Credit Unions, Filene & One CUSO Announce 12 Career Moves

WEST

Donna McNeely, president of Kinecta Financial Management, the wealth management arm of Kinecta Federal Credit Union ($6.6 billion, Manhattan Beach, Calif.) was appointed to the Bank Insurance and Securities Association’s (BISA) board of directors. BISA’s mission is to inspire and support member firms and financial professionals within the dedicated community of banks, credit unions and industry partners focused on providing best-of-class, holistic life planning through wealth management, technology, investment and insurance solutions. McNeely has more than 25 years of experience in the financial services market, including time spent in banking, wealth management and investment product distribution. Most recently, she served as COO for Kinecta. In her current role, she is accountable for the successful operation of Kinecta’s subsidiaries: Apollo Insurance, a property/casualty insurance agency providing insurance products services to credit unions nationwide, and Kinecta Financial & Insurance Services, a registered broker/dealer and insurance agency.

EAST

Danielle Kennett, collections manager for the $679 million, Martinsville, Va.-based ValleyStar Credit Union, was selected to be a member of the Virginia Credit Union League’s Emerging Professionals Committee to attract, develop and retain top talent within Virginia’s credit unions. The committee consists of 12 credit union professionals from across Virginia who strive to connect, empower and engage emerging professionals in the credit union industry. She holds the league’s EMERGE Certification, and was notified of her selection within the halls of Congress at CUNA’s GAC in Washington, D.C.

The $2.6 billion, Virginia Beach, Va.-based Chartway Federal Credit Union announced two promotions.

Mindy Estok was promoted to SVP of member experience and project management. Estok has been with Chartway for 23 years, starting as a loan consultant and later leading the real estate team for a decade. In recent years, she spearheaded the creation of the project management function at Chartway and introduced its change advisory committee. Additionally, she became responsible for member experience oversight several years ago, and has served as the executive sponsor of Chartway’s quality improvement program.

John Sapp was promoted to SVP of data and business analytics. Sapp joined Chartway five years ago as vice president of business and risk analytics. During his tenure, he has leveraged data to improve strategy and decision-making, as well as built a team of data engineers and business analysts. Prior to joining Chartway, Sapp led business analytics for the retail bank and small business teams at Capital One. He holds an MBA from the University of Notre Dame.

MIDWEST

The $228 million, Newark, Ohio-based TrueCore Federal Credit Union promoted Clinton R. White to SVP-CFO. White has been with TrueCore for 14 years. In his new role, he will be responsible for all aspects of the credit union’s asset-liability management, including financial analysis, planning and strategic implementation. He will continue in his supervision of the areas of member service, accounting and information technology. White is the immediate past chair of the TrueCore Foundation, a member of the legislative committee for the Licking County Board of Realtors and a previous recipient of The Newark Advocate’s Top 20 under 40. White received his MBA from Mount Vernon Nazarene University in Mount Vernon, Ohio and is a graduate of CUNA’s executive management school at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, where he earned the professional designation of Certified Credit Union Executive.

The $1.3 billion, Columbus, Ohio-based Telhio Credit Union promoted Mitch Vocke to chief lending officer. Vocke joined Telhio in 2016 as a consumer lending manager, and since then has held the roles of vice president, commercial relationship manager and vice president, director of commercial lending. In his new role, he will be responsible for overseeing the mortgage and business lending divisions of Telhio, which includes developing and implementing lending strategies, managing loan portfolios and ensuring compliance with all relevant regulations. Vocke, a United States Marine Corps veteran, is a graduate of Leadership Hamilton and member of Hamilton Links, programs of the Greater Hamilton Chamber of Commerce in Hamilton, Ohio. In addition, he previously sat on the board of directors for The Great Miami Valley YMCA in Hamilton and assisted with youth financial education programs through H.Y.P.E. Hamilton.

Al Mumford, long-time board member for the $222 million, Battle Creek, Mich.-based BlueOx Credit Union, announced his plans to retire from the board of directors at the end of his term in April 2023. A BlueOx member since 1964, Mumford has served in various volunteer board positions since 1973, including on the supervisory committee, building and equipment committee, nominating committee, personnel committee, and as vice chair and board chair. He has also received the Raiffeisen, Filene and Bergengren awards from the NCUA.

TruPartner Credit Union ($191 million, Cincinnati, Ohio) hired Kevin Dreyer as CFO. Dreyer brings 20 years of industry experience, having most recently served as accounting and finance manager for the $339 million, Middletown, Ohio-based MyUSA Credit Union.

The $814 million Members First Credit Union in Midland, Mich., hired John Pepmeier to its leadership team as vice president of finance. Pepmeier has worked in the banking industry for over 13 years, having most recently served as vice president of enterprise trading analytics and reporting at Huntington National Bank.

SOUTH

The $1.9 billion, Montgomery, Ala.-based MAX Credit Union promoted Will Epperson to chief retail officer. Epperson began his career with MAX in 1991 and has since worked his way through the ranks, taking on a variety of roles throughout his tenure.

VENDORS

Filene Research Institute in Madison, Wis., hired Dawn Denton as chief growth officer. In her new role, Denton will lead Filene’s membership, marketing and event teams. She will be responsible for driving growth and awareness of the Filene brand across the credit union landscape and ensuring that Filene members are utilizing Filene’s resources to their highest potential. Denton brings 24 years of experience working with credit unions in a variety of roles ranging from marketing and sales to strategy development. She most recently worked at CUNA Mutual Group in several roles, primarily around lending optimization. Her other past experiences include serving as a regional sales manager – lending protection and vice president of sales. She is also the co-owner of D2 Strategic Services, where she facilitates strategic leadership sessions for leaders in credit unions of all asset sizes, and earned a Customer Experience Certification from the University of Houston, C.T. Bauer College of Business.

CUSOS

Spave, a fintech and CUSO supported by MSU Federal Credit Union ($7.2 billion, East Lansing, Mich.) and its wholly-owned CUSO Reseda Group, hired Melissa Gossen as junior partner ambassador. Gossen previously served as sales support team leader and advisor at Ramsey Solutions, a financial counseling and education company created by New York Times bestselling author Dave Ramsey. In addition to serving as an independent financial coach, Gossen also worked in the credit union industry, helping to support marketing and financial literacy initiatives. Spave is designed to empower personal financial independence and charitable giving through its mobile solution.

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