Westbury, NY-HQ Jovia FCU Appoints Two New Executive Officers

Westbury, New York, May 24, 2021 – Jovia Financial Credit Union announced the appointments of Ms. Karen Smith, CFA and Robert M. Zotti to its executive team as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Strategy Officer, respectively, effective immediately.

Ms. Smith of Long Island City and native of California, brings a tremendous amount of experience and knowledge to Jovia Financial Credit Union, particularly in the areas of strategic planning, operations, data management, reporting and financial management. Prior to joining Jovia, Ms. Smith worked at Municipal Credit Union, located in Manhattan, where she held the position of Chief Financial Officer. She has also held executive financial positions at three other credit unions during her career, as well as several banks and fintech companies, including owning her own business in the financial services industry. Ms. Smith received her MBA from Stanford University, and a BA in Economics from the University of California, San Diego. She holds a certification as a Chartered Financial Analyst. During the initial months of her employment, Ms. Smith will be working closely with Mr. Mike Shonborn, Jovia’s current Chief Financial Officer, who recently announced his retirement after 20-plus years of service with Jovia.

Mr. Zotti, a New Jersey native, is a seasoned veteran of the financial services industry. He comes to Jovia Financial Credit Union with a wealth of knowledge and over 20 years of strategic planning, business development and finance experience at various companies, driving and executing strategic initiatives. Before joining Jovia, Mr. Zotti was most recently with Popular Bank in Manhattan, where he served as Director of Finance & Strategy. Mr. Zotti previously held the positions of Vice President of Strategy and Vice President of Financial Planning & Analysis at JPMorgan & Co. Inc. in Manhattan and was Chief Financial Officer and founding member of Care Management International, as well as holding various executive level positions with a number of organizations, including Solares, Inc., Morgan Stanley & Co., Inc. and Nabisco Foods, Inc. Robert received his BS from Seton Hall University.

John A. Deieso, President and Chief Executive Officer of Jovia Financial Credit Union commented, “As we continue to grow as a leading credit union on Long Island, I am pleased to add both Karen and Robert to our expanding executive team. We are a new kind of credit union, one that combines service, value and innovation. Both of these talented individuals bring a wealth of experience to Jovia and will propel us to the next stages of our journey and help shape the direction of our organization.”

Jovia Financial Credit Union is one of Long Island’s leading credit unions that has proudly offered its affordable banking services to Long Islanders for more than 80 years. With more than $3.8 billion in assets and over 200,000 members, Jovia has branches and a shared branch network throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties. To join Jovia, eligible members must live, work, attend school, or regularly conduct business in Nassau and/or Suffolk counties (excluding the townships of East Hampton, Southampton and Shelter Island). Existing Jovia members may also sponsor immediate family members or household members. Jovia has been named FORBES 2019 and 2020 Best in State Credit Union. For more information, visit www.joviafinancial.com, call 1-855-JOVIA4U, or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/JoviaFinancialCreditUnion/

# # #

PHOTO CAPTIONS:

• Photo 1: Pictured is Karen Smith, CFA, a Long Island City resident and a native of California, who was recently appointed a new Chief Financial Officer with Jovia Financial Credit Union, headquartered in Westbury, NY.
• Photo 2: Pictured is Robert M. Zotti, a New Jersey native, who was recently appointed new Chief Strategy Officer with Jovia Financial Credit Union, headquartered in Westbury, NY.