CU professionals reach career milestones. Source: Shutterstock
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Chris Hanson The $913 million Safe 1 Credit Union in Bakersfield, Calif., hired Chris Hanson as vice president of technology. Hanson brings 17 years of credit union industry experience and has worked in the technology field for more than 20 years. He previously served as vice president of data office and advanced analytics for the $3.6 billion, Bakersfield-based Valley Strong Credit Union, where he was employed since 2016. In addition, Hanson was previously employed at Aera Energy, LLC, Fiserv, Inc. and Frontier Trust.
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Natasha Chilingerian
Natasha Chilingerian has been immersed in the credit union industry for over a decade. She first joined CU Times in 2011 as a freelance writer, and following a two-year hiatus from 2013-2015, during which time she served as a communications specialist for Xceed Financial Credit Union (now Kinecta Federal Credit Union), she re-joined the CU Times team full-time as managing editor. She was promoted to executive editor in 2019. In the earlier days of her career, Chilingerian focused on news and lifestyle journalism, serving as a writer and editor for numerous regional publications in Oregon, Louisiana, South Carolina and the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition, she holds experience in marketing copywriting for companies in the finance and technology space. At CU Times, she covers People and Community news, cybersecurity, fintech partnerships, marketing, workplace culture, leadership, DEI, branch strategies, digital banking and more. She currently works remotely and splits her time between Southern California and Portland, Ore.
