4 CUs & CUSO Aux Appoint Executives, Board Members

WEST

The $4.5 billion SAFE Credit Union in Folsom, Calif., named five new members to its board of directors: Bernadette Austin, Don Ball, Ryan Larkin, Sonia Lewis and Trish Rodriguez.

Austin is the executive director at the UC Davis Center for Regional Change and serves on the university’s College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Executive Committee. She has been a key player in efforts to revitalize Old and West Sacramento’s waterfronts; her prior projects include Sacramento’s first transit-oriented development, West Sacramento’s first urban farm stand and the country’s first program combining housing vouchers and health services for adults with disabilities. She has worked in both the public and private sector, previously founding her own company, Bernadette Austin Consulting Services.

Ball was recently CFO for Foster Poultry Farms LLC and currently serves on the board of directors for Crystal Creamery-Foster Farms’ Dairy. He brings 40 years of experience leading all aspects of finance, accounting, tax, treasury, audit and underwriting. He also has extensive corporate governance experience, serving as a representative of the VSP Global board of directors, finance, retirement, public policy and audit committees. Prior to his work with VSP Global, Ball was SVP and CFO of Raley’s grocery stores, including the Sunnyside and Bayview brands. He was also a senior executive, member of the board and CFO of IKEA North America. In addition, he is a former board member of Make-A-Wish Foundation Sacramento and Northern California, and has been a frequent guest lecturer at CSU Sacramento.

Larkin is the COO of the Sacramento-based MDstaffers, where he oversees and integrates each of the health care staffing firm’s divisions, departments and functions. Staffing Industry Analysts’ named Larkin to its “40 under 40” list in 2020 and Sacramento Business Journal honored him as a 2022 C-Suite Executive of the Year.

Lewis’ expertise includes executive leadership development; diversity, equity and inclusion; performance management and finance. She brings nearly 20 years of multinational company experience across high-tech, management consulting and financial services, plus years of board and public sector service. She previously served as board vice chair for an education nonprofit and chaired the strategic planning committee. She also was a member of Intel’s Black Leadership Council and Black Network of Executive Women.

Rodriguez is Kaiser Permanente’s SVP and area manager in South Sacramento and Elk Grove. Her 33 years of professional health care operations experience spans from California to Hawaii and to Calgary in Canada. Rodriguez is the past chairperson for both the American Heart Association and Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. She currently serves on Valley Vision’s executive committee and on The Crocker Art Museum’s board of directors.

MIDWEST

The $5.1 billion Community First Credit Union in Neenah, Wis., promoted Sherri Jablonicky to the newly-created role of SVP of fraud and security. A credit union veteran of more than 27 years, Jablonicky joined Community First’s executive leadership team in 2019 as SVP of branch and contact center operations. In her new role, she will be instrumental in building out a fraud team responsible for protecting and safeguarding both members and the credit union while working in cooperation with law enforcement authorities as needed. Prior to joining Community First, she was vice president, operations for the $4.1 billion, Eau Claire, Wis.-based Royal Credit Union. A CUNA Management School graduate with Six Sigma Green Belt certification, Jablonicky also brings experience as a lender, collections manager, branch manager, member experience manager and regional director.

SOUTH

The $1.6 billion, North Augusta, S.C.-based SRP Federal Credit Union hired Gregory (Greg) Gibson as CFO and vice president. Gibson has been working in banks and credit unions, ranging in size from de novo to over $100 billion, since graduating from college over 30 years ago. He has held numerous executive level roles in financial institutions throughout the Southeast including chief investment officer, CFO and CEO. His last position prior to joining the SRP team was CFO of the $3.5 billion Georgia’s Own Credit Union in Atlanta. He is certified as both a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Internal Auditor.

The $988 million, Tallahassee, Fla.-based First Commerce Credit Union promoted Steven Reynolds to vice president of business services. Reynolds has served as a senior commercial lending executive for First Commerce in the Valdosta, Ga., market for more than a year. In his new role, he will be responsible for the commercial lending activities in North Florida and South Georgia while also overseeing lending operations in the region. Reynolds brings 20 years of executive leadership experience in credit administration and commercial lending. Prior to joining First Commerce, he served as market president with two large financial institutions. He holds an MBA from Brenau University in Gainesville, Ga.

CUSOS

Aux, a Denver-based CUSO providing accounting, CFO consulting, compliance and data analytics support, elected seven members to its board of managers and three members to the board of managers for its shared branch network, InNetwork.

Tessa Bonfante, president/CEO of Zing Credit Union ($457 million, Denver), was re-elected chairperson of the Aux board. She has served as chairperson of the Aux board since 2019. Bonfante was also re-elected to the InNetwork board as secretary/treasurer.

Dave Krause, president/CEO of UniWyo Federal Credit Union ($494 million, Laramie, Wyo.), was elected vice chairperson of the Aux board, replacing the board’s former vice chairperson, Carrie Langgard, president/CEO of Sooper Credit Union ($556 million, Arvada, Colo.). Krause has served on the Aux Board since 2019.

Langgard will continue to serve as an at-large member of the Aux board. She was also re-elected to the InNetwork board and will serve as vice chairperson.

Mike Merryman, president/CEO of Department of the Interior Federal Credit Union ($258 million, Washington, D.C.), was re-elected secretary and treasurer of the Aux board. Merryman has served on the Aux board since 2017.

Diane Arthur, SVP/CFO of Horizons North Credit Union ($117 million, Westminster, Colo.) was newly elected as an at-large member of the Aux board.

Keith Cowling, president/CEO of Credit Union of Denver ($1.1 billion, Lakewood, Colo.), was re-elected as an at-large member of the Aux board.

Bill Willingham, president/CEO of WyHy Federal Credit Union ($319 million, Cheyenne, Wyo.), was re-elected as an at-large member of the Aux board.

Chris Myklebust, chief transformation officer for Canvas Credit Union ($3.8 billion, Lone Tree, Colo.) was re-elected to the InNetwork board, replacing Langgard as chairperson. Myklebust joined the InNetwork board last year.

LEAGUES

The CrossState Credit Union Association, which serves 519 credit unions across New Jersey and Pennsylvania, hired Susan Ward-Diorio as executive director of the CrossState Credit Union Foundation. Ward-Diorio brings an extensive background in fundraising and non-profit organization management, including as the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank’s senior development and donor relations manager, and as vice president of major gifts and planned giving at United Way of the Capital Region.

Nate Webb, executive director of the Oklahoma Credit Union Association, will retire at the end of June following eight years in his current role and more than two decades in Oklahoma politics. His professional career began more than 40 years ago as a broadcast journalist covering the capitol in his home state of Maine. He moved to Florida to become the primary reporter covering the Kennedy Space Center and later a news director in Orlando. He transitioned into politics during Oklahoma’s Right-to-Work campaign in 1994, alongside Gov. Frank Keating, and has since served as a senior advisor in a gubernatorial campaign, as well as several congressional, statewide and legislative campaigns. From 2003 to 2006, Webb served as chief of staff for Mary Fallin in her final term as Oklahoma’s lieutenant governor. In 2010, he again became Fallin’s chief of staff, this time for her two terms as a U.S. congresswoman. Before becoming OKCUA’s executive director, Webb was a partner with Oklahoma City lobbying firm Capitol Gains. The OKCUA is the Oklahoma City-based government relations arm of the Cornerstone League.

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