Maria A. Grasso

Maria A. Grasso is Senior Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and Corporate Secretary of Flushing Financial Corporation and Flushing Bank. She joined the Bank in 2006 as Chief Operating Officer and was elected Corporate Secretary in 2007. Maria is responsible for several of the company's strategic initiatives including mergers and acquisitions, corporate-wide change management, process reengineering, expense management, and Customer Experience. She also manages Human Resources, Compliance, BSA, Operations, and the Customer Service departments for the bank. Maria had previously managed the Retail and Ethnic Markets, Business Banking, Government Banking, Digital Banking, Marketing, and Sales areas. Maria has been in the banking business for more than 38 years, beginning her career with Chase Manhattan. Prior to joining Flushing Financial, she held the title of Senior Vice President and Division Head of The Bank of New York for Long Island and Queens, where she oversaw an organization of 102 branch locations that served the personal and small business banking needs of customers in those markets. 

Maria is a former chairperson of the Retail Banking Division Committee of the New York Bankers Association and has been a director and trustee for several of their subsidiaries. Maria is President of the Hofstra University Zarb Business School Alumni Association. She is currently the Secretary and a former Chair of United Way of Long Island's Board of Directors. Recently, Maria was inducted to the Sachem Hall of Honor. She was also named to the LIBN Business Influencers list in Banking and Finance and was inducted into the Long Island Business Hall of Fame. Maria was also recognized by Crains as a 2021 Notable Woman on Wall Street and as a 2019 Notable Woman in Banking and Finance. Maria recently joined Chief, a private membership network focused on connecting and supporting women executive leaders. Maria has also been honored by Hofstra University as Alumna of the Year and by the United Way of Long Island with the Anthony J. Stupore Memorial Live United Champion Award. Charitable organizations have benefited from Maria's leadership and support throughout the years. As an advocate of volunteerism, she has volunteered for the March of Dimes, Long Island Care, Bias Help of Long Island, Women's Fund of Long Island, the American Cancer Society, and American Heart Association. Maria has a BBA in Finance from Hofstra University and an MBA in Marketing from Adelphi University