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WEST
Forest de Jong Redwood Credit Union ($8.5 billion, Santa Rosa, Calif.) hired Forest de Jong as vice president of insurance services for Redwood Credit Union Insurance Services (RCUIS). In his new role, de Jong is responsible for all managerial aspects of RCUIS operations. This includes strategically expanding insurance offerings to provide the best options for California's North Bay residents and their unique insurance needs, while delivering exceptional service and driving continuous improvement within the RCUIS team. de Jong brings more than 21 years of experience in the insurance industry and has held several leadership roles. He most recently served as vice president of national sales for SIAA.
Denetta Monk The $1.7 billion, Portland, Ore.-based Unitus Community Credit Union announced that Denetta Monk was elected to its Board of Directors for a three-year term. Monk brings more than 15 years of experience and currently serves as the associate vice president of programs for Urban League of Portland. During her nearly eight years at Urban League, she has also held the roles of director of housing programs and housing program manager. In 2023, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek appointed Monk to the state's Racial Justice Council Housing and Homelessness Committee. She is a certified social worker and community health worker, and has held a previous board position with Bradley Angle, a nonprofit that supports victims of domestic violence. In addition, she is currently an executive board member at Parenting with Intent, a nonprofit committed to building strong connections for healthy communities.
EAST
The $7.4 billion, Enola, Pa.-based Members 1st Federal Credit Union announced three employee honors.
Mike Wilson, president/CEO, was named to the Power 100 List by the Central Penn Business Journal for the second year in a row. He was recognized by his continued leadership efforts for the credit union.
Sara Elerman Sara Elerman, regional vice president, was chosen as the recipient of the Karen F. Snider Emerging Leader Award for the YWCA Greater Harrisburg's 2024 Tribute to Women in Excellence. This award is presented to a woman who is below the age of 30 and has made significant contributions to the community, especially in the area of mentoring young girls.
Jenna Reitz, community engagement coordinator, earned the title of 2023 Member of the Year from Harrisburg Young Professionals for her dedication to enhancing the Harrisburg region and making it the best place to live, work and play.
SOUTH
The $2.1 billion, Duluth, Ga.-based Georgia United Credit Union announced one new hire and one promotion.
Adam Marlowe Adam Marlowe was hired as chief strategy officer. In his new role, Marlowe is responsible for driving Georgia United's strategy, product development, marketing and member advocacy. Most recently, he served as COO for Powerco Federal Credit Union ($195 million, Atlanta). He also spent 12 years at Georgia's Own Credit Union ($4.2 billion, Atlanta), where he served in a variety of roles including vice president of member experience and principal market development officer. Marlowe is a past president of the Greater Atlanta Credit Union chapter, and has served as vice chair of the Board of Directors for CUES and as a board member of the Georgia Credit Union Marketing Council. He holds a master's degree in business administration and management from Georgia Southern University.
Janis Johnson Janis Johnson was promoted to chief risk officer/general counsel. Johnson joined Georgia United in September 2023 as its first-ever in-house attorney. In her new role, she will oversee all aspects of the credit union's legal functions, risk management, compliance and board governance. Prior to joining Georgia United, Johnson was SVP, deputy general counsel and corporate secretary for Amalgamated Bank, based in New York and Charlotte, N.C. She also has a background in employment law and served as associate general counsel at Truist Bank and Bank of America.
LEAGUES
The Cornerstone League, which represents credit unions in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri and Kansas, announced two award recipients, who were honored during Cornerstone's IMPACT 2024: Annual Meeting Conference on April 4 in Kansas City, Mo.
Gary D. Parker, retired president/CEO of the $19.5 million, Waco, Texas-based 1st University Credit Union, was inducted into Cornerstone's Hall of Fame, a lifetime achievement recognition created to honor those in the credit union movement who reflect a history of service to credit unions.
Gary Parker Deborah Conder, board chair for the $2.6 billion, Houston-based Wellby Financial, was recognized as Cornerstone's Volunteer of the Year for her support and dedication as a credit union volunteer. Conder is also a veteran employee of NASA for 37 years.
Deborah Conder TRADES
CUES in Madison, Wis., announced two new hires.
Chad Helminak was hired as vice president of talent development programming. Helminak brings two decades of leadership experience in the credit union industry. In his new role, he facilitates experiential training for credit union leaders, leads boards and executive teams through strategic sessions, and drives growth in people, programs and organizational capabilities.
Chad Helminak Pixie Gray was hired as vice president of organizational development and will join CUES in May 2024. She brings over a decade of experience in leadership development, coaching, design thinking and process refinement. She also brings expertise in merger and acquisition culture alignment and facilitating strategic processes.
Pixie Gray Please send your People news items to Natasha Chilingerian at [email protected].
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Natasha Chilingerian
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.
