Professionals Earn New Titles at 6 Credit Unions

EAST

The $256 million NET Credit Union in Scranton, Pa., announced eight promotions and one new hire.

Mary Rapach was promoted to director of member experience. In her new role, Rapach will manage branch operations, the member service center and corporate training. She has over 20 years of diversified banking experience.

Phil Zvirblis was promoted to branch operations manager. In his new role, Zvirblis will manage all branch operations. He has nearly 10 years of banking and credit union experience. At NET, he has been responsible for leading branch operations and serving members.

Sean Thorpe was promoted to manager of the Scranton Branch. Thorpe has over 13 years of banking experience. He has been with NET for over six years, serving in the lending department.

Jessica Tonkin was promoted to manager of the Olyphant Branch in Olyphant, Pa. Tonkin has been with NET for 14 years and worked in many departments; her responsibilities have included developing and training branch staff.

Jean Seifert was promoted to assistant manager of the Scranton Branch. Seifert has been with NET for nearly 27 years, during which time she has trained new employees and overseen all facets of the teller line.

Devon Hessmiller was promoted to assistant manager of the Olyphant Branch. Hessmiller has been with NET for 15 years, during which time she has run branch operations with the implementation of new software and trained new tellers.

Jessica Hernandez was promoted to assistant manager of the Taylor Branch in Taylor, Pa. Hernandez has been with NET since 2017, and since then has served in roles in collections and lending. She also brings years of experience in business development.

Jessica Fashouer was promoted to supervisor of the Member Service Center. Fashouer has been with NET for 15 years and has played a key role in the creation and development of the Member Service Center.

Christina Dehaba was hired as manager of the Taylor Branch. Dehaba brings over 20 years of lending and management experience.

Hudson Valley Credit Union ($6.6 billion, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) announced one promotion and one new hire.

Maria Lobo was promoted to manager of the Brewster Branch in Brewster, N.Y. Lobo joined HVCU as assistant branch manager of the credit union’s Brewster and Carmel, N.Y., Branches in 2016. She previously served in retail and branch management roles, most recently as assistant branch manager for First Niagara Bank. Lobo holds over 20 years of banking experience and is a Certified Notary Public.

Patrick Oji was hired as manager of the Fishkill Branch in Fishkill, N.Y. Oji has worked in financial services for nearly 20 years, most recently as a lead branch manager for Mid-Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union ($1.4 billion, Kingston, N.Y.). He serves on the board of directors for The Arc of Ulster-Greene Foundation and is a graduate of the Ulster Leadership Development Institute.

The $8 billion, Harrisburg, Pa.-based PSECU promoted Lindsay Oparowski to assistant vice president of digital member experience. Oparowski joined the credit union in October 2020 as a marketing technology strategist and was quickly promoted to director of member experience. Previous to PSECU, she most recently worked as director of customer engagement for Hershey Entertainment and Resorts. In her new role, Oparowski will balance the growth vision and long-term digital member experience strategy with near-term execution to create a seamless member experience. She holds numerous certifications, including those from LUMA Institute, HubSpot, Google, IBM and Harvard Manage Mentor.

The $478 million, Falls Church, Va.-based Arlington Community Federal Credit Union hired Kenricka Gardner as vice president, member experience. Gardner previously served as vice president of remote services for APG Federal Credit Union ($2.1 billion, Edgewood, Md.) and her professional experience includes holding various roles at Navy Federal Credit Union ($156.6 billion, Vienna, Va.), Wells Fargo and Bank of America. She is a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and Project Management Professional, and completed her MBA at University of Maryland Global Campus.

MIDWEST

The $4.5 billion, Eau Claire, Wis.-based Royal Credit Union promoted Kaylee Peikert to enterprise solutions manager. In her new role, Peikert oversees the technical support and maintenance of Royal’s digital banking solutions, serves as a central IT contact and leader for corporate level initiatives, and collaborates with other leaders to ensure implementation of key enterprise systems for Royal. Peikert started working for Royal in December 2019 as a business process analyst. Most recently, she held the role of technology program manager. Peikert is a certified Project Management Professional and holds a certification in Information Technology Infrastructure Library.

SOUTH

The $1.1 billion, Summerville, S.C.-based REV Federal Credit Union hired Russell E. Gahagan as CFO. A Certified Public Accountant with over 25 years of experience, Gahagan joins REV from b1BANK where, since 2010, he has served as SVP, finance and corporate treasury. In this role, Gahagan managed a portfolio close to $1 billion in investments and guided his team through five mergers, growing b1BANK from $750 million to $6 billion in assets. Prior to b1BANK, Gahagan served as CFO at Essential Federal Credit Union ($377 million, Baton Rouge, La).

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