Lake Trust CU & Affinity CU Hire New C-Suite Leaders

WEST

Faye Nabhani, president/CEO for the $4.7 billion, Folsom, Calif.-based SAFE Credit Union, is officially joining the Greater Sacramento Economic Council (GSEC). Nabhani will serve on the board’s executive committee. SAFE joined the council’s board of directors in 2021, and each company’s CEO or highest-ranking local executive represents their company on the board. Nabhani became SAFE’s first female CEO in January 2023.

Steve Stoppel, CEO of the $170 million, Torrance, Calif.-based Torrance Community Credit Union, will retire after 21 years of service with the credit union. Stoppel began his career in the financial sector in 1987, and during his 21 years leading Torrance Community, he grew the credit union from $58 million to more than $171 million in assets, and implemented technology that has improved both member and employee experiences.

EAST

The $468 million, Orono, Maine-based University Credit Union hired Seth Poplaski to the credit union’s team of community engagement managers (CEMs), who represent UCU in communities throughout the state. From UCU’s headquarters in Orono, Poplaski will cover central Maine alongside CEMs Jenn Deschene in Presque Isle and Lesley Ridge in Portland. In his new role, Poplaski will work to build relationships with community stakeholders to advance the financial well-being of Maine people; participate, host and volunteer in local activities; serve on nonprofit boards and committees; host financial education workshops and events to improve financial literacy; engage with local municipalities, schools and institutions as a community partner; and identify opportunities for financial sponsorship. Poplaski most recently served at Northern Light Health, where he was a senior videographer, oversaw all social media efforts and assisted the marketing and communications department with photography, videography and content creation. Previously, he was the first Young & Free Spokester for Maine Credit Unions, advocating for the credit union movement through a variety of avenues focused on enriching communities and engaging young people to seek credit unions for their financial advice and needs.

MIDWEST

The $2.5 billion, Brighton, Mich.-based Lake Trust Credit Union hired Razi Qadri to its leadership team as chief information and operations officer. Qadri brings more than 20 years of experience, having most recently served as chief operating and information officer at Lake Michigan Credit Union ($12.7 billion, Caledonia, Mich.). He previously served as senior manager of mid-system technical support at Chrysler and vice president of information technology at Flagstar Bank. In his new role, Qadri will lead Lake Trust’s information technology, software development, business intelligence, and virtual and payment operations. In addition, he will collaborate closely with Lake Trust’s executive team, department leaders and team members across the organization to align the organization’s technological initiatives with its overall business strategy and mission. Qadri holds a master of science in computer engineering from Wayne State University in Detroit and a master of business from Barrington University in Atlanta.

The $145 million, Des Moines, Iowa-based Affinity Credit Union hired Carmen Wooley as CFO. Wooley has been in the credit union industry for almost nine years, having begun her journey with Affiliates Management Company, a wholly-owned holding company of the Iowa Credit Union League, as an accounting manager and later serving in the role of financial business analytics manager. She holds an MBA from Quincy University in Quincy, Ill.

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