Executive Leadership Team
Michael Smith, Executive Vice President, Chief Operations Officer, Member – Board of Managers
Mr. Smith, an attorney, started at Firestone Financial in 2008 and oversees the daily operations of Firestone, including sales and marketing, portfolio and risk management, and credit and loan operations.
John Graudins, Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Graudins joined Firestone Financial in 2018 and is responsible for Firestone’s finance and technology functions. He has over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry and previously held senior finance roles at Citizens Bank, Fidelity Investments, and JPMorgan Chase, among others.
Tom Varriale, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing
Mr. Varriale brought more than 30 years of sales and marketing experience to the Firestone Financial executive team when he joined the company in 2018. In his current role, he oversees strategic planning and initiatives for the Sales and Marketing teams. Prior to Firestone, he held sales and marketing executive positions at several software companies, including Sophos, Progress Software, and Nuance Communications.
Marie McGah, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, Vice President, Organization Development, Talent, and Recruiting
Ms. McGah joined Firestone Financial in 2017, bringing nearly 20 years of human resources experience across a variety of industries to the company. She is the HR business partner to Firestone’s leadership team and provides full-spectrum talent management support to the Firestone team. Ms. McGah hold a master’s degree in training and development and most recently worked at Bristol-Myers Squibb.
Catherine Taskaya, First Vice President, Credit and Administration
Ms. Taskaya joined Firestone Financial in 2013 and oversees the daily operations of the Credit group as well as leading Credit Committee. She has over 25 years of experience in the credit, banking, and finance field and previously held roles in commercial lending at Westpac Banking Corporation in Australia and as Credit Risk Manager at Edison Mission Energy.
Steven Principi, Vice President, Portfolio Management
Mr. Principi joined Firestone Financial in September 2018 and manages the Portfolio Management and Compliance departments of Firestone. He has over 30 years of banking and financial services experience. Prior to joining Firestone, he held senior positions at various banking institutions, including Eastern Bank and Citizens Bank.
Sales and Marketing
Sal Cifala, Senior Sales Executive - Amusement, Vending, Video Lottery, and Carnival & Parks
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Carol Francis, Senior Sales Executive – Franchises, Location-based Entertainment, and Fitness & Wellness
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Christian Campbell, Sales Executive – Franchises, Fitness & Wellness, Location-based Entertainment, and Breweries
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Rich Gockelman, Sales Executive – Carnival & Parks
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Leah Siporin, AVP, Head of Marketing
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