10 Credit Unions Unveil Hires, Promotions & Retirements

WEST

The $1.1 billion Rivermark Community Credit Union in Beaverton, Ore., hired Aben Hill as chief lending officer, effective Dec. 15, 2020. Hill, who brings over 20 years of financial services experience, will oversee Rivermark’s real estate lending, business services and consumer lending areas. He most recently served as an SVP for California Bank & Trust, overseeing the business banking division in Northern California, and has held positions with Wells Fargo and Chevy Chase Bank. Hill has also taught as an adjunct professor of the Ageno School of Business at Golden Gate University, and is a graduate of GGU’s Executive MBA program. In addition, he has held leadership positions for non-profit organizations in the areas of education and economic and workforce development, including the United Negro College Fund, Blind Babies Foundation in Alameda, Calif., and Enterprise for Education and Economic Development in Oregon.

The $9.8 billion San Diego County Credit Union in San Diego hired Carlos Zuniga as EVP of consumer lending. In this role, Zuniga is responsible for all consumer lending, including collections and business lending activities, as well as strategic planning related to consumer lending portfolios, both direct and indirect channels. He brings over 20 years of experience in consumer lending, underwriting and debt solutions, serving most recently as assistant vice president, consumer lending operations and underwriting at USAA. He holds an MBA in international business, and is a CBA Executive Banking School graduate and recipient of the National Diversity Council 2016 Top Latino Leaders award.

The $2 billion Orange County’s Credit Union in Santa Ana, Calif., promoted one employee and hired another.

Rebecca Bower was promoted to chief associate experience officer. In her new role, Bower will lead the charge to attract, develop and retain top talent to the credit union, as well as spearhead efforts to maintain a healthy, safe work environment. Bower has been with the credit union for nearly two years and previously served as vice president of organizational development, where she enhanced internal communications, created a pilot cohort for associates working remotely with young children at home and prioritized retention of health insurance benefits.

Raymond Lam was hired as vice president of enterprise technology services. His new role is focused on planning, directing and managing data analytics and information security protocols, including the establishment of IT governance structures and process improvement methodology at an enterprise level. He will serve as the top IT professional for the credit union, driving higher productivity, higher quality business outcomes and, ultimately, improved member service. Lam has more than 20 years of experience and has been consulting at the credit union since April 2020.

EAST

The $500 million ValleyStar Credit Union in Martinsville, Va., hired Cheri Spence as its first chief information officer. While serving as chairwoman of the $77.4 million, Richmond, Va.-based Entrust Financial Credit Union, Spence joined the ValleyStar board of directors after the 2019 merger of the two institutions. Spence has spent the last 20-plus years leading teams to create and support corporate information technology and large-scale computer systems, as well as successfully managing matrix teams in demanding virtual environments. She previously served as vice president and chief information officer for ChildFund in Richmond, and as a global chief information officer for the International Mission Board in Richmond for over a decade. She also leverages military training from the U.S. Army Logistics Center and has several affiliations with industry technical boards.

MIDWEST

The $1.4 billion, Kalamazoo, Mich.-based Consumers Credit Union hired Melissa Swetz as a mortgage loan officer. She will serve the Kalamazoo market and will be based out of Consumers’ Downtown office. As a former realtor and experienced loan officer assistant, Swetz is an expert on both the home buying journey from the buyer’s perspective and how to efficiently manage the process on the back-end.

SOUTH

The $5.3 billion, Oklahoma City, Okla.-based Tinker Federal Credit Union announced two promotions and one retirement.

Amanda Nichols was promoted to assistant vice president and manager of professional development. Her new responsibilities include working directly with departments and branches within the credit union to provide and facilitate the tools needed to encourage professional growth, proficiency and competency. Nichols began her career with TFCU in 2008 as a supervisor in the member service center. She most recently served as TFCU’s senior professional development specialist for service solutions, providing service solution training and coaching for the credit union’s new employees for six years.

Krystal Sumrell was promoted to assistant vice president and manager of mortgage lending. Her new responsibilities include managing all aspects of residential lending including conventional mortgages, VA loans, equity mortgages, construction loans and rental property loans. In addition, Sumrell will work directly with the mortgage lending team to ensure each employee identifies members’ financial needs and offers appropriate credit union solutions. Sumrell began her career with TFCU in 1996, holding various frontline and branch operations positions. In 2012, she became the senior professional development training specialist, and most recently served as assistant manager of professional development for three years.

EVP/CFO Billie Houston has retired after 35 years of service to TFCU. Houston began her career at TFCU in 1986 as a financial analyst. She was promoted to the role of controller before becoming EVP/CFO.

The $606.9 million, Sunrise, Fla.-based BrightStar Credit Union promoted David Mateo to business development manager. Mateo will be responsible for establishing and cultivating key strategic partnerships to leverage the credit union’s products and services, as well as developing and executing strategies to grow the business throughout the marketplace.

He began his career at the credit union in 2018 as a senior commercial relationship officer and product specialist. Mateo brings 10 years of banking and leadership experience to his new role after working at Citibank, HSBC and Popular Community Bank. In 2011, he ranked in the nation’s top five out of 4,000 Personal Bankers at Citibank, and also received a Citi Stars Top 1% in Nation Leaders in Excellence Award in 2013.

The $3.3 billion, Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Truliant Federal Credit Union promoted Tricia Beeker from director of marketing to senior director of marketing.

In her new role, she is responsible for the strategic advancement of Truliant’s marketing capabilities, including oversight and tactical planning of marketing communications, advertising, promotions, insights, public relations, social media, design and department management. Beeker came to Truliant from Harland Clarke, and is also a former corporate director of marketing at Salem One, marketing director for First Community Bank, online merger communications specialist for Wachovia (now Wells Fargo) and marketing strategy vice president for BB&T Corp.

The $1.4 billion, Oak Ridge, Tenn.-based Y-12 Federal Credit Union hired Jon Holland as vice president of retail. Holland brings over 25 years of retail and leadership experience in the financial services industry, and also served in the U.S. Army with the 193rd Infantry Brigade, where he was deployed in several combat missions as well as the 101st Airborne in Desert Storm. His community outreach experience includes serving on the executive board of a chamber of commerce, the Habitat for Humanity and the Ronald McDonald House.

CUSOS

The Veridian Group promoted Monica Tellinghuisen to the position of enrollment team leader for Veridian Fiscal Solutions. Tellinghuisen has been employed at the CUSO for six years, most recently as an enrollment coordinator. The Veridian Group is a wholly-owned CUSO of the $5.1 billion, Waterloo, Iowa-based Veridian Credit Union and offers collaborative financial products and services through companies including Veridian Fiscal Solutions and Veridian Insurance.

CO-OP Financial Services in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., promoted three professionals and hired two others to SVP positions.

Tiffany Doty was promoted to SVP, client relationships. An 11-year veteran of CO-OP, Doty served as a division executive for the past three years. She and her team will manage relationships with CO-OP credit unions across the country, focusing on retention, managed revenue and strategic initiatives to help credit unions succeed and grow.

Pam Edwards was promoted to SVP, corporate communications. Edwards joined the company three years ago, building out the communications function, overseeing internal, external and operational communications, and managing the COVID crisis response this past year. She will continue to drive CO-OP’s storytelling and focus on elevating CO-OP’s reputation as a payments and financial technology leader in the marketplace.

Sara Jensen was promoted to SVP, governance and administration. Jensen will continue to manage CO-OP’s board of directors and company governance processes. She will also help ensure that the investments being made in the various corporate functions are integrated and advance the long-term goals of the organization.

Peter Rae was hired as SVP, sales, bringing 20 years of payment sales experience to CO-OP. With his deep knowledge of the card issuing and debit network business, he will lend expertise and lead innovation in the company’s net-new sales efforts.

John Wong was hired as SVP, client experience. Wong joins the company with prior experience at Symantec, ADP, Intuit and Bank of America. With a 15-year track record in the relatively new discipline of client experience, he will drive deeper expansion of the experience function and maximize its output.

TRADES

NAFCU hired Rebecca Harris and Keith Schostag to its regulatory compliance team.

Prior to joining NAFCU, Harris served as Quicken Loan’s regulatory compliance manager, where she supported internal compliance. She holds a Juris Doctor from the David A. Clarke School of Law at the University of the District of Columbia and is a member of the Michigan State Bar.

Schostag previously worked at Feldman & Associates, P.C. providing support to various clients, including credit unions, where he focused on bankruptcy and collections. He received his Juris Doctor from UCLA Law School and is a member of the Virginia Bar Association, Maryland Bar Association and District of Columbia Bar Association.

NASCUS hired Amanda Tuckey as senior director of communications and marketing. Most recently the director of marketing strategy and research for the Michigan Credit Union League in Lansing, Mich., Tuckey brings broad experience to the state system’s representative association in such fields as campaign and brand management, marketing research and consumer engagement. A winner of the CUNA Diamond Award for best brand awareness, Tuckey is also a former marketing director for the Michigan State Housing Development Authority and art director for the state’s Economic Development Corporation. She has also managed her own marketing consulting firm.

Please send your People news items to Natasha Chilingerian at nchilingerian@cutimes.com.