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Berkshire Bank recently named five personnel to lead and manage its wealth management division, delivering investment solutions to individuals, companies, government organizations and nonprofit organizations.
Richard Bleser has been appointed senior vice president and chief investment officer. In his new role, Bleser will lead Berkshire’s investment portfolio management efforts. Bleser has worked at Berkshire Bank as its senior vice president portfolio manager since joining the firm in 2010 from Meridian Capital Partners Inc., where he was responsible for macroeconomic, S&P 500 and hedge fund analysis.
Jason Edgar has been named senior vice president, wealth portfolio manager and regional leader of New England. In his new role, he will lead Berkshire Bank’s wealth management initiatives for the New England region and working on the investment portfolio. Edgar joined Berkshire as a senior portfolio manager in 2014 after several years with Enterprise Investment Advisor, a division of Enterprise Bank.
Mary Ellen Cologero will be senior vice president, wealth portfolio manager and regional leader of New York. Cologero will lead Berkshire Bank’s wealth management initiatives for the New York region, while also working on the investment portfolio. With over 25 years of investment experience, she joined the team as a senior portfolio manager from Key Bank, where she worked as senior vice president and senior portfolio manager.
Janice Ward, Esq., CFP, will become first vice president, wealth advisor and senior fiduciary officer. She works primarily with trust and estate clients, overseeing the fiduciary activities and focusing on financial planning. Ward has worked at Berkshire as a wealth advisor and senior fiduciary officer since joining the bank in 2012 from Greenfield Savings Bank.
Elizabeth Gore is named first vice president of trust operations and compliance. Gore brings more than 34 years of banking experience, 22 of which were in Berkshire Bank’s trust operations. Gore oversees all aspects of operations and compliance for the wealth management group and currently manages the Lenox wealth management office.
