Ascentra CU
The Ascentra Credit Union Foundation, the charitable arm of the $530 million, Bettendorf, Iowa-based Ascentra Credit Union, contributed a three-year, $45,000 grant to the Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois to help fund the continuation of its Girl Scouts Community Outreach Series. ACUF has helped fund the program, which gives young girls in the underserved areas of Moline, Rock Island, Davenport and Muscatine, Iowa a chance to be a Girl Scout, since 2020. Pictured in the back row from left to right with attending Girl Scouts at Madison Elementary School in Davenport are Ascentra CFO Beth Grabin, Ascentra SVP and Chief Marketing Officer Jennifer Naeve, Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois CEO Diane Nelson, Ascentra President/CEO Linda Andry and Girl Scouts Chief Development Officer Shelly Wells Cain.
BHFCU Black Hills Federal Credit Union ($1.9 billion, Rapid City, S.D.) recently contributed $50,000 to the Veterans Community Project (VCP) in Sioux Falls, S.D., to construct a tiny home in the VCP Village, a specialized Sioux Falls community of 25 tiny homes with onsite services to help homeless veterans return to an independent life. As construction gets underway, BHFCU staff will assist with building the sponsored tiny home. Pictured from left to right are BHFCU Member Service Center Manager Ryan Eidsvoog, BHFCU Senior Business Lenders Jay Soukup and Michael Murdy, BHFCU President/CEO Jerry Schmidt, VCP Executive Director Eric Gage, VCP Co-founder and Vice President of National Expansion Vincent Morales and BHFCU Chief Experience Officer EJ Donaghey.
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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.
