8 CU Industry Hires, Promotions, Honors & Board Appointments Announced

WEST

Vince Nowicki, chief lending officer for the $5.7 billion, San Diego, Calif.-based Mission Fed Credit Union, was appointed to the board of directors for the San Diego Center for Children, a non-profit children’s mental health care provider dedicated to improving the lives of children and families through nationally accredited mental health care and educational services. Nowicki has over 28 years of lending management experience and has worked for Mission Fed for more than 11 years. He was promoted to chief lending officer in 2021. In addition to real estate lending, Nowicki is responsible for the credit union’s consumer and indirect lending departments, which includes all auto lending, as well as providing leadership to Mission Fed’s insurance and escrow divisions.

The $7.6 billion Redwood Credit Union in Santa Rosa, Calif., hired Mike Venegas as vice president and general manager of RCU Auto Services, a wholly-owned subsidiary of RCU. Responsible for all aspects of operations for the auto dealership, in his new role, Venegas will develop, plan, organize and manage the dealership operations. Venegas has been in the automotive industry for almost 30 years, working with brands such as Mercedes Benz, Toyota, Volvo and Audi. His certifications include Sonic Automotive – General Manager Leadership Academy, NCM Associates – General Manager Executive Program and The United States Military Academy – Thayer Leader Development Group at West Point.

EAST

The $2.9 billion, Fort Washington, Pa.-based TruMark Financial Credit Union hired Daniel Brewin as SVP/COO. Brewin brings nearly 20 years of banking experience to TruMark Financial, having most recently served as SVP, head of rapid solutions – enterprise innovation at TD Bank. His extensive background also includes leadership roles in branch banking, deposit operations, and mergers and acquisitions. In his new role, Brewin will lead an array of operations teams to drive innovation and efficiency across all channels, ensuring the credit union delivers member service excellence.

Emily Lingle, member experience manager for the $8.3 billion, Harrisburg, Pa.-based PSECU, received the YWCA of Greater Harrisburg’s 2023 Tribute to Women of Excellence award. The Tribute to Women of Excellence award recognizes outstanding women in Pennsylvania’s Capital Region who devote time and energy to making the organizations and communities with which they’re affiliated better places to work and live. Lingle has been with PSECU since 2018. In the local community, she has been involved with Junior Achievement, Girl Scouts in the Heart of PA, the LEAF Project, League of Women Voters, United Way, Central PA Food Bank, PA Career Link, the Alzheimer’s Association, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and many local community theaters. She also co-founded a parents’ resource-sharing group for LGBTQ families and prospective parents serving the Central Pennsylvania area.

MIDWEST

Melissa Ashley, president/CEO for the $5.5 billion Corporate One Federal Credit Union in Columbus, Ohio, was appointed as a member of The Clearing House’s (TCH) RTP Business Committee. The RTP Business Committee is responsible for ensuring the success of TCH’s RTP network, the U.S.’s first 24/7 real-time payments system, and consists of representatives from banks and credit unions of all sizes. Ashley’s appointment to the RTP Business Committee came after her appointment earlier this year to the RTP Advisory Committee, a group of senior executives from credit unions, community and mid-size banks, and trade associations. Members of the RTP Advisory Committee provide insights on TCH’s strategic objectives and methods to execute them throughout the year, and provides TCH with a better understanding of credit union and community bank perspectives on achieving wide adoption of the RTP network nationwide.

SOUTH

The $3.9 billion, Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Truliant Federal Credit Union promoted Beth Eller to the newly-created role of SVP of mortgage lending. In this role, she will continue to be responsible for the mortgage department’s management, performance, growth, administration and strategic direction. In addition, she will lead the expansion of the mortgage program in Upstate South Carolina, where Truliant is opening new branches. Eller joined Truliant in 2019 as vice president of mortgage lending, and since then, she has grown the mortgage department from 15 employees to about 50 employees, and led Truliant’s introduction of Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) Set Aside Funds for mortgages, the sale of eNotes from Truliant to Freddie Mac as collateral for mortgage-backed securities, and the delivery of the Southeast’s first electronic promissory note (eNote) to the FHLB in Atlanta. She also helped develop a third-party origination channel at Truliant to help facilitate the sale of mortgages from other financial institutions, and in 2022, led the introduction of Veterans Administration loans and played a key role in creating United Members Title, a title insurance agency. Eller serves on the N.C. Secretary of State’s Mortgage eClosing Advisory Committee and has attended executive leadership programs at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem and the Stonier School of Banking at the University of Pennsylvania.

TRADES

CUNA hired Robert Lewis as its new EVP and chief advocacy officer. Lewis, the founder and president/CEO of the Van Aucker Group, has more than 20 years of legislative experience involving financial services. He will start at CUNA on Jan. 3. Lewis has been with the Van Aucker Group since 2018 and previously worked with the Financial Services Institute, House Judiciary Committee, Financial Executives International and the office of Sen. Zell Miller (D-Ga.)

LEAGUES

Tracie Kenyon, president/CEO of Montana’s Credit Unions, received the 2022 Eagle Award from the American Association of Credit Union Leagues (AACUL) during the 2022 AACUL Winter and Annual Meeting in Charleston, S.C. The Eagle Award is the AACUL’s highest honor and was established in 1981 to recognize a league president who has an outstanding record of achievement at the league level. Kenyon has served as president/CEO of Montana’s Credit Unions for over 21 years. She began her career in credit unions more than 30 years ago as a teller, and previously served at the Utah league for six years. She has also held leadership roles on the boards of directors for CUNA, the AACUL, CULAC, Filene Research Institute, the National Credit Union Foundation and Western CUNA Management School. She is also a past recipient of numerous national recognitions and awards, including the 2017 Eugene H. Farley League Leadership Award and the 2009 Her Wegner Memorial Award for Montana Credit Unions for Community Development.

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