March 4, 2025
Citizens National Bank of Cheboygan (CNB) recently promoted eight of its employees, including two employees who were promoted to the rank of officer. These promotions reflect our commitment to fostering local talent and strengthening our ability to provide personalized financial services.
“We often promote from within the bank because we value the growth of our employees,” said Matthew Keene, CNB President and CEO. “People come to CNB with varying levels of banking experience, and we help them pursue their career goals, whether that means growing in their current role or switching to a new role.
“At the end of the day, we want what’s best for every employee,” Keene added. “Because when our employees are happy, they provide excellent service to our customers and make a difference in our local communities.”
Adam Cushman was recently promoted to Cash Management Officer. Cushman has 20 years of banking experience and has been at CNB for nearly one year. Having experience in mortgage lending, retail banking, investing, insurance, and branch management, Cushman understands the intricacies of the financial situations his business customers have, which enables him to support their unique needs. In his most recent role before coming to CNB, he received the bank’s most prestigious award as a top performer three times. Cushman is now responsible for taking a more active role in running the Cash Management Department at CNB, including product development and pricing, customer experience optimization, process development and implementation, and budgeting. He was promoted largely because he is a skilled and active calling officer and business developer, he has developed new business relationships, and he exhibits strong teamwork and work ethic.
Sharon Coppernoll was recently promoted to Vice President, Residential Banking. Having started as a teller at CNB nearly 23 years ago, Coppernoll has worked her way up in the bank, working in multiple roles at various branches. She found her passion for mortgage lending in 2011. Over the years, she has earned several diplomas and certificates from the American Bankers Association. With this promotion, Coppernoll now has an expanded involvement in new products and operational duties, and is tasked with supporting the department manager. She was an obvious choice for a promotion because she displays consistent performance, exceptional attention to detail, and a high quality of work. From helping customers buy their first home, with home renovations, and dealing with other life challenges, she serves our customers with care and understanding. Coppernoll is also the treasurer of the Cheboygan Sports Boosters.
Stephen Daly was recently promoted to Vice President, Business Banking. Daly has been a lender since 2013 and previously has experience as a branch manager. He joined CNB in 2018 and was the first CNB team member to complete a two-year training program for business banking. He also graduated from Leadership Little Traverse, which is a 9-month leadership program, in 2014. He has over 12 years of banking and finance experience and has been at CNB for nearly 7 years. From his exceptional credit underwriting skills and outreach efforts to his ability to handle larger, more complex relationships while being a team player within the bank, it was a clear choice to promote Daly.
Lora Frye was recently promoted to Branch Manager and Bank Officer. Having started in the Bookkeeping Department (now the Support Center) at CNB 45 years ago, Frye has shown her dedication to providing excellent customer service in our communities in various roles, including as a teller and a Branch Operations Supervisor, proving that career growth is about putting customers first. Over her 45-year career, Frye has worked at CNB’s Cheboygan, Pellston, Alanson, and Mackinaw City locations. She was promoted to Branch Manager because she is helping teach the next generation of bankers while also managing the Mackinaw City branch. Given her experience and commitment to the community outside of banking hours, it made sense to promote her to the role of Officer as well.
“Years ago, we moved away from the Branch Manager title in favor of the Branch Operations Supervisor title,” Keene said. “The switch showcased how our BOSes focus on supervisory tasks for their branch. Giving Lora the title of Branch Manager again showcases how she is a jack of all trades when it comes to banking. She is the embodiment of community banking, and this promotion is a testament to her abilities.”
Memory Massey was recently promoted to Fraud Mitigation Officer. Before moving into the banking industry 19 years ago, Massey had a background in business, where she gained skills and grit that she continues to use today. Massey started her time at CNB as a Customer Service Representative (now called a Universal Banker) in 2014 and worked her way up as a Deposit Operations Specialist and then the Supervisor to the Wires and Operational Processing Department before being promoted to her current role. Since joining CNB, she has helped educate customers and colleagues, train colleagues, and remediate fraud wherever possible. She was promoted because her skills and banking experience give her the ability to recognize fraud in its many different forms and make her the perfect choice to help lead the bank in this area. Over the years, Massey has served our local communities in various ways, including serving as treasurer for the Cheboygan Hockey Association, being a Girl Scout leader, and representing CNB on the Pellston DDA Board.
Michelle Miller was recently promoted to Vice President, Residential Banking. Having started out as a teller at CNB 22 years ago, Miller has worked her way up through the bank, having roles such as Branch Operations Supervisor, Branch Manager, and Residential Banking Officer. Outside of the office, Miller is part of the Kiwanis Club of Indian River, helps fundraise for Ronon’s Place, volunteers for blood drives, and helps food truck distributions in Cheboygan County. In addition to being actively involved in the Indian River market and well-respected in the area, Miller is a consistent performer and displays exceptional teamwork. She consistently shows dedication, perseverance, and a strong work ethic to serve her customers well. Miller is also excellent at referring people to other areas of the bank to ensure the customer gets the financial support they need.
Regina Patton was recently promoted to Vice President, Residential Banking. Patton has 22 years of banking and finance experience on the national level, and has been at CNB for six years. She started at CNB as a Residential Banking Officer, was promoted to Assistant Vice President four years later, and is now a Vice President. She serves on the Petoskey Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and is a Chamber Ambassador. She is also an active participant in the Emmet Association of Realtors on behalf of CNB, which is an affiliate member. Patton is respected in Emmet County because her experience and expertise are invaluable to her customers and referral partners as she helps local families realize their dream of home ownership. From her outstanding loan production to her department-wide process improvement recommendations, Patton was a clear choice for a promotion.
Stefani Stewart was recently promoted to Assistant Branch Operations Supervisor at the Main branch in Cheboygan. Before joining the banking industry four years ago, Stewart was a senior administrative assistant in the medical industry. Stewart brought her compliance knowledge, as well as her time management, problem-solving, and customer service skills to CNB in October 2020 as a Universal Banker. Stewart was promoted largely because our customers see her as a staple at the Main branch, and she provides excellent customer service to our community. In this new role, she will be taking on more responsibilities to ease the workload of the Main branch’s BOS so he can focus on supporting the team.
Promoting employees is just one way CNB pursues its mission: to be the bank and employer of choice in northern Michigan, helping our communities build strong economies. CNB was also recently voted as the Best Place to Work in the 2024 Official Community’s Choice Awards Best of Northern Michigan.