NAFCU, Corelation & 9 Credit Unions Unveil Career Moves

EAST

The $5.6 billion, Endwell, N.Y.-based Visions Federal Credit Union hired LaToya Pryce as culture and inclusion officer. Pryce brings over two decades of experience in the financial services industry, most recently serving as vice president of regional sales and development for a community bank in New Jersey, where she trained and developed staff across 19 branches in her region. In her new role, Pryce will be responsible for evolving employee engagement practices within Visions and enhancing the organization’s internal and external focus on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. She received an MBA from Centenary University in Hackettstown, N.J., and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in leadership from Carolina University based in Winston-Salem, N.C.

MIDWEST

Notre Dame Federal Credit Union ($904 million, Notre Dame, Ind.) announced two promotions.

Nick Matthews was promoted to director of commercial lending and credit. Matthews joined the credit union in 2016 as the director of commercial lending and has 15 years of banking experience.

Matt Verhamme was promoted to manager of commercial lending. Verhamme joined the credit union in 2021 after spending 12 years working as a commercial analyst and commercial lender in Boston. He holds an MBA from the University of Massachusetts. Verhamme has primarily worked on commercial real estate transactions and brings additional experience navigating the banking needs of various small business owners.

The $94 million Serve Credit Union in Des Moines, Iowa hired Wesley Krenz as CFO. In his new role, Krenz will oversee and manage the financial and accounting functions of the credit union. Krenz brings more than 13 years of financial and operational experience. Prior to joining Serve, he spent 11 years at the $1 billion Community 1st Credit Union in Ottumwa, Iowa as both a regional and branch manager.

The $364 million, O’Fallon, Mo.-based West Community Credit Union announced two new hires.

Shannon Johnson was hired as assistant vice president of digital engagement. In her new role, Johnson will lead the team responsible for managing the credit union’s digital platforms, including online and mobile banking, ATMs/ITMs, and credit and debit card programs. She will also use data analysis to provide insight into member behaviors and industry trends as it pertains to digital forms of banking. Johnson brings 22 years of credit union experience, having focused the majority of those years on implementing, administrating and cultivating digital banking experiences.

Austin Flynn was hired as assistant vice president of core systems. In his new role, Flynn will be responsible for the overall strategy, functionality and administration of the credit union’s core systems. He brings over 21 years of credit union experience and specializes in managing core banking solutions.

The $4 billion Royal Credit Union in Eau Claire, Wis., announced two promotions.

Jill Ettesvold was promoted to branch manager II of the St. Paul and Stillwater offices in Minnesota. In her new role, Ettesvold is responsible for the management of overall operations that will help to drive branch growth at both locations. She brings over 40 years of financial experience, having worked at Capital Bank for 36 years and joining the Royal team following its acquisition of the bank in 2016. Most recently, Ettesvold worked as the branch supervisor for the St. Paul and Stillwater locations.

Taylor Tarras was promoted to member lending manager. In her new position, Tarras is responsible for leading Royal’s lending call center, including supervisors and loan processors, to achieve strategic goals while delivering an exceptional experience for Royal members. She joined Royal in 2012 as a teller and has since held many leadership roles along with serving as a corporate project manager. Tarras is a certified financial counselor and certified credit union manager, and serves as education committee chair for Junior Achievement.

Karen Church, CEO of the $1.2 billion, Burton, Mich.-based ELGA Credit Union, retired on Feb. 25 after 45 years of service to the credit union. Hired in 1974 as a co-op student, Church was named CEO in 1993. Her accolades have included being named to the Genesee Regional Women’s Hall of Fame, receiving the Sybil Atwood Lifetime Award in 2019, and being honored with the Michigan Credit Union League’s Distinguished Service Award in 2020. Church plans to continue her community work with the newly-founded ELGA Credit Union Foundation for Impact, as well as continue to host the Ginormous Tent Sale at ELGA each year.

SOUTH

The $1.7 billion, Arlington, Texas-based Texas Trust Credit Union hired Dan Tabraham onto its leadership team as SVP of mortgage and business services. Tabraham is a 25-year lending veteran, and in his new role, he will lead Texas Trust’s efforts to further expand the credit union’s lending for new home purchases, refinances and business loans. Tabraham previously held senior level roles in lending at multi-billion-dollar financial institutions such as Texas Dow Employees Credit Union ($4.5 billion, Lake Jackson, Texas), Independent Bank of McKinney, Heartland Financial and Viewpoint Bank. He is a master’s graduate of Southern Methodist University in Dallas and graduated from the university’s Southwestern Graduate School of Banking.

CUNA Brokerage Services, Inc. hired Rick Addy as a financial advisor for the $1.5 billion, Sumter, S.C.-based SAFE Federal Credit Union. Addy brings over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry and has been registered with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) since 2001. He is experienced in a wide variety of investment services including 401(k) planning, trust services, education funding and insurance planning. Addy will join SAFE’s MEMBERS Financial Services program offered through financial advisory firm CUNA Brokerage Services, Inc., and will assist SAFE members from the credit union’s Lexington, S.C., branch.

The $497 million, Harahan, La.-based OnPath Federal Credit Union hired Darlene Gibson as CFO. Gibson comes to OnPath from the $357 million Essential Federal Credit Union in Baton Rouge, La., where she served as vice president of finance. She has been in the credit union industry for more than 20 years.

TRADES

NAFCU hired Meghan Burris as vice president of communications and media relations. Burris brings more than a decade of experience in financial services and regulatory policy communications. In her new role, Burris will oversee NAFCU’s communications and media relations division, and help drive the organization’s political communications and messaging strategy. Prior to joining NAFCU, she led the Office of Public Affairs for the U.S. Department of Commerce where she oversaw communications for the agency’s 12 bureaus. Burris also led the White House Office of Media Affairs, and has held communications leadership roles within the White House Office of Management and Budget, the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives.

VENDORS

The San Diego-based core processor Corelation announced two promotions.

Lori Paige was promoted to COO. Paige, who has been with Corelation for just over six years, most recently served as director of conversion services and brings previous IT leadership experience. In her new role, she will focus on enhancing processes and procedures, and implementing training programs for leadership teams

Dwayne Jacobs was promoted to chief technology officer. Jacobs previously served as director of software development. In his new role, he will focus on helping to keep the company on its upward technology trajectory, and plans to work with Chief Innovation Officer Jeff Dent and the rest of the executive team alongside clients to ensure the company’s product strategy continues to move forward on a rock-solid path.

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