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At just 32 years old, Ryan Blake has already been with BCB Community Bank for 14 years. Now, the senior vice president and chief operating officer has been tapped to serve on its board.

BCB Bancorp Inc., the holding company for the bank, announced Blake’s addition as a member of the board Nov. 8.

The move not only makes him one of the youngest C-suite bankers in New Jersey, it marks the first for an out LGBT+ banker to serve on a financial institution’s board in the state, according to BCB.

Based in Bayonne, BCB Community Bank has 28 branch offices in New Jersey and three in New York. As of June 30, 2022, the most recent information available, it had $3 billion in total assets and total deposits of $2.66 billion. According to the bank, it is the 17th largest financial institution in the state and the 11th largest by deposit size.

“It is paramount to the future success of BCB that we have a younger director who understands the importance of technological transformation in the financial and banking industry in order to deliver our customers an optimal and convenient experience. Ryan’s work – digitizing BCB – will make our financial products even more competitive, on par with larger retail banks, but with the tailored friendly customer service of a neighborhood banker,” said BCB Director Judith Bielan in a statement.

Blake has served in his current roles since 2021. He joined BCB as an executive associate to the bank’s CEO and CFO while attending Kean University and subsequently served as financial analyst, investor relations manager, then vice president and controller.

According to BCB, he’s guided the institution to make aggressive changes to its online and mobile banking experience, in the hopes of attracting and better serving a younger and more diverse customer base.

“A major challenge that community banks must solve is rethinking their responsibility in strengthening a community’s quality of life, and that’s by understanding how strategic investments in diversity – minority-owned businesses, scholarships, financial literacy, and promoting employee volunteerism – is an advantage in building-up thriving communities,” Blake said.

The Bayonne native currently lives in Fanwood. He recently completed executive leadership training from the American Bankers Association Stonier Graduate School of Banking Program at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Blake earned a Master of Business Administration degree at Rutgers University, and two degrees from Kean University, a Bachelor of Science in Finance and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics. In the community, he is a director and trustee of the Bayonne Public Library, volunteer-vice president and trustee of the Rotary International, and a former board director of New Jersey Pride Chamber of Commerce.