CUs Announce 4 New Hires, 8 Promotions, 3 Retirements & One Honor

WEST

Bruce Rosen, EVP for the $318 million, Honolulu-based Hawaii Central Credit Union, retired effective Feb. 3. Rosen served just over 14 years at Hawaii Central, and up until his retirement, served on the credit union’s asset liability management, credit/loan, business loan and member business organization committee. He remained onboard, part-time, over a transitional period from the end of 2022 through his last day on Feb. 3. Rosen holds a master’s degree in operations research from Stanford University and an MBA from the University of Hawaii. Prior to joining Hawaii Central, he held several key positions with various local businesses, government and another financial institution.

Sandia Laboratory Federal Credit Union ($3.4 billion, Albuquerque, N.M.) hired Matthew Reidy as chief data and planning officer. In his new role, Reidy is responsible for executing upon an enterprise business intelligence strategy comprised of a robust data analytics framework and governance model, transforming data into actionable insights that enhance organizational decision-making, and overseeing strategic initiatives that strengthen SLFCU’s products and services. Reidy brings than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry, having most recently served as SVP of business intelligence and planning for a credit union in New York state, and vice president of business intelligence and analytics for a California-based credit union. He was recently a finalist in the Credit Union Times Luminaries Class of 2022 for Executive Leadership.

The $964 million Valley First Credit Union in Modesto, Calif., hired Daren Williams to its leadership team as director of corporate communications. In his new role, he will oversee all communications involving the credit union, including a broad and diverse range of business, employee, member and marketing communications. Williams brings more than 35 years of experience working as a communications professional, most recently as senior director of Global Communications at the Almond Board of California. His previously spent 12 years with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association in Denver, 10 years at Fleishman Hillard International Communications in Kansas City and nine years at Agri/Washington, a Washington, D.C.-based public affairs firm. He began his career working on former Kansas Senator Bob Dole’s 1988 presidential campaign.

EAST

Kim Houle, CFO for the $1.9 billion, Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass.-based Hanscom Federal Credit Union, retired effective Jan. 31. Houle, who has been with the credit union a total of 38 years, began her career in Hanscom’s accounting department, where she quickly took on additional responsibilities that propelled her into an executive role.

The $679 million ValleyStar Credit Union in Martinsville, Va., promoted Katy Elizondo-Eastridge to vice president of commercial lending. In her new role, she will develop and execute strategic plans for commercial lending that minimize risk, and ensure policies align with company objectives. She joined ValleyStar six years ago as a member service officer, and was promoted to business development specialist in 2019 and to commercial lender in 2021.

The $1.5 billion, Pittsfield, Mass.-based Greylock Federal Credit Union hired Rachel Melendez Mabee as its first vice president of DEI, culture and brand. In her new role, Mabee will play a critical role in leading the overall strategy as the credit union deepens its DEI journey. She will be the driving force behind its IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility) principles, ensuring every Greylock employee values the power of diversity and community, and the importance of fostering belonging, support and trust. She most recently led DEI efforts at PGA of America. Mabee is a graduate of the Berkshire Leadership Program in Massachusetts’ Berkshire County and was previously named to a Berkshire 40 under 40 list. She also serves on the board of trustees for the Berkshire Museum and the board of the Berkshire United Way, where she leads the DEI committees for both organizations, and also serves on the board of the Elizabeth Freeman Center and the national board for the Women in Golf Foundation.

The $345 million, Fairhaven, Mass.-based Alltrust Credit Union announced four promotions.

Kimberly Trahan was promoted to chief human resource officer. Trahan joined Alltrust in 2018 as vice president human resource and has over 26 years of HR experience in the financial services industry. In her new role, she will manage all aspects of the HR department, including working closely with managers in regard to recruiting, benefit administration, performance and career development, and oversee the training program.

Michael Gago was promoted to chief lending and operations officer. Gago has been with Alltrust since 2018 as chief lending officer. During his time, Gago extended his experience in various aspects of consumer, residential and commercial lending, financial management and financial analysis. In his new role, in addition to holding all lending responsibilities, he will oversee retail operations and deposit operations.

Stephanie Medeiros was promoted to SVP retail operations and compliance. Medeiros has been with Alltrust since 2018 as vice president operations. In her new role, Medeiros is responsible for the daily management of deposit services and has been instrumental in developing new products and services to offer members. In addition to fulfilling her current responsibilities, in her new role she will be working closely with all branch managers to focus on retail operations, as well as with the compliance team.

Vanessa Roque was promoted to operations manager. Roque joined Alltrust in 2003 as a teller in Fairhaven. In 2015, she moved into the operations department as an operations specialist. In her new role, Roque will manage the interactive teller machine, retail loan servicing and deposit operations. She will also assist with the creation of new products and services, assist with policies and procedures, and be responsible for all tasks related to processing of ATM transactions and debit cards.

MIDWEST

The $5.1 billion, Madison, Wis.-based UW Credit Union hired Fe Cooper as Milwaukee director of member sales and service. According to her LinkedIn page, Cooper brings over 10 years of experience in the credit union and bank industries as a teller, personal banker, universal banker, service manager and branch manager, including over six years with Wells Fargo. She most recently served as a branch manager for the $6.2 billion Summit Credit Union in Cottage Grove, Wis.

The $666 million, Elkhart, Ind.-based INOVA Federal Credit Union promoted Claire Kellems to chief digital officer. Kellems has been with INOVA for over 10 years and most recently served as vice president of analytics, process and technology. In her new role, she oversees all aspects of technology including infrastructure and cybersecurity, and plays an integral role in all facets of INOVA’s project management, including major technological branch transformations to support the future of banking and organizational growth. She also has experience and knowledge in workforce development, accounting and organizational leadership. In 2015, Kellems was the recipient of the Emerging Leadership Award from the Indiana Credit Union League. She has also served on the board of Tru Direction, Inc., a financial literacy non-profit, serving as president and vice president; as a board and executive committee member of ChoiceLight, Inc., a dark fiber provider in the region; as captain of INOVA’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer team; as president of the Walkerton Elementary PTA; and as vice president of the Epsilon Chi chapter of Tri Kappa, a philanthropic service organization.

SOUTH

The $2.3 billion, Birmingham, Ala.-based America’s First Credit Union announced two promotions.

Nancy Rice was promoted to SVP – chief risk officer. A 29-year AmFirst veteran, Rice most recently served as vice president – risk management. In her new role, she will be responsible for directing the administration of AmFirst credit resolutions and enterprise risk management, including vendor management, compliance, fraud, security and quality assurance. Rice first joined AmFirst’s accounting department in 1994, where she performed multiple roles including ACH specialist. She then moved to the internal audit department in 1997 as a staff auditor and was promoted to manager of the quality assurance/risk management department in 2004. Five years later, Rice was promoted to assistant vice president – risk management. She was then appointed to vice president – risk management in 2015 and served during this time as Bank Secrecy Act officer. She graduated with honors from CUNA Management School and received her Certified Credit Union Executive certification. She also holds certifications in Bank Secrecy Act, Compliance and Enterprise Risk Management.

Terry Sanderson was promoted to vice president – experience officer. Sanderson most recently served as AmFirst’s regional director in branch services and has been with the credit union for 34 years. In her new role, she will be responsible for focusing on member and employee needs, and developing plans and strategies to ensure exceptional and consistent experience is delivered to both AmFirst members and employees across the credit union’s bandwidth. Since joining AmFirst in 1979, she has held several positions including file clerk, new accounts representative, collection clerk, loan writer, loan officer, indirect loan officer, supervisor of member services and branch manager. Sanderson moved to the branch services department in 2018, where she served as a regional director and managed five of the credit union’s Birmingham branches. She graduated with honors from CUNA Management School in 2021, obtaining her Certified Credit Union Executive certification.

Yvonne Meeks, who works in business development and is a certified financial counselor for the $1.6 billion, North Augusta, S.C.-based SRP Federal Credit Union, was honored by the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce with a Lifetime Achievement Award on Feb. 2 at its annual meeting at the Columbia County Exhibition Center. This award was first given in 2005 and recognizes one leader from the community for his or her professional and philanthropic achievements. Meeks has lived and worked in the Greater Augusta area for over 45 years, and has over 50 years of experience in the financial services industry. She has served on numerous boards including the United Way of the CSRA, the Columbia County Chamber, Abilene Baptist Church and the North Augusta Chamber.

Ginia Chapline, COO for the $2 billion, Arlington, Texas-based Texas Trust Credit Union, retired. The 15-year credit union veteran took the reigns as COO in 2020 after serving as SVP of talent. As COO, Chapline took the reins at the start of the pandemic, helping to steer Texas Trust through the crisis, keeping every employee on the payroll, and working to keep them safe and secure. Chapline also helped structure the Texas Trust Gives Foundation, the charitable arm of the credit union, and established its vision and mission. She served on the board of the Ft. Worth Chapter of Credit Unions, where she was dean of the group’s Leadership Academy.

CUSOS

Member Access Processing (MAP), a Kent, Wash.-based card processing aggregator for credit unions, announced two promotions.

Jeff Sims was promoted to CFO and will serve on the executive leadership team. Sims previously served as vice president of finance and corporate systems. In his new role, he is responsible for the daily operations of MAP’s financial systems, as well as MAP’s internal and external financial reporting, annual budgets, annual audits, and analysis and recommendations of future systems solutions. Sims has over 25 years of experience in finance and accounting management, with over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry working for two prominent independent brokerage firms in the Pacific Northwest. Prior to joining MAP, he was CFO for KMS Financial Services, Inc.

Tim Bornemeier was promoted to chief implementation officer and will serve on the executive leadership team. Bornemeier previously served as vice president of implementations. In his new role, he directs and manages all phases of implementations for new client onboardings, as well as all project implementations for existing clients to ensure outstanding delivery and support. Prior to joining MAP, he was responsible for all Premier Bank conversions, including credit and debit card conversions, custom programming and deconversions, at Fiserv, where he also served as its Lincoln, Neb., site director. Before that, Bornemeier was with Capital One/Cabela’s for nearly 10 years as SVP of operations. He previously spent 18 years at Nelnet as SVP of operations.  

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