and mentor, contributing to various nonprofits that address issues affecting women and marginalized groups. Passionate about promoting DEI in construction and bridging the labor gap, Melissa created her firm’s skilled trades training and workforce development program, USC Academy, partnering with like-minded organizations to provide practical experience and scalable employment opportunities for her existing workforce and those who are underrepresented in the industry. In 2021, she made “herstory” as the first woman and minority to serve a two-year term as chair of the Builders Exchange of Rochester. Melissa is currently vice chair of RochesterWorks; a steering committee member for RMAPI; a board trustee for Genesee Valley Club; a board and construction committee member for Flower City Habitat for Humanity; and a medical center board member for the University of Rochester.