New Hires Include SVP of Consulting at Velera

WEST

Redwood Credit Union ($8.9 billion, Santa Rosa, Calif.), named Taylor McNeany and Michael Madsen as external mortgage loan officers. In their new roles, McNeany and Madsen will work closely with the local community to increase awareness of RCU’s home loan programs and guide members toward home loan options tailored for them.

McNeany has worked at RCU for the past seven years in the mortgage lending department, serving members with all of their mortgage needs. Recently, she moved over to the external mortgage team to expand the credit union’s services to the real estate community. Before joining RCU in 2017, McNeany worked as a wedding planner.

Madsen, a new hire, brings a 28-year career as a mortgage loan originator to RCU.

Julio Jimenez-Wenz, community development executive for the $1.1 billion, Irwindale, Calif.-based Rize Credit Union, was named to Nevada’s Commission on Minority Affairs, the central advisory body coordinating discussion and study of issues affecting minority communities in Nevada.

Jimenez-Wenz has extensive professional experience in affordable housing, social services, communications, banking, sales and marketing. In his role at Rize, he provides bilingual financial empowerment workshops and one-on-one consultation to individuals and families, as well as works with nonprofits and municipalities and connects with legislators on the needs of the underserved and underbanked community. Jimenez-Wenz developed the Housing Division at Nevada Partners by collaborating with community leaders to build several housing programs for underserved and minority groups, currently serves as a board member and treasurer for the Southern Nevada Credit Union Network, and is a committee member on the Clark County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council.

The $3.3 billion, Eugene, Ore.-based OCCU announced three board appointments.

Jefferson Curl was appointed as an associate member on the Board of Directors. The associate board member program seeks to identify and train potential board directors and supplement the knowledge and experience of the board. Curl brings extensive experience in B2B services and regulatory compliance. He is co-owner and CFO of United ACA Solutions and serves as treasurer for the Lane County Sheriff’s Office Ground Search and Rescue organization. He holds an MBA from the University of Oregon’s Lundquist College of Business.

Dena Putnam-Gilchrist was appointed as an associate member on the Board of Directors. Putnam-Gilchrist has been a registered nurse for 35 years throughout the Pacific Northwest. She is now CEO of KeiperSpine, a position she began in October 2023. She holds an MBA from Colorado State University.

Justin Freeman was elected as a new director. Freeman replaces longtime director Jeanine Jensen, who retired on May 31. He has also served as chair of the credit union’s supervisory committee since January 2023. Freeman is a founding partner of Juniper Rim Partners, where he provides organizational culture consulting and leadership coaching for companies and nonprofits throughout Oregon. He holds an MBA from the University of Notre Dame and is a consulting industry thought leader who has delivered more than 70 workshops, seminars and keynote addresses across the country.

The $809 million, Seattle-based Verity Credit Union announced three new hires.

Toonayya Allen was hired as chief information officer. Allen brings 26 years of experience to Verity’s executive leadership team.

Alma Granic was hired as chief risk officer. In her new role, Granic oversees risk, compliance and internal audit, creating a proactive culture that identifies and assesses risks and opportunities in pursuit of the credit union’s strategic objectives.

Mandy Lee was hired as community impact leader. Lee brings nearly a decade of experience working with marginalized communities, developing racially equitable and just community engagement best practices that center trust, accountability and authentic partnerships.

MIDWEST

The $2.8 billion, Muskego, Wis.-based Corporate Central Credit Union promoted Shannon Cate to director of member experience. Cate has been with Corporate Central for almost 10 years, most recently serving as manager member services for the past year. In her new role, she will enhance the member experience by reinvesting in products and services, assessing the needs of credit unions and fostering key relationships. Cate’s key responsibilities will include refining internal touchpoints, implementing member feedback-driven strategies, overseeing projects for continuous improvement and collaborating with leadership to ensure a consistent member experience.

The $2.9 billion, Appleton, Wis.-based Fox Communities Credit Union promoted Andrew Opicka to assistant vice president of IT-information security and risk. In his new role, Opicka will be responsible for developing, implementing and managing information security, IT risk management, business continuity planning/disaster recovery and records retention programs aligned with industry standard practices and regulatory requirements. Opicka worked in various information security positions before joining Fox in 2020.

SOUTH

The $632 million, Metairie, La.-based OnPath Federal Credit Union promoted Thomas Aleman to chief of staff. Aleman began his career in banking as a teller at Hancock Whitney Bank before joining JP Morgan Chase as a relationship banker. He then became a regional director for JMFA, a national consulting firm for bank and credit union executives, overseeing operations in Texas, Arkansas, New Mexico, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi. He later served as assistant vice president of key accounts at Corporate One Credit Union ($6.8 billion, Columbus, Ohio). In July 2022, Aleman joined OnPath as SVP of growth, and in September 2023, he was appointed chief administrative officer. He is a Certified Credit Union Executive, a SHRM-Certified Professional and recently received a certification in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion from Cornell University.

Dustin Jacobs, vice president of marketing for the $862 million, Hollywood, Fla.-based BrightStar Credit Union, was named chair of the Board of Directors of Broward Education Foundation, a community-driven, charitable organization dedicated to serving students and teachers in Florida’s Broward County Public Schools. In his role at BrightStar, Jacobs oversees the marketing department, which includes the development of strategic marketing plans, company branding and retail strategies, as well as implementing media relations and community relations campaigns. He also sits on the Board of Directors for the Greater Pompano Beach Lighthouse Point Chamber of Commerce and Partners in Education, and is a board member for ArtServe Fort Lauderdale. In addition, he is part of America’s Credit Unions’ Marketing and Business Development Council.

CUSOS

Velera (formerly PSCU/Co-op Solutions) in St. Petersburg, Fla., hired Ryan Myers as SVP of consulting. In his new role, Myers is responsible for driving Velera’s consulting strategy with a focus on integrating the CUSO’s Advisors Plus and SmartGrowth consulting teams, while ensuring the continued delivery of impactful, results-driven consulting engagements. He will also lead the expansion of new consulting areas to better assist all credit unions in achieving growth and scalability, along with building a team to support implementation of recommendations. Myers brings more than 20 years of banking industry expertise in strategic planning, analysis and technology, having most recently served as chief innovation officer of a startup fintech helping credit unions offer Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) services. Prior to this role, he served in consulting positions for nearly seven years with Cornerstone Advisors. He previously managed consumer products and loan strategy teams at Bank of America for more than 12 years. Myers holds an MS in information management as well as an MBA from Arizona State University.

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