Board of Directors

Christopher J. Annas

Founder, Chairman, President and CEO

Mr. Annas is the founder, Chairman, President and CEO of the Corporation. Prior to starting Meridian, Mr. Annas was the President, CEO and co-founder of Community Bank of Chester County. Mr. Annas has over 45 years of banking experience in various commercial lending capacities. Prior to Community Bank of Chester County, Mr. Annas served as Regional Vice President for Summit Bank, leading the small business lending effort in the Delaware Valley. During his tenure at Summit Bank, he managed their large corporate lending effort in Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey, as well as their media communications business nationally. Mr. Annas currently serves on the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia’s Community Depository Institutions Advisory Council and on the Foundation Board of Paoli Hospital. He is a former board member of the Community Bank Council of the American Bankers Association and the Chester County Chamber of Business and Industry. Mr. Annas has served as a director of the Corporation since 2004.

Denise Lindsay

Ms. Lindsay is the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Corporation. Ms. Lindsay is responsible for financial reporting, investor relations, risk management, asset-liability management, treasury, forecasting and budgeting. Before joining the Corporation, Ms. Lindsay was the Vice President and Controller of DNB First from 1992 to 2004. Prior to that time, she was a Senior Accountant for KPMG, LLP. Ms. Lindsay is also a member of the Board of the Financial Managers Society – Philadelphia chapter. Ms. Lindsay is the former Chairman of the Board of Advisors for the Upper Main Line YMCA and former board member of the Association Board of the YMCA of Greater Brandywine. Ms. Lindsay has 35 years’ experience in bank financial management, is a Certified Public Accountant, a member of the Financial Managers Society and PICPA. Ms. Lindsay has served as a director of the Corporation since 2009.

Robert M. Casciato

Mr. Casciato was a founding partner of Alliance Environmental Systems, Inc., a West Chester company from 1994-2019 when he acquired 100% of the shares from his partner. In 2021 he sold his shares and now acts as the President and Chief Operation Officer. Alliance Environmental provides environmental remediation, selective demolition, structural demolition and asbestos abatement in the Mid-Atlantic region to the commercial and industrial markets. Alliance was named Business of the Year in 2003 by the Chamber of Commerce of Greater West Chester. Mr. Casciato is also a partner in the RMC/SDI Real Estate Partnership, located in West Chester, specializing in brownfields redevelopment. Mr. Casciato is the past Treasurer of the French and Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust. Mr. Casciato has served as a director of the Corporation since 2004.

George C. Collier

Mr. Collier is the Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Director of Streamlight, Inc., a leading manufacturer of high-performance lighting equipment for professional firefighting, law enforcement, industrial and outdoor applications. Mr. Collier is active in the National Fallen Firefighters and Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS) organizations, which are national support groups for survivors of firefighters and policemen who have died on the job. Mr. Collier has served as a director of the Corporation since 2004.

Christine M. Helmig

Ms. Helmig is the Executive Advisor to the Hankin Group, a real estate development, construction, and property management company, where she served as CFO for ten years of her current sixteen year tenure. Previously, Ms. Helmig was a partner in Boylston, Rothman and Helmig, LP, certified public accountants, where she specialized in business and individual taxation, and attest services for small businesses. Ms. Helmig also worked as a Senior Accountant for Elko, Fischer, McCabe and Rudman, and as a Staff Accountant for KPMG, LLP. Ms. Helmig is active in our community, having served on the advisory boards for the Church Farm School Leadership Council, and SEEDCOPA, which provides small business loans to Pennsylvania businesses. Ms. Helmig formerly served as a “Big Sister” for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and is also a patient companion for Willow Tree Hospice Care. Currently, Ms. Helmig serves on the Board of Directors and Finance Committee of Peter’s Place, a local non- profit that provides grief services to children and families.

Robert T. Holland

Mr. Holland is the Corporation’s Lead Independent Director. He is the Principal of the Holland Advisory Group, LLC, an executive coaching firm. Mr. Holland founded c.p. Allstar Corporation, a manufacturer of garage door and gate openers and remote radio control devices in 1997 and sold the business in 2007. Prior to starting c.p. Allstar Corporation, Mr. Holland was the Chief Financial Officer of a publicly traded diversified manufacturing company for seven years. Prior to that time, Mr. Holland was a managing partner in MacDade Abbott & Co., a regional accounting firm headquartered in Paoli, PA, for 15 years. Mr. Holland served on the West Goshen Planning Commission for 28 years and serves on the West Goshen Pension Board. He holds board positions for several not for profit and charitable organizations. Mr. Holland is a Certified Public Accountant and member of the AICPA and PICPA. Mr. Holland has served as a director of the Corporation since 2004.

Edward J. Hollin

Mr. Hollin is a retired shareholder, member of the executive committee and chief operating officer of Riley Riper Hollin & Colagreco, a suburban Philadelphia law firm headquartered in Exton, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1984, Riley Riper Hollin & Colagreco focuses its practice on real estate, commercial transactions, litigation, labor law and estate and business planning, representing some of the largest home builders and commercial real estate developers in the country, as well as a variety of financial institutions and entrepreneurs. Mr. Hollin serves or previously served, on boards and committees of several local organizations, including Stored Energy Concept, Inc., the Delaware Valley Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, One 2 Independence Place Condominium Association, the Chester County Industrial and Investment Council, and is the former solicitor for South Eastern Economic Development Company of Pennsylvania, a non-profit SBA certified development company. Mr. Hollin has served as a director of the Corporation since 2004.

Anthony M. Imbesi

Mr. Imbesi is Vice President of Patriarch Management, a private real estate investment firm which owns, manages, and develops commercial real estate. He also is a member of the Drexel Lebow School Finance Advisory Council. In addition, Mr. Imbesi is a trustee for the Patriarch Family Foundation, which supports education, health, and well-being in the Delaware Valley. Mr. Imbesi is a graduate of Villanova University and received his MBA from Drexel University. Mr. Imbesi has served as a director of the Corporation since 2005.