Lakeland Bank President and Chief Executive Officer Thomas Shara was installed as chairman of the New Jersey Bankers Association for the 2020-2021 fiscal year, the organization said May 29.
John Fitzgerald, the president and CEO of Magyar Bank, will serve as first vice chairman and Christopher Maher, chairman, president and CEO of OceanFirst Bank, will be second vice chairman.
Shara has led Oak Ridge-based Lakeland since 2008 after holding executive positions at what is now TD Bank’s Mid-Atlantic Division, which includes New Jersey. He was serving as executive vice president and senior loan officer at Hudson United Bank when it was acquired by TD Bank. In that role, Shara ran the integration of more than 30 acquisitions, according to NJBankers.
Thomas Shara, president and CEO, Lakeland Bank. – LAKELAND BANK
He is a trustee of the Boys and Girls Club of Paterson and Passaic, a director of the Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey and serves on the board of governors of the Ramapo College Foundation and the Chilton Medical Center Foundation.
Fitzgerald joined New Brunswick-based Magyar Bank in 2001 and established its Commercial Lending Department. He later served as chief operating officer and was named CEO in 2010.
He serves as vice chairman of the board of trustees of the State Theater in New Brunswick. He is also a former member of the Dunellen Board of Education and a past president of the Community Bankers Association.
Maher has worked at Toms River-based OceanFirst since 2013, joining after a stint as president and CEO of Patriot National Bancorp. He also served as executive vice president of Dime Savings Bank.
Based in Cranford, the New Jersey Bankers Association was established in 116 and now represents 76 banks and 185 service providers. The group provides governmental relations services at the state and national levels to its members, along with education, professional development and employee benefit programs.
