SchoolsFirst FCU Restructures Executive Leadership Team

The $26.9 billion SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union promoted Jose Lara to president, while Bill Cheney will continue to serve as CEO, California’s largest financial cooperative announced Tuesday.

With 1.2 million members and more than 2,600 employees, the Tustin, Calif.-based SchoolsFirst FCU said in a prepared statement that it decided to change the leadership structure to “enhance the member service experience and support financial well-being for both its members and team members.”

Lara joined SchoolsFirst in 1993 as an SVP. In 2013, he was named EVP and moved up to COO in 2016, according to his LinkedIn profile.

SchoolsFirst also announced other executive leadership promotions. Kevin Martin was named EVP, strategic integration and member experience; Carol Rose was appointed to EVP, member service operations; Jim Phillips was named EVP, chief information officer; and Jill Meznarich was promoted to chief audit officer.

“This new structure sets us up for continued success not only for today, but also for the future,” SchoolsFirst Board Chair Greg Marchant said in a prepared statement. “We want to ensure we take action now, making sustainable changes so we can continue to offer our members the trusted advice they expect and deserve.”

The credit union also announced four new senior leadership positions dedicated to continual enhancement of the member service experience. These SVP positions will oversee specific focus areas such as diversity, equity and inclusion; branches; payments and fraud; and retirement and investments.

“Adding new, focused senior leadership positions will help our credit union meet the evolving needs of our members and team members, while also creating opportunities for our team’s future growth,” Cheney said in a prepared statement. “I look forward to the talent we can draw upon both within and outside our organization to fill these positions to help our members and team thrive.”