8 CUs Reveal Board Appointments & Other Career Moves

WEST

Heather Diamond, SVP of business development and community relations for the $11 billion, San Diego-based San Diego County Credit Union, was named among San Diego Business Journal’s 40 influential leaders under 40. The award recognizes outstanding young leaders who are positively impacting their organization and the San Diego community. Diamond joined SDCCU as business development and community relations manager in 2018, bringing nearly a decade of experience in marketing, business development and communications. She was promoted to vice president, business development and community relations in 2021, and in 2022, elevated to SVP. Diamond earned her master’s degree in management from San Diego State University.

EAST

Hanscom Federal Credit Union ($1.8 billion, Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass.) announced that Teresa S. Conrad was elected chairperson of its Board of Directors at the credit union’s annual meeting. She succeeds John A. Delcore, who will remain on the board. A member of the Hanscom board since 1999, Conrad previously served as vice chairperson since 2021. She also held the position of chairperson of the Hanscom FCU Charitable Foundation beginning in 2022. Conrad earned a master’s degree in military operational art and science from the Air Command and Staff College. She retired from the U.S. Air Force as a Civilian Program Manager in 2019.

The $5.2 billion, North Chesterfield, Va.-based Virginia Credit Union’s Board of Directors gained three new members following its Aug. 1 merger with the Roanoke-based Member One Federal Credit Union.

Penny Hodge, a former Member One board member, joined the board as a director. Hodge is the retired assistant superintendent of finance and operations for Roanoke County Public Schools, and has more than 31 years of experience in public education and the local government sector. She is a Certified Public Accountant and currently serves on the Virginia Western Community College Advisory Board and Roanoke County Local Finance Board.

Matt Huff, a former Member One board member, joined the board as a director. Huff is a principal at Poe & Cronk Real Estate Group, where he serves as the firm’s president. He has been named one of the state’s top “Power Brokers” by Virginia Business and has been featured in the Roanoke Times for his leadership in commercial real estate.

Tyler Caveness, a former Member One board member, joined the board as an associate director. Caveness is the founder and principal advisor at Caveness Investment Advisory, LLC, a boutique wealth management practice for the self-employed. Prior to starting his business, Caveness worked as a human capital management and technology implementation consultant.

The $2.7 billion, Rome, N.Y.-based AmeriCU Credit Union promoted Danielle Hatashita to assistant vice president of financial center services. She joined AmeriCU in 2000 when she was hired as a full-time teller, and has since held various roles including financial center manager of AmeriCU’s Cicero, N.Y., location for 17 years. In her new role, Hatashita will oversee the operations and strategic direction of the Rome and Utica, N.Y., area financial centers. She currently serves as the president of the Cicero Plank Road Chamber of Commerce.

The $2.4 billion, Littleton, Mass.-based Workers Credit Union hired Ellie Fordyce as chief people officer. In her new role, Fordyce will focus on strategic development of employee programs and engagement. She brings more than 16 years of experience in credit union human resources, having most recently served as chief people officer for the $2.1 billion, Denver-based Westerra Credit Union. She earned a master’s degree in organization development and change from Penn State.

The $2.9 billion, Virginia Beach, Va.-based Chartway Credit Union hired Lloyd Watts into the newly-created role of SVP retail Virginia, in which he will support members and team members in Chartway’s eastern region. He brings more than a decade of experience in the financial services sector and 30 years of overall banking experience. In his new role, Watts will drive business growth and enhance member experiences by leading regional banking operations, aligning branch activities with corporate strategy and building key stakeholder relationships. Previously, Watts held multiple senior-level roles at Partners Federal Credit Union ($2.5 billion, Burbank, Calif.). He has also held executive roles in retail and branch operations at Sharonview Federal Credit Union ($1.5 billion, Indian Land, S.C.) and Carolinas Telco Federal Credit Union ($541 million, Charlotte, N.C.).

MIDWEST

The $1.5 billion, Bannockburn, Ill.-based Great Lakes Credit Union (GLCU) announced five board and committee appointments and one board transition.

William Harlan was appointed as a board director. Harlan has 35 years of experience financing and investing in middle market companies. He spent the most recent 20 years investing at Kestrel Capital Group, which he co-founded, and Prism Capital, which he joined in 2004. Harlan joined the board of First Financial Credit Union (now GLCU) in 2014 and became its chairman in 2016. Beyond working with credit union and portfolio companies, Harlan provides advisory support to several small businesses and has been active in other nonprofit organizations as well.

Jamie Berra was appointed as an associate director on the board. Berra currently serves as the manager of strategic programs for Kofile, a critical records management company. Berra’s previous professional roles included commercial strategy manager, manager of global analytics and PSS procurement and business analyst for S&C Electric Company, a $1 billion manufacturer of electrical power systems equipment. Berra also serves as Chicagoland Walk Chair for the nonprofit Hydrocephalus Association.

Ira Acree was appointed as an associate director on the board. Acree is one of the founders of the Leaders Network, an organization that fights social injustice. As pastor for the Greater St. John Bible Church in Chicago’s Austin community for over 30 years, Acree has been instrumental in awarding more than $400,000 in scholarships to local college students. He also started a first-time homebuyer seminar where the church donates $1,000 to new homeowners. Additionally, Acree provides public relations support for many local organizations and is a frequent guest speaker on civil rights topics at local universities.

Michael Gebhardt was appointed as an emeritus director on the board. Gebhardt launched a career in the credit union movement immediately after graduating college in 1968, working for Teletype Federal Credit Union. He was nominated to join the Board of Directors just four years later after serving a year on the Credit Committee. Since then, he’s served in many roles, including treasurer and secretary-treasurer on the Executive Committee, plus as a director on the Supervisory Committee, the ALM Committee and the Benefits and Compensation Committee. Gebhardt is currently retired.

Dionne Lewis was appointed as a Supervisory Committee member. Lewis has decades of experience as a tax accountant and corporate tax field auditor. Currently, Lewis is a tax manager at S&C Electric Company, where she is responsible for strategic tax planning, tax policies and tax advice. Lewis volunteers as a college access mentor for Chicago Scholars and is a judge of election for the Chicago Board of Elections.

Longtime Board Director Jim March transitioned to emeritus director in June 2024. March began serving on the GLCU Board in January 2007 and has held various officer and committee positions during his tenure.

SOUTH

The $4.5 billion, Warner Robins, Ga.-based Robins Financial Credit Union hired Andrew Robinson as director of project management. Robinson’s career in information technology began as a computer network administrator. He later co-founded an IT services business in Middle Georgia, growing the company into an operation with 40 employees and serving small- to medium-sized organizations across the region. In his new role, Robinson will concentrate on aligning the various business units within the credit union, facilitating seamless collaboration to ensure the successful execution of projects.

VENDORS

Happy Money, a Torrance, Calif.-based lending fintech serving credit unions, appointed Matt Potere CEO. Potere brings over 25 years of experience in the consumer finance industry, including unsecured lending and point-of-sale financing. He most recently served as CEO for nearly a decade at Sunlight Financial, a provider of affordable loans for clean energy projects. He also held leadership roles at Bank of America.

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