GSB Women Who Lead

At Greenfield Savings Bank, women don’t just have a seat at the table – they help run it. We’re proud that four out of the eight senior leaders at GSB are women. Each one has her own story, and has followed her own path, but they all maintain a shared commitment to lifting up the next generation. We’re excited to introduce you to Cassandra, Christina, Shandra and Panna. Here are their stories...

 

Cassandra Morrey SVP, Senior Residential Lending Officer and Fair Lending Officer celebrates sixteen years with GSB in April. She started her career as a teller and progressed through just about every corner of lending and retail before landing in senior leadership.  Each step she has taken in the frontline, operational, and leadership ultimately prepared her for the senior leadership role she has today. Her progression was built on a foundation of trust, accountability, and one important piece of advice that shaped everything that followed:

 

“Always dress and act for where you want to be, not where you are.”

It wasn’t about just appearance, it was about mindset, professionalism, and carrying yourself with intention.

 

Today, Cassandra is proud at what she sees … women leading business lines, shaping strategy, and redefining who belongs in financial services. With half of GSB’s senior leadership team now female — and a former female bank president paving the way — she says the message to the next generation is clear:

 

Leadership isn’t just available to women. We celebrate it.

Cassandra’s advice to other women is “I hope my career shows you that leadership isn’t about where you start, but how you grow. I began as a teller, learning the foundations of trust, accountability, and professionalism from a boss who reminded me to always act for where I wanted to be, not where I was.”

 

Christina Gay SVP & Senior HR Officer has been with GSB for eight years.

Christina’s career began at 14 on Cape Cod, directing parking lots and eventually running a reservation office. It was a crash course in management.

 

A decade in tech startups followed, where she built HR programs from the ground up, incorporated businesses, and learned the art of doing “everything but software development.”

 

She points to three pivotal moments that shaped her:

• Presenting to regional boards on company culture (and realizing the power of leading with authenticity).
• Failing her first SPHR exam (a humbling reminder that grit matters).
• Completing a therapy internship (which taught her as much about people as any job ever has).

 

Her mentors range from a dear friend who “leads with her whole heart” to her sister, a longtime banking professional who recently donated a kidney to their brother — a real-life lesson in courage and generosity.

 

Christina’s message to future women leaders:
“When a wave comes, always choose to go deep. You can try to resist it, but waves are inevitable. Learn how to navigate and get under the surface of the waves instead of fighting them.”

 

Shandra Richardson, Chief Operating Officer

Shandra celebrates five years with GSB in April, a milestone supported by a career spanning retail leadership, multi-department operations, U.S. and offshore team management, risk management, and advanced studies in business, leadership, strategy, and organizational development, and Lean Six Sigma.

 

Shandra attributes her mother to being her greatest influence and role model, saying “She has taught me structure, perseverance, self-sufficiency and she has always supported me in everything I wanted to do.”

 

And when it comes to creating workplaces where women take confident risks, Shandra is clear:

 

Empowerment starts with cultures that welcome bold ideas, respectful challenge, and real visibility for women in decision-making rooms.

 

In her own legacy she hopes to leave for other women in financial industry is the legacy is one of empowerment and possibility. 

 

“I want to be known as someone who opened doors, championed other women, and helped create a culture where women’s voices are heard and valued.  If the women who come after me feel more confident stepping into leadership because the path is clearer, then I know I’ve made a difference.”

 

Her advice:

“Step forward with courage, trust that your voice belongs in every room you enter and remember that the path you create will make it easier for the women who follow.”

 

Panna Royal SVP & Chief Information Officer

Panna Royal is not your typical CIO — and she wears that as a badge of honor. Her journey didn’t begin with an Ivy League degree or a straight line to leadership. It began in the trenches of network engineering, where she learned to solve complex problems, navigate male‑dominated spaces, and build credibility through results rather than credentials.

 

Breaking through both the glass and paper ceilings, Panna has become a powerful advocate for women in technology and for leaders who don’t fit the mold. She believes curiosity is more valuable than hierarchy and that the best ideas often come from the most unexpected places.

 

Today, she leads technology transformation with a blend of technical depth, empathy, and humor, including the “spicy disaster” energy she jokingly claims as her personal brand. When she’s not shaping the future of banking technology, she’s traveling, reading, mentoring women in tech, or trying to maintain order while her dog Remy makes surprise appearances on Zoom.

 

Her advice to future women leaders:

Stop trying to fit the mold. Build your own blueprint because your uniqueness is your competitive advantage.