Affinity FCU, CFE FCU, Ascend FCU Make New Hires

WEST

The $527 million Hawaii Community Federal Credit Union in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii hired Mila Pelekane as its new business lending manager. She is responsible for commercial lending for business development, will oversee commercial loan origination, processing, underwriting, and servicing functions, and assumes responsibility for the implementation of, and adherence to, effective commercial lending policies, procedures and planning.

EAST

The $487 million APL Federal Credit Union in Laurel, Md., selected David Woodruff as the new president/CEO. Woodruff comes to APL with more than 30 years of experience in the financial services industry, and 25 years of experience within the credit union industry. He is joining APL from the $142 million Zia Credit Union in Los Alamos, N.M., where he held the position of president/CEO for the past seven years.

The $3.3 billion Affinity Federal Credit Union in Basking Ridge, N.J., hired four employees.

Maureen Byrne was hired as vice president of marketing and product delivery. Byrne will directly oversee Affinity’s marketing and external affairs departments, and develop market strategies for Affinity’s full suite of products. She will also work closely with Elizabeth McLaughlin, assistant vice president of marketing, and Grant Gallagher, external affairs and financial education manager, to elevate Affinity’s brand and deliver new community programs.

Joseph Verline was hired as business banker. With almost 10 years of business banking experience, Verline will work closely with Connecticut business owners to help them understand their financial profiles and determine the right steps to reach their business goals. Before joining Affinity, he was a vice president, business banker with Bank of America.

Hugo Ramirez was hired as member development officer. Working closely with members at the Norwalk and New Haven branches, Ramirez looks forward to educating local communities about the benefits of belonging to a credit union and the importance of financial wellness. He joins Affinity with more than 18 years of banking experience, having previously worked at First County Bank and Patriot National Bank.

Ismael Cortijo was hired as mortgage loan officer. Cortijo will be stationed in the Greenburgh, N.Y., branch to further grow support for mortgage offerings in the region. Having previously worked as a mortgage lender in New York, he specializes in working with first-time homebuyers and assisting members with their best options for purchasing and refinancing their mortgages. Before joining Affinity, he was an area sales manager at US Mortgage Corporation.

The $305 million University Credit Union in Orono, Maine promoted Stephanie Beck to assistant vice president of marketing. Beck joined University CU in 2016 after three years on the marketing team at one of Maine’s largest law firms. Beck brings more than a decade of marketing and communications experience spanning sales, business development, public relations and advertising. In her new role, Beck will continue to lead University CU’s marketing and will also be responsible for developing and deploying strategic communication and marketing campaigns.

MIDWEST

The $890 million Credit Union of America in Wichita, Kan., promoted Jason Mayer to assistant vice president of IT infrastructure. Mayer has 12 years of experience at Credit Union of America. As assistant vice president of IT Infrastructure, Mayer will provide high-level support of the credit union’s systems, platforms and operational network. He will serve as a key member of IT leadership and manage the IT systems administrator and several IT assistants.

The $586 million Crane Credit Union in Odon, Ind., promoted Danielle Combs from assistant vice president of risk management to vice president of risk management. Combs has worked at Crane since 2013, starting in the e-commerce department. She moved to card services where she was instrumental in converting the credit union’s debit and credit card programs to a new service provider. After that, she was promoted to manage risk management, a program she has built from the ground up.

SOUTH

The $1.8 billion CFE Federal Credit Union in Lake Mary, Fla., hired Susan Sherman as principal relationship manager for the organization’s real estate lending department. In her new role, Sherman will be responsible for driving sales of CFE’s mortgage products within the Central Florida community. As principal relationship manager, Sherman will be responsible for increasing the credit union’s visibility during a time of transition for the organization. On May 1, the credit union will change its name to Addition Financial. This name change is intended to help CFE expand throughout the region and make the credit union a more inclusive place to do business.

The $2.4 billion Ascend Federal Credit Union in Tullahoma, Tenn., hired Jill Guidicy as SVP and chief legal officer. Guidicy has practiced law for more than 23 years in both private and corporate settings, specializing in regulatory compliance, employment and corporate governance. In her new role, Guidicy oversees Ascend’s legal and fraud and security departments. She is responsible for all legal affairs and serves as a member of Ascend’s senior management team.

Please send your People news items to Tahira Hayes at thayes@cutimes.com.