15 Credit Unions, CUSOs & Leagues Reveal Career Moves

This week’s news includes the retirement of Texas Trust CU’s CFO and the naming of CU*NorthWest’s CEO.

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WEST

Richard Word

Travis Credit Union ($4.5 billion, Vacaville, Calif.) welcomed Richard Word and Sal Vaca to its board of directors. Both are graduates of the credit union’s Volunteer-at-Large Training Program, which requires a year-long commitment and includes monthly classes that cover every aspect of the financial institution, from strategy to technology and risk management.

Word has 30 years of law enforcement experience and began his career at the Oakland Police Department in 1984, where he eventually became a chief of police. In 2004, Word joined the Vacaville Police Department as chief of police, where he served until his retirement in 2013. He also was an adjunct faculty member for Los Rios Community College in Sacramento, an associate faculty member at the University of Phoenix, and served on the board of directors for the Vacaville Neighborhood Boys and Girls Club and the Opportunity House.

Sal Vaca

Vaca joined the board as an associate member and brings over 30 years of experience in the workforce development field. He served as the executive director of the Richmond Workforce Development Board in Richmond, Calif., for the last 18 years and was a recipient of the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award for establishing programs and services that help reduce violence and crime. He has also created education programs with the City of Richmond that encourage economic development in the community.

The $2.2 billion, Honolulu-based Hawaii State Federal Credit Union announced two promotions.

Jessica Baricaua

Jessica Baricaua was promoted to vice president, retail division coordinator and main branch manager. A Hawaii State FCU team member for more than seven years, Baricaua was previously the regional manager, West Oahu. In her new role, she will be responsible for directing and administering the operational efforts of the main branch, planning and coordinating division-wide initiatives, and training, directing and supervising personnel in the credit union’s management training program. Baricaua began her career as a loan offer at Kamehameha Federal Credit Union ($42 million, Honolulu) and held several positions at Hawaiian Electric Credit Union ($37 million, Honolulu) and HawaiiUSA Federal Credit Union ($2.2 billion Honolulu), prior to joining Hawaii State FCU.

Loren Nakaoka

Loren Nakaoka was promoted to vice president and regional manager, West Oahu. In his new role, Nakaoka will be responsible for managing resources and staff, developing and attaining sales goals, delivering exceptional customer service and growing revenues for Hawaii State FCU’s West Oahu region. He previously served as regional manager, East Oahu and Maui. Nakaoka has 24 years of credit union experience working at various institutions, and began his career at Hawaii State FCU more than 15 years ago as a branch manager.

Madonna Bolano

Technology Credit Union ($3.8 billion, San Jose, Calif.) announced that Silicon Valley HR executive Madonna Bolano joined its board of directors and compensation committee in April 2021. Over the span of her 25-plus-year career, Bolano has built, developed and optimized high-performing teams and cultures in local and global companies ranging in size from 100 to 20,000-plus employees. Prior to joining Tech CU’s board, she was the chief human resources officer for Applied Materials and has also held leadership positions at SunPower, Lam Research Corporation and AG Associates. She has been the recipient of awards including the Top 50 Most Powerful Women in Technology by the National Diversity Council, a Woman Worth Watching by Profiles in Diversity Journal and the YWCA Silicon Valley Tribute to Women Award. Bolano is also the board co-chair for Teen Success, Inc., an organization dedicated to building pathways to prosperity for young mothers and their children.

EAST

Lou Farina

The $1.3 billion UVA Community Credit Union in Charlottesville, Va., hired Louis “Lou” D. Farina, Jr. as a senior commercial loan officer. In his new role, Farina will be responsible for building business relationships and providing banking solutions to members with businesses located in the City of Charlottesville, Virginia’s Albemarle County and the surrounding areas. He has 37 years’ experience in the financial services industry. For the last 24 years he worked at First Citizens Bank & Trust Company, where he most recently served as SVP.

MIDWEST

Sarah Speer

The $572 million Mid Minnesota Federal Credit Union in Baxter, Minn., appointed Sarah Speer to its board of directors. Speer is currently the marketing and public relations manager at Sourcewell, a government organization in Staples, Minn. She previously worked in marketing at the Good Samaritan Society and MMFCU.

Ana Birtzer

Royal Credit Union ($3.7 billion, Eau Claire, Wis.) promoted Ana Birtzer to business loan representative manager. In her new role, Birtzer will be responsible for overseeing and leading Royal’s business loan representative team. She will also develop and implement appropriate processes and procedures to mitigate risk and meet compliance requirements for the team. Birtzer has 18 years of real estate and financial industry experience and has been with Royal since 2013. She joined the credit union as a home loan servicing representative before advancing to a business loan representative position and later becoming a business loan representative supervisor.

Robert Shane

Notre Dame Federal Credit Union ($893 million, Notre Dame, Ind.) hired Robert Shane as its first director of CUSO services. Shane has worked in credit unions for the last 18 years – the past two as CEO of ATL Federal Credit Union ($15.2 million, Wyoming, Mich.). He has extensive experience in strategic planning, growth and credit union management, and is a graduate of the CUNA Management School. Shane has served his community as an advisory board member for Inner City Christian Federation, Kids Food Basket and the Montessori Advisory Council for Grand Rapids Public Schools.

Mary Klacza

The $438 million, Saginaw, Mich.-based Jolt Credit Union hired two new employees.

Mary Klacza was hired as community affairs specialist. Klacza brings over two years of credit union experience and holds an MFA in metal design from East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C. Her responsibilities in her new role will include implementing, coordinating and actively participating in local community relations projects to help promote the credit union in a positive manner.

Marissa Morelli

Marissa Morelli was hired as marketing specialist. She brings over five years of customer service experience to the position. In her new role, her responsibilities will include assisting with promotional programs, acquiring materials and implementing necessary activities to help generate credit union awareness and grow new membership.

SOUTH

Joseph Daning

The $2.3 billion, North Charleston-based South Carolina Federal Credit Union announced two new appointments.

Joe Daning was appointed as a member of the board of directors. In this role, Daning will help establish, review and approve credit union policies, and provide strategic guidance and governance oversight. He has been a member of South Carolina Federal for over 40 years, and served as a volunteer advisor and supervisory committee member since 2004. He is a current member of the South Carolina House of Representatives and a board member of the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce.

Robert Bendetti

Robert Bendetti was appointed as a member of the supervisory committee. In this role, he will help determine that the credit union’s financial condition is accurately and fairly presented in financial statements, and that the organization’s management procedures and practices are adequate to safeguard members’ assets. Bendetti, a CPA, has served as a volunteer advisor for South Carolina Federal since 2014, and is SVP and CFO for Life Cycle Engineering.

Joleen Martin, SVP/COO for Centric Federal Credit Union ($270 million, West Monroe, La.) will retire after 49 years of service at the credit union. Martin began her career at Centric in 1972 as an accounting clerk and progressed throughout the years to the executive team. She is a CCUFC through the CUNA FiCEP program, a graduate of the NAFCU Management Develop Institute and served as an officer for the Louisiana Credit Union League’s Monroe Chapter for many years. She also was recently inducted into the Louisiana Credit Union Hall of Fame. Martin will continue to serve Centric as a member of the board of directors.

Joleen Martin
David Pickney

David Pickney, CFO for the $1.6 billion, Arlington, Texas-based Texas Trust Credit Union, will retire this year. Pickney joined Texas Trust in 2010, and since has directed and managed the credit union’s financial planning and accounting teams, including commercial lending, internal audit and compliance, insurance and investment services, IT, risk management and the operations of Texas Trust’s CUSOs. As CFO, Pickney had an integral role in the development and execution of Texas Trust’s financial strategy.

Jason Schneider

The $4.4 billion, Lake Jackson, Texas-based TDECU promoted Jason Schneider to SVP and chief of staff. Schneider began serving the credit union nearly 20 years ago while still attending college, and most recently served as TDECU’s vice president of finance. In his new role, he will serve on the executive management team and oversee a broad range of the organization’s business lines including strategy, enterprise project management, communications, administrative operations and internal audit. He holds an MBA in finance from the University of Houston-Clear Lake and is a CFA Institute-chartered financial analyst.

CUSOS

Chris Gunnare

PSCU in St. Petersburg, Fla., announced two promotions.

Chris Gunnare was promoted to SVP, chief sales officer. In his new role, Gunnare will continue to drive growth for PSCU, leading the Enterprise Sales teams and continuing to manage the CUSO’s relationships with industry consultants. He joined PSCU in May 2017 as SVP of member experience, bringing more than 30 years of expertise in the credit union and payments industry.

Yvonne Stelpflug

Yvonne Stelpflug was promoted to SVP, Advisors Plus, which offers consulting services for credit unions to help fuel growth and achieve financial and business goals. Stelpflug will lead the Advisors Plus and Solutions Consulting teams to deliver superior offerings and experiences to PSCU’s financial institutions, enabling faster growth while demonstrating the value of the CUSO. With over two decades of financial services experience, Stelpflug came to PSCU in 2019 as managing vice president of account management, and previously held leadership roles in operations, product development, sales and account management.

Larry Hayes

The Liberty Lake, Wash.-based CUSO CU*NorthWest welcomed Larry Hayes as the organization’s new CEO, effective Oct. 18. Hayes brings over 20 years of credit union experience to the core data processor and is currently the president of eCU Technology, where he has led the organization in providing account opening and loan application solutions for credit unions. Prior to that, he served as COO of the Georgia Credit Union Affiliates and president/CEO of CU Holding Company, LLC.

LEAGUES

Drew Meyerowich

Shared Financial Solutions, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Heartland Credit Union Association, hired Drew Meyerowich as president effective Aug. 16. In his new role, he is responsible for developing and growing solutions that help strengthen and grow credit unions. He will be focused on driving the association’s business solutions department. Meyerowich has extensive experience in both business and government operations, having served in leadership roles in both. Prior to HCUA, he was the COO for Holland 1916, the parent company of three business segments based in the Kansas City area, and most recently, president of Defense Logistics. During his military service, he was awarded the nation’s third highest award for valor by leading from the front under the highest of adversity.

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