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WEST
Sierra Gutierrez Sierra Gutierrez, regional director for the $3.6 billion, Chatsworth, Calif.-based Premier America Credit Union, was honored by United Way of Ventura County with the Milton M. Teague Award for Outstanding Community Volunteerism at its Spirit Awards on Aug. 15. This award is presented to area individuals for outstanding community service and for upholding the legacy of the three individuals who founded United Way of Ventura County in 1945. Gutierrez is currently serving her fifth term on the Board of Directors of United Way of Ventura County. She joined Premier America in 2009 earned her MBA from California State University Channel Islands in Camarillo, Calif. Earlier this summer, Gutierrez was honored by the Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce as one of the region's 40 Under Forty.
EAST
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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.
