CU Industry Reveals Board Appointments, Hires, Promotions & Honors

WEST

The $1.7 billion Unitus Community Credit Union in Portland, Ore., announced new board leadership.

Sam Banerjee, former board chair for Unitus, was re-elected by acclamation for a three-year term. Banerjee is a solutions architect for the Boston-based Zone & Co., according to his LinkedIn page.

Rhonda Cramer was re-elected by acclamation for a three-year term, and will serve as board secretary.

Matthew Mičetić was re-elected by acclamation for a three-year term and will serve as chair. Mičetić is the owner of Red Castle Games in Portland, according to his LinkedIn page.

Nicole Davison León was named vice chair. According to her LinkedIn page, she serves as economic opportunity manager for Fourth Plain Forward in Vancouver, Wash.

Melissa Magaña was appointed to the audit committee for a three-year term.

The $7.5 billion, Santa Rosa, Calif.-based Redwood Credit Union named Alia Triliegi branch experience manager of its San Rafael, Calif., branch. In her new role, Triliegi is responsible for overseeing member service, staff development and daily branch operations, as well as partnering with local businesses and community organizations. Triliegi brings more than 20 years of management experience and originally joined RCU as branch service manager of its Mill Valley, Calif., branch. Prior to joining RCU, she was a department manager for the retailer Nordstrom.

EAST

The $2.6 billion, Rome, N.Y.-based AmeriCU Credit Union made two new board appointments following its annual membership meeting on March 13.

Nick Fabrizio will serve as chairman of the board of directors. Fabrizio is the founder of Fabrizio & Company, a management consulting firm located in Baldwinsville, N.Y. He is also on the faculty of Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., in the Sloan Program in Health Administration, where he has served as a senior lecturer for the past 20 years. He is also on the faculty at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. He brings over 25 years of experience as a strategist, executive and negotiator to AmeriCU, and prior to being elected chairman, served as a board member for five years.

Jennifer Stowell will serve as vice chairman of the board of directors. Stowell is the director of human resources at Onondaga County Water Authority. She brings over 18 years of experience in HR, management and leadership to the credit union, and served as a board member for six years before being appointed vice chairman. Fabrizio and Stowell will both serve a three-year term.

MIDWEST

The $1.2 billion, Papillion, Neb.-based Cobalt Credit Union re-hired Haley Christensen as vice president of information technology enterprise applications. Christensen brings 15 years of financial services industry experience, having previously served in various roles at the credit union and six years in the information technology field. In her new role, she will direct and lead a team of IT professionals to provide information management services. The team will be responsible for maintaining and enhancing many of the credit union’s information systems and maximizing the effectiveness of data collection, processing, security and reporting.

SOUTH

The $1.9 billion Sharonview Federal Credit Union in Indian Land, S.C., promoted Melissa Breaux to CFO. Breaux joined Sharonview in 2019 as vice president of finance, and most recently served as interim CFO during Sharonview’s nationwide search to fill the position. Prior to joining Sharonview, she served as CFO of the financial services division at NTT Data, Inc. In her new role, she will direct the overall financial plans of the credit union, including overseeing Sharonview’s accounting, treasury, budget and audit activities. As a member of the executive leadership team, she will play a key role in communicating Sharonview’s financial needs and goals to its board of directors and in crafting the organization’s future. She holds an MBA from the McColl School of Business at Queens University of Charlotte, N.C., and in 2016, she was recognized as one of Charlotte’s Women in Business by Charlotte Business Journal.

The $2.8 billion, Tampa, Fla.-based GTE Financial Credit Union hired Melissa Masoud as assistant vice president of Total Awards. She previously served as senior manager of HR benefits at Baldwin Risk Partners and brings over 15 years of experience in benefit programs, policies and procedures. In her new role, Masoud will be responsible for developing and administering all compensation and benefit plans, policies and programs to maintain GTE’s competitive position and maximize employee productivity, engagement and retention. Additionally, she will be responsible for collaborating with senior leadership to define and initiate the strategic direction of Total Rewards, and ensure that all programs align with business needs and growth strategies. She is an SHRM-Senior Certified Professional through the Society of Human Resource Management and holds a Workday Pro Benefits Certificate.

Truliant Federal Credit Union ($4.1 billion, Winston Salem, N.C.) hired Michelle Jenkins to the newly-created role of vice president of financial fraud investigation. In her new role, Jenkins will be responsible for the strategic oversight and architecture of Truliant’s fraud and loss mitigation strategies across all banking channels. Additionally, she will oversee the development of policies and procedures to detect and prevent fraud activities, as well as work with stakeholders covering areas including electronic payments, information technology, information security and compliance. Jenkins’ career in banking spans almost two decades, during which time she has led teams dedicated to the prevention of fraud and global financial crimes risk management, and supported multiple lines of business. She has a master’s degree in management from Friends University in Wichita, Kan., and holds certifications as a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, an Anti-Money Laundering Specialist and in E2E Process Design and Reengineering.

LEAGUES

The Louisiana Credit Union League’s Young Professionals Network named Lauren Davis Callihan, marketing supervisor for the $254 million, Lafayette, La.-based Meritus Credit Union, the 2022 Young Professional of the Year during its annual workshop, held March 21-22 in Baton Rouge, La. The award recognizes an individual 18-40 years of age who has been exceptionally engaged and supportive of the Louisiana credit union movement over the past year. Davis joined Meritus in 2013 as a part-time teller, and in 2015 moved to the marketing department as communications coordinator. She was promoted to her current role in 2019, where she leads engagement, acquisition, digital, brand and financial wellness initiatives. She was selected as a CUNA 2016 Crash the GAC (Crasher) representative in 2016 and has served as a Crasher Mentor every year since. In addition, she is a Credit Union Certified Marketing Executive and Certified Credit Union Financial Counselor.

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