Karissa Bansek

Karissa Steffas is currently the Commercial Portfolio Manager at Westfield Bank. Prior to this, they worked at KeyBank from August 2016 to May 2019 as a Commercial Credit Underwriter. In this role, they were responsible for evaluating applicants' credit needs, assessing the risks involved in extending credit, and approving loan transactions within their lending authority. Karissa was also selected as a mentor to both incoming interns and first-year analysts.

Steffas has always been interested in finance and credit. After completing their undergraduate degree in Finance from the University of Massachusetts - Amherst, they decided to pursue a career in credit analysis. Karissa began their career at KeyBank, where they quickly rose through the ranks due to their hard work and dedication.

During their time at KeyBank, they were responsible for spreading and analyzing financial data, testing data integrity, working with various systems and models, and communicating with various credit and sales professionals. Karissa was also involved in recruiting events and was selected as a mentor to both incoming interns and first-year analysts.

Steffas is currently the Commercial Portfolio Manager at Westfield Bank. In this role, they are responsible for managing the commercial portfolio for the bank. This includes overseeing the credit risk of existing and new credit transactions, monitoring credit performance, and developing strategies to grow the commercial portfolio.

Karissa Steffas attended Highland High School and then went on to Ohio Northern University where they earned their Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a focus in Accounting and Business/Management. Karissa later furthered their education by earning their Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) from Liberty University. In addition to their educational accomplishments, Karissa Steffas has also been certified by the Ohio High School Athletic Association as a Basketball Official and by KeyBank in Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt Certification.

Their manager is Kevin Vonderau, Chief Lending Officer. They are on a team with Rebecca Lucas - SVP, Credit Leader, Kari Deeks - Treasury Management Sales Specialist, and Jason Niec - Commercial Banking Development Officer.