Bank Rhode Island (BankRI) has appointed a new President and CEO. William C. Tsonos, who joined BankRI in 2006 and currently serves as the bank’s Executive Vice President, Director of Commercial Banking, will assume his new leadership position effective Nov. 1.

Tsonos will succeed Mark J. Meiklejohn, who has held BankRI’s top post since 2012 and has been with the company for more than 15 years. Meiklejohn will become Chief Credit Officer for Brookline Bancorp.

“Will is an outstanding leader and banking professional whose efforts leading the commercial banking division for more than a decade have been instrumental to BankRI’s success,” said Meiklejohn. “His experience and dedication have positioned him well to take on these new responsibilities.”

 Tsonos came to BankRI to serve as head of its Business Banking Department before being tapped to lead its commercial bank, where he was essential to growing the bank’s commercial loan portfolio and commercial deposits while maintaining strong credit quality. In 2020, he was promoted to Executive Vice President.

“This is a tremendous opportunity to deepen my service to our customers and community, which are the foundation for everything we do at BankRI,” said Tsonos. “I am particularly excited to support our talented teams and their commitment to personalized, relationship-banking, and to continue the momentum of growth we’ve experienced in recent years.”

Tsonos holds a degree from Bryant University. He is active in the community, serving as a Governor of The Miriam Hospital and as Vice Chairman of the Woonsocket Investment Board. He previously served on the Board of Directors of United Way of Rhode Island.