First Niagara appoints Elisa DiVito-Herpst as SVP and Tax Director

Elisa DiVito-Herpst has joined First Niagara Financial Group as Senior Vice President and Tax Director, reporting to Greg Norwood, the company’s Chief Financial Officer.

DiVito-Herpst comes to First Niagara with in excess of 20 years’ banking tax experience, most recently as Assistant Corporate Tax Director at KeyCorp. She also worked at Bank of America as the State Tax Manager, along with other tax positions at New England Electric System and Coopers & Lybrand, where her focus was financial institutions.

“We are pleased to welcome to the team someone with Elisa’s credentials and proven leadership ability. She is especially passionate about increasing opportunities for women, something we strive for at First Niagara,” Greg Norwood said.

DiVito-Herpst is a graduate of Bryant University, where she obtained a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a master’s degree in taxation. She is a certified public accountant and a member of the Financial Institution State Taxation (FIST) Coalition – a by-invitation-only organization – comprised of 17 financial institutions.