Coastal1 CU Hires 3 Former Bankers as Vice Presidents

EAST

The $3.2 billion Coastal1 Credit Union in Pawtucket, R.I., announced four new hires.

Sara Hiebner was hired as vice president of commercial lending. In her new role, she will be responsible for managing a portfolio of commercial relationships in addition to developing new business loans including real estate, equipment loans and lines of credit throughout Rhode Island and southeast Massachusetts. Hiebner brings over 20 years of experience in the commercial lending field, having most recently served as vice president/commercial lending at BayCoast Bank. She is the immediate past-chair of the board of directors for Child & Family Services of RI.

Dan Killion was hired as vice president/business intelligence. In his new role, he will be responsible for data research, analysis and reporting to facilitate decision making in regard to the credit union’s strategic initiatives. Killion brings over 36 years of experience in the banking industry, having most recently served as vice president/business intelligence and reporting at Santander Bank.

Darryl McCaffrey was hired as vice president/information security officer. In his new role, he will oversee the administration, maintenance and execution of the credit union’s information security program along with ensuring compliance with state and federal regulations. McCaffrey brings over 24 years of experience in the cybersecurity field, having most recently served as senior manager of global security operations at DELL SecureWorks. He is a retired member of the U.S. military, having served 28 years in three branches: The U.S. Air Force as a Master Sergeant, U.S. Coast Guard as a 2nd Class Petty Officer and U.S. Navy as a Petty Officer. He holds the Certified Information Security Manager, Certified Ethical Hacker, and GSEC, Sec+ and ITILv3 certifications.

Michele Pope was hired as vice president/program management. In her new role, she will be responsible for designing and implementing an enterprise program management office that will oversee the credit union’s project portfolio. Pope brings over 30 years of experience in the technology strategy and program management field, having most recently served as vice president/transformation delivery at Citizens Bank. While there, she also served as the program manager and partner liaison for the Citizens Year Up Program. She holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management in Evanston, Ill.

MIDWEST

Michelle Robinson, mortgage sales manager for Lake Area Mortgage – A Division of Royal Credit Union ($4.7 billion, Eau Claire, Wis.), was recognized in the 2023 National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals Top 250 Mortgage Originators Report. The report recognizes top-producing Latino mortgage professionals across the nation. Robinson is ranked #5 in the Midwest based on number of transactions and volume, #34 in the country based on transactions and #72 in the country based on volume. She is #1 in Minnesota and #1 for all credit unions based on transactions and volume. These rankings were determined by a self-nomination process where mortgage originators report their residential loans closed in 2022. Robinson has 32 years of experience in the mortgage industry and was previously named a Top Producing Minnesota Housing Lender.

SOUTH

The $2.9 billion, Tampa, Fla.-based GTE Financial promoted Marian Ringuette to the talent leadership team as assistant vice president of talent acquisition. In her new role, Ringuette will manage, plan and execute GTE’s talent acquisition strategies, processes and programs, as well as continue to contribute to GTE’s talent strategy and build upon its high-performing team. Ringuette has been with the credit union for almost 23 years and most recently served as senior manager of talent acquisition. She has worked in all areas of HR in a general capacity, concentrating on acquisition for the last seven years. She holds a Certification in Human Resource Management from the University of South Florida and Professional in Human Resources certification through the Society for Human Resource Management.

The $4 billion, Tullahoma, Tenn.-based Ascend Federal Credit Union promoted Kristy Harris to associate financial advisor on the Ascend Retirement and Investment Services (ARISe) wealth management team. In her new role, Harris will develop and execute retirement and investment plans for members in the Murfreesboro, Columbia and Spring Hill, Tenn., locations. Previously, Harris served as a sales assistant at Ascend Retirement & Investment Services. She is designated as a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor by the College for Financial Planning.

TRADES

America’s Credit Union Museum in Manchester, N.H., announced the 2023 inductees into the exhibit “Credit Union Women Making History: Herstory.” According to the organization, due to an overwhelming response and support of the Herstory initiative in 2022, the museum established an annual recognition program to identify and celebrate outstanding women of the movement. The 2023 inductees are:

Linda Bodie, president/CEO for the $55.1 million Element Federal Credit Union in South Charleston, W.V.

Kathy Chartier, president/CEO for the $43.4 million Members Credit Union in Cos Cob, Conn.

Cindy Connelly, SVP for the $2 billion Georgia United Credit Union in Duluth, Ga.

Kim Sponem, president/CEO for the $6.3 billion Summit Credit Union in Madison, Wis.

Brandi Stankovic, principal at Strategic Advisory Solutions in Las Vegas, Nev.

Sarah Vega, director for the Illinois Credit Union Foundation and an attorney at law in Chicago.

VENDORS

Digital solutions provider Q2 promoted Kim Rutledge to chief people officer. According to her LinkedIn page, Rutledge joined Q2 in 2017 as SVP, human resources, and previously served in a variety of HR and talent roles for Home Depot, Dell, Designs on Talent and SunPower Corporation.

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