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VNFA News- Announces Promotions

February 7, 2023 | Weekly Commentary

We are pleased to announce the promotions of three of our VNFA team members. Ashley Santiago, SHRM-CP, has been promoted to Vice President, Human Resources & Organizational Development, Ildebrando E. Cruz has been promoted to Assistant Vice President, Trading & Operations, and Debra Almack, CPA, has been promoted to Corporate Controller.

Ashley Santiago, SHRM-CP, has been with the company for five years and has contributed greatly to the employee experience by creating a performance-driven workplace.  In her new role, she will work closely with our CEO on organization, culture, employee development, and executive transparency.  Ashley is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Human Resource Management at Moravian University and was recently named an honoree to Lehigh Valley Business 2022 Forty under 40.

Ildebrando E. Cruz began his career in the banking industry and worked as a Service Manager in the Private Banking Division. Mr. Cruz has worked in operations and trading in the investment advisory industry for 34 years. He has been employed with Valley National Financial Advisors for 16 years. In his new role, he will oversee the back-office operations and the trading platforms and execute and supervise two of the firm’s proprietary investment strategies. He also sits on the compliance committee, investment committee, investment department, and operations team. Ildebrando enjoys spending time with his family and is married to his childhood sweetheart of 49 years.

Debra Almack, CPA, joined Valley National in June 2021 as a Senior Accountant. In her new role, she will be responsible for the direct supervision of all daily, monthly, and annual accounting and financials. She has worked in accounting since graduating from Messiah College in 1989. Debra worked in various industries, starting as a tax accountant before spending over 20 years in a not-for-profit organization as their Controller. She moved to the Lehigh Valley with her husband in 2018. They enjoy walking their dog on the many trails in this area, and she loves reading books in her spare time.