Financial Center First CU & Connex CU Announce Promotions, Board Elections

WEST

Jeff Martinez, director of real estate and development for the $4.1 billion Nusenda Credit Union in Albuquerque, N.M., was recognized as a 40 Under 40 Honoree by Albuquerque Business First. The publication has been honoring young leaders in New Mexico who excel in their careers and communities for 22 years. Martinez joined Nusenda in 2020 and has since been involved in acquisitions, new builds, major remodels and ground-up development. He is also an active member of New Mexico's Commercial Real Estate Development Association and the Albuquerque Regional Economic Alliance. He will be honored along with Albuquerque Business First's other 40 Under 40 Awards recipients at a ceremony on May 31 at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa in Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M.

EAST

The $949 million, North Haven, Conn.-based Connex Credit Union announced four board appointments.

Corey Stone is Connex's new board chair. Stone, who previously served as vice chair, was elected during the credit union's April board meeting and succeeds Janice Bryden, who served as chair since 2017. Stone is currently entrepreneur in residence at the Financial Health Network and a senior advisor to Oliver Wyman, a global consulting firm. He also served as assistant director at the CFPB, CEO of Pay Rent Build Credit and EVP of American Payment Systems (now part of Fiserv) in Wallingford, Conn. He began his career in management consulting. Stone also served as the inaugural chair of New Haven Bank (formerly Start Community Bank) and as a member of the Federal Reserve Board's Consumer Advisory Council. He earned his MBA from Yale University.

Matt D. Turner was elected vice chair of the board of directors.

Wesley J. Johnson, Jr. was elected treasurer of the board of directors.

Malcolm Ellis was elected secretary of the board of directors.

MIDWEST

The $849 million Financial Center First Credit Union in Indianapolis, Ind., announced five promotions.

Jennifer Rue was promoted to EVP of credit union operations. Rue has been with Financial Center First for more than 16 years, and in her new role, oversees operational aspects of the credit union including lending, operations and IT. Her background includes beginning her career as a teller before progressing to credit union leadership roles, including vice president of enterprise risk management and director of internal audit. Rue also practiced law, is a Certified Internal Auditor, a NAFCU Certified Compliance Officer and is currently enrolled in the CUES CEO Institute graduate program. She holds her J.D. from Washington University in St. Louis. Rue most recently held the role of chief risk officer and corporate counsel for Financial Center First.

Dusty Simmons was promoted to EVP of strategic operations. Simmons has been with Financial Center First for 11 years and has extensive experience in strategic planning, market expansion, marketing and communications, and data analytics. In her new role, she oversees marketing, financial wellness, human resources and facilities, and serves as the president of Financial Center Services, LLC. She is a graduate of the Indiana Credit Union League's Ignite program, a former board chair of the Greater Lawrence Chamber and currently enrolled in the CUES CEO Institute graduate program. Simmons most recently served as chief strategy officer for Financial Center First.

Carl Britton was promoted to SVP of internal operations. He brings experience in sales and operations management, credit administration, lending, collections and business development through his 27 years in banking. In his new role, Britton will be responsible for the credit union's enterprise risk management team, process improvement strategies, lending and all internal operations of the organization. He most recently served as vice president of lending for the credit union and has been with Financial Center First for 18 months. Before joining Financial Center First, he was the director of lending with First Financial Bank.

Billy Wells was promoted to SVP of member operations. Wells has 18 years of experience in financial sales management, including strategic planning, business expansion and staff development. In his new role, he will focus on developing, monitoring and maintaining strategies to advance the credit union's goals and service quality, in addition to overseeing retail operations, member communications, collections and the investment services team. Wells immigrated to the U.S. from Colombia as a teenager and is bilingual. He is a graduate of the CBA Executive Banking School and holds an MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University. Wells has been with Financial Center First for a year, previously serving as COO. Before joining the credit union, he served at Huntington Bank.

Chrissy Stefani was promoted to SVP of human resources operations. Stefani has been with Financial State First and the former Ball State Federal Credit Union for a combined 14 years. In her new role, she leads the human resource and training teams, focusing on employee, talent and culture development. She holds the Society of Human Resources Management Senior Human Resources Professional and CUNA Certified Marketing Professional designations. Stefani most recently served as vice president of human resources for Financial Center First.

Please send your People news items to Natasha Chilingerian at [email protected].

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Natasha Chilingerian has been immersed in the credit union industry for over a decade. She first joined CU Times in 2011 as a freelance writer, and following a two-year hiatus from 2013-2015, during which time she served as a communications specialist for Xceed Financial Credit Union (now Kinecta Federal Credit Union), she re-joined the CU Times team full-time as managing editor. She was promoted to executive editor in 2019. In the earlier days of her career, Chilingerian focused on news and lifestyle journalism, serving as a writer and editor for numerous regional publications in Oregon, Louisiana, South Carolina and the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition, she holds experience in marketing copywriting for companies in the finance and technology space. At CU Times, she covers People and Community news, cybersecurity, fintech partnerships, marketing, workplace culture, leadership, DEI, branch strategies, digital banking and more. She currently works remotely and splits her time between Southern California and Portland, Ore.