Jenny Augustine is vice president and talent resources director at ConnectOne Bank, a leading commercial bank with nearly $9 billion in assets. Ms. Augustine is responsible for the direction of the talent and human resources function, development of the company’s talent strategy including its programs, processes and procedures. She works alongside each of the bank’s business lines to shape the approach around attracting and developing the company’s talent while maintaining alignment with the organization’s culture, mission and values. She has played a critical role in navigating the workforce through the pandemic, shifting to a remote work culture and later implementing an effective hybrid, return-to-work program. Ms. Augustine has developed a proactive response to the changing employment trends, in order to retain and optimize talent. As talent wars heighten, she continuously works to realign recruitment strategies with the company’s evolving needs.

Ms. Augustine holds over 20 years of experience in human resources and has worked across financial services and agriculture.

Eric Thompson is the executive vice president and CHRO at Vantage Bank, a privately held commercial bank. Mr. Thompson has spent over 20 years helping organizations large and small, build strong teams and develop employee centric cultures. He leads human resources and talent management strategy, ensuring the alignment with the overall business strategy and vision of Vantage Bank.

Mr. Thompson holds the senior professional in human resources (SPHR) certification, as well as certifications in a variety of organizational development and personality assessment tools.

Editor-in-Chief Naomi Snyder is in charge of the editorial coverage at Bank Director. She oversees the magazine and the editorial team’s efforts on the Bank Director website, newsletter and special projects. She has more than two decades of experience in business journalism and spent 15 years as a newspaper reporter. She has a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Illinois and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan.