Credit Union Professionals Reach New Career Milestones

WEST

The $1.65 billion Hughes Federal Credit Union in Tucson, Ariz., promoted Elisa Ross to vice president of marketing, sales and service. Ross will lead efforts to continue to strengthen the credit union’s mission to provide superior personalized service and high-quality financial products to its members while maintaining the credit union’s long-term financial stability. She most recently served as vice president of sales and services at Hughes for the past 10 years. Ross has been a volunteer for the Angel Charity for Children in Tucson for over four years, serving on several committees, and is one of the founders of the World Council of Credit Union’s Global Women’s Leadership Network of Southern Arizona.

Redwood Credit Union ($6.2 billion, Santa Rosa, Calif.) hired AJ Paniagua as a mortgage loan officer serving Napa and American Canyon, Calif. In his new role, Paniagua will work with existing and aspiring home owners to navigate options that help keep monthly expenses low. He will pair borrowers with local real estate agents and guide them through the home loan process to help their dreams of home ownership become reality. Prior to joining RCU, Paniagua worked as a commercial insurance producer, mortgage broker and commercial real estate research analyst.

EAST

The $1 million, Washington, D.C.-based Department of Labor Federal Credit Union named Tim Hickey COO. In his new role, he will be responsible for the credit union’s strategic planning and provide leadership to ensure success through management and control. According to his LinkedIn page, Hickey joined Department of Labor FCU in July 2020 as vice president of operations, and previously served as director of deposits at the $3.5 billion Apple Federal Credit Union in Fairfax, Va., for 13 years.

The $359.5 million, Rochester, N.H.-based Holy Rosary Credit Union announced four promotions.

Tyler Hudson was promoted to SVP of operations and digital services. Hudson has been with HRCU since December 2019. In his new role, he will have additional responsibilities within HRCU’s operations department and help to set HRCU’s direction for the future.

Travis Bissonnette was promoted to vice president of member business services. Bissonnette has been with HRCU for over five years and has been overseeing consumer lending throughout his tenure. In his new role, he will be responsible for building member business programs and overseeing business development, including business lending and relationships. He will also oversee relationships with local auto dealers through HRCU’s indirect lending program and work on building the credit union’s team of outside mortgage originators.

Nicole Huntress was promoted to director of operations. Huntress has been with HRCU for 16 years and held several roles including teller, teller supervisor, branch manager, branch operations manager and operations manager, which included serving as Bank Secrecy Act officer.

Carlynne Pouliot was promoted to director of branch administration. Pouliot has been with HRCU since November 2018, joining the team originally as the Dover branch manager, which included overseeing both the downtown Dover and Dover Point branches. More recently, she served as the branch administrator, making noticeable improvements to branch operations.

The $1.6 billion, Lowell, Mass.-based Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union hired two new team members.

Tracy Dodier-Brochu was hired as assistant vice president, operational risk management. Dodier-Brochu joins Jeanne D’Arc with more than 30 years of experience at Newburyport Bank, where she held multiple officer titles, the most recent being assistant vice president, security and information technology business analyst. She has an extensive background in information technology, information security, risk management and quality assurance, as well as experience in various areas of operations, bank policies, programs, procedures and FFIEC guidelines. She holds the certification titles of Certified Banking Security Manager and Certified Banking Vendor Manager.

Yan Ventura was hired as assistant treasurer – business services advisor. Ventura joins Jeanne D’Arc’s business services team with six years of banking experience. He was previously employed at Santander Bank as a small business specialist, where he was recognized as the No. 1 small business specialist in the district and a top performer in the Northeastern District. He holds his NMLS certification and is a certified Salesforce.com administrator.

MIDWEST

The $4.5 million, Cleveland, Ohio-based Century Federal Credit Union announced two new hires.

Jim Foster was hired as chief lending officer. In his new role, he will be responsible for the achievement of loan growth and establishing objective goals. He will also provide leadership as well as accountability for the quality of the loan portfolio. His previous experience includes management roles with U.S. Bank, Citizens Bank and KeyBank, and he most recently served as lender II – commercial, consumer and mortgage for The Middlefield Banking Company in Middlefield, Ohio, according to his LinkedIn page.

Dennis Coy was hired as chief risk officer. In his new role, he will be responsible for strategic, financial and compliance-related risk. He will also be in charge of making sure everything is within government regulations.

VacationLand Federal Credit Union ($283 million, Sandusky, Ohio) promoted Matthew Stahl to CFO. Stahl was hired in August 2019 to fill the role of accounting manager and worked closely with the CFO to oversee the finances and investments of the credit union and its members. Stahl previously worked for the accounting firm of Crowe Horwath LLP in Columbus, Ohio, where he was licensed as a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Ohio. Upon leaving Crowe Horwath, he served as a senior auditor within KeyBank’s Risk Review Group in Cleveland.

The $3.4 billion, Eau Claire, Wis.-based Royal Credit Union promoted Tony Willkom to small business lending officer. He will be responsible for building relationships with new and existing business members by identifying and serving their financial needs with appropriate products and services. Willkom began working as a teller for Royal in August 2009 and moved into the business department in 2012. In 2018, Willkom completed the Leadership Chippewa Falls program through the Chippewa Falls Chamber of Commerce and his Supervisory Management Certificate from UW-Eau Claire. Willkom actively volunteers with Royal’s F.U.S.E program and other events that Royal sponsors, and is a board member for WestCap in Glenwood City, Wis.

The $5.1 billion, Waterloo, Iowa-based Veridian Credit Union hired two employees and promoted another.

Zach Lindstrom was hired as an indirect loan officer. Lindstrom previously served as a credit manager for the Regional Acceptance Corporation. He is active in the community as the fundraising chair for Mounds View Festival in the Park in Mounds View, Minn., and is the vice president for the New Brighton Alano Society Board, also in Mounds View.

James Barry was hired as a senior web developer. Barry previously served as a senior web developer at Spinutech, a web design and development company based in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Ryan Pautsch was promoted to the position of senior financial analyst. Pautsch has worked at Veridian for six years and was previously a commercial loan officer. He holds a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Northern Iowa and is a den leader for the Cub Scouts in Denver.

SOUTH

The $877.6 million, Miramar, Fla.-based Tropical Financial Credit Union promoted Richard “Rick” Shaw to EVP/COO.  He previously served as CFO. In his new role, Shaw will be responsible for all consumer, business and mortgage lending, and oversee collections. His focus will be to align the lending functions with the credit union’s long-term strategic goals. Shaw joined Tropical Financial in 2015 from Union Federal Savings Bank in North Providence, R.I. The last eight-and-half-years there, he served as president/CFO. Union Federal was the internet banking arm of the First Marblehead Corporation in Boston, Mass. Shaw, a CPA and attorney, holds a J.D. degree from the University of Florida.

TRADES

CUNA hired two new employees.

Abby Gunderson-Schwarz joined CUNA as senior director of advocacy. In this role, she will lead lobbying efforts to the Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives. Prior to joining CUNA, Gunderson-Schwarz worked at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, serving as the deputy assistant secretary for congressional relations. Gunderson-Schwarz has worked on Capitol Hill for 11 years, previously supporting Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.) and now-retired Reps. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), Scott Rigell (R-Va.) and Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.).

Elizabeth LaBerge was hired as senior director of advocacy and counsel. In her new role, she will advocate on a number of policy areas, with a particular focus on housing and housing finance policy. LaBerge brings six years of credit union experience to CUNA, with a specialty in mortgage servicing, privacy law and regulatory cybersecurity requirements. Prior to joining CUNA, LaBerge served as the senior regulatory counsel at NAFCU and as a litigation associate at Shapiro & Morely, LLC.

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