Wednesday, October 21, 2026
When she accepted a management trainee role at the Franklin Square branch of Ridgewood Savings Bank in 1989, she expected to stay on the job for just two years. Thirty-two years later, Ann Freese of Franklin Square was promoted to a senior officer position earlier this month.
“I would probably say, looking back, definitely not,” Freese said, thinking back to whether she ever expected a 30-plus-year career at Ridgewood Savings Bank that would lead to climbing the ladder to a senior role at the bank.
Ridgewood promoted Freese to the position of First Vice President & Director of Information Technology earlier this month following 32 years of service to the Franklin Square branch. Alongside Freese, three other longtime Ridgewood employees, from Valley Stream, Belle Harbor and Whitestone, respectively, were promoted to senior officer positions; another three employees advanced to the role of vice president, and Ridgewood added new senior staff members as well.
“It gives me a sense of accomplishment,” Freese, who first worked in the bank’s audit department as a management trainee, then worked her way up to a role in risk management department and finally to her most recent job as a VP and Director of Information Technology, said of her promotion.
Freese, who received an M.S. in banking and money management from Adelphi University and an undergraduate degree in finance from SUNY New Paltz, assumed the role of VP of Information Technology in 2010. In her most recent role, Freese worked to ensure that “The bank’s technology supports its overall operations and business goals,” according to a statement shared by Ridgewood. “We make sure that equipment is properly attached and will function when the frontline staff needs it to function,” Freese explained, adding that she works to address information security and technology concerns to support the day-to-day operation of the bank.
Freese said that she hopes her ascension through the ranks at Ridgewood – from management trainee in 1989 to First VP of Information Technology in 2021 – sets an example for her three children, now young adults seeking careers of their own. “I feel like when my own kids see what mom has accomplished through the years it gives them a little hope,” Freese, who resides in Franklin Square with her husband and three children, said.
A 32-year employee at Ridgewood, Freese described a sense of loyalty to the bank and its mission. “It is rare nowadays for anybody to stay with one employer for so many years,” she admitted, but described “A sense of accomplishment and pride for working for this organization for so many years.”
“These recent promotions (are) representative of the hard work, extreme dedication, and long-time service of our employees to the communities we serve,” said Ridgewood president Leonard Stekol in a statement.
On top of her 32-year commitment to Ridgewood, Freese said she deeply believes in the bank’s motto of “multiplying the good” in the communities its serves. One way that Freese embodies this goal is through her support of the bank’s ‘Spirit of Ridgewood’ events. These events include a number of internal fundraisers that employees partake in, Freese said, such as selling baked goods to coworkers to raise money for various charity organizations, taking part in a walk for different causes, wearing sports jerseys, Halloween costumes and ugly Christmas sweaters to raise money and more, Freese explained.
Freese said she cherishes the relationships she has built with coworkers throughout her 32 years at Ridgewood. “You build a lot of camaraderie here when you’re working and participating in these various spirit of Ridgewood events,” Freese said. “It’s just a great experience.”
“When we started there were plenty of older people working at the bank, we are now those older people working at the bank,” Freese said. “We’ve seen how the bank has progressed, and I’m proud to have been part of those 32 years of Ridgewood’s 100-year commitment to our customers and meeting the needs of the communities we serve.”
