Alma Bank appointed David J. Samuels, Dino Marra and John F. Kuntz to its Board of Directors on July 15, 2026, immediately adding 90 years of combined executive leadership spanning commercial banking, risk management, regulatory compliance, and corporate real estate. The three-person slate represents a strategic talent injection for the Long Island City-based community bank, which has grown to 14 locations with more than $1.5 billion in assets while expanding across the New York and New Jersey metropolitan area.
Chairman Paul Kalamaras said in a statement that each director brings "a strong record of leadership, sound judgment and deep expertise across the financial services industry," noting their experience would strengthen board capabilities across risk management, governance and strategic transactions. President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Psyllos characterized the appointments as coming "at an important stage in our continued growth." Neither Alma Bank nor the appointees disclosed whether a search firm was involved in identifying the candidates. The timing aligns with the bank's expansion efforts, including recent branch openings in Nassau County and a partnership with Ameriprise Financial for wealth management services.
Samuels brings the deepest expertise in regulatory and risk matters. He served as Chief Executive Officer and board member of Treliant, a global financial services consulting firm that was acquired by Huron Consulting Group in July 2025. According to his biography, Samuels holds more than 30 years of experience in banking, credit risk, enterprise risk management, capital planning and regulatory compliance. Prior to Treliant, he held senior leadership positions with Promontory Financial Group (an IBM company), S&P Capital IQ, eRisk and Zoologic, advising institutions on risk management, regulatory strategy and operational performance. Marra brings financial operations expertise rooted in real estate development. He serves as Chief Financial Officer and Project Executive of MarrCon Development Corp., a luxury residential builder on Long Island's North Fork founded in 2018. A certified public accountant educated at SUNY Plattsburgh, Marra spent more than a decade at Crowe LLP advising financial institutions on audit, SEC reporting and internal controls before joining the construction company in 2020. He brings additional commercial real estate experience through Marratime Capital LLC. Kuntz offers governance and M&A perspective from his years in banking law and operations. He served as Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of Provident Bank, as well as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, helping guide the organization through its initial public offering, five bank acquisitions and three wealth management company acquisitions. A lawyer admitted to practice in New York in 1981, he recently joined the board of Blue Foundry Bancorp in July 2024 and carries more than 25 years of banking industry experience.
Alma Bank itself represents a distinctive regional position. Founded in 2007, the bank has carved out a niche serving commercial, small business and personal customers across the New York and New Jersey region rather than competing directly with large national institutions. The bank offers commercial and consumer lending, deposit services, treasury management and wealth management, emphasizing high-touch service and localized decision-making paired with digital capabilities. Alma Bank was recognized by Newsweek as one of the Best Regional Banks in America for 2026. The bank's 180 employees across 14 branches generated approximately $51.2 million in annual sales, according to recent corporate data.
The three appointments signal that Alma Bank intends to strengthen board-level oversight of its growth trajectory. Samuels' expertise in regulatory compliance and risk management suggests the bank may be preparing to navigate increasingly complex financial oversight requirements or contemplate material business expansion. Marra's real estate and operations background could prove useful if the bank considers growth through commercial lending in the highly competitive New York development sector, while Kuntz's transaction experience positions him to advise on strategic acquisitions or partnerships. Collectively, the appointments appear designed to deepen the board's institutional experience in precisely the domains most critical for a regional bank managing expansion while maintaining prudent risk controls.
